There's one rule in padel that isn't written anywhere, but for me it's one of the most important. We call it the Golden Rule, and it fixes one of the biggest concept mistakes I see on court.
Coaches, me included, often say that the player at the net is attacking and the player at the back is defending. Most of the time that's true. However, there's a simpler and more accurate way to see it, and it explains the situations where that idea doesn't work.
The rule: the height of the net
If you hit the ball above the height of the net, you're attacking. If you hit it below the height of the net, you're defending.
It doesn't matter where you are on the court. What matters is the height at which you make contact with the ball.
Why it works
The reason for this relies on the trajectory. When you hit the ball below the net, it has to go up to clear it. In consequence, you can't hit down and you can't hit hard without sending it long, so you have to lift it. And a lifted ball gives your opponents time and a ball they can attack.
When you hit the ball above the net, it's the opposite. You can play flat or downwards, with pace and angle, and force your opponents to play their next shot from below the net. That's what attacking really means in padel: making the other team play from below.
At the net, but defending
Imagine you're at the net and your opponent plays a chiquita, a soft, low ball that drops at your feet. You're in the attacking position, but you have to hit the ball below the net, so you're forced to lift it. You can't play an attacking shot from there, and if you try, the ball goes into the net or sits up for them.
In that situation you're defending, even though you're at the net. The right answer is a controlled ball that's hard for them to attack, usually deep or through the middle, not a winner.
At the back, but attacking
Now the opposite. Your opponents play a lob that sends you to the back of the court. You let the ball come off the back glass and play a bajada, the overhead you hit after the ball rebounds off the wall. You're at the back, in the defending position, but you're hitting the ball above the net, so you can play an attacking shot with pace and direction.
In that situation you're attacking, even from the back of the court.
Why this rule comes first
Your position on the court tells you where you are. The height of the net tells you what you can do with the ball. So when the two disagree, the height of the net is the one that matters.
This also gives you a clear goal for every shot: make your opponents hit below the net as often as possible, with low balls to their feet and balls that die close to the glass, and attack every ball you can take above it. Combine it with the Rule of 10 and you have two simple questions to decide almost every shot: how difficult is the ball I'm receiving, and am I hitting it above or below the net?
If you want to work on this on court, take a look at the Padel Drive Academy.
Gonzalo