The chiquita: padel's quiet attacking shot

Not every way back to the net goes over your opponents' heads. The chiquita (Spanish for "little one") is a soft, low ball that just clears the net and drops at the net players' feet. It forces them to hit up, and that's your chance to move forward and take the net.

What a chiquita is

A chiquita is a slow, low shot played from the middle or back of the court towards the feet of opponents at the net. It isn't a power shot or a winner. Its job is to make the opponents volley upwards from a low position, so their reply is weak and you can attack.

Think of it as the low alternative to the lob. Both aim to win back the net: the lob goes over the net players, the chiquita goes under their comfort zone.

When to play it

• When the net players are a little too far back, around the service line, leaving space at their feet.
• When they've been volleying comfortably and you want to change the rhythm.
• When the ball comes to you low and slow, too low for a good lob.
• To mix up your game after several lobs, so the net players can't sit back and wait.

Avoid it when the net players are very close to the net and ready, as they can simply step in and volley it away. And don't play it when you're pinned against the back glass: you won't get forward in time.

How to hit it, step by step

1. Read the ball early and move into position with short steps.
2. Set up like a lob. Get under the ball with the racket face slightly open, so the opponents can't tell what's coming.
3. Bend your knees to get low and stay balanced.
4. Swing slowly and gently. This is a touch shot: placement over power.
5. Aim just over the net, so the ball dips at the net players' feet.
6. Move forward straight away with your partner.

Most chiquitas are hit fairly flat. Advanced players add topspin, so the ball dips faster, or slice, so it stays low after the bounce.

Where to aim

• At the feet of the net player, ideally on their backhand side.
• Down the middle, between the two net players, where neither is sure who takes it.
• Into any gap the opponents have left.

The follow-up is everything

The chiquita only works if you use the time it creates. A good one forces a soft upward volley, which is your cue to move up to the net together. If you stay at the back admiring the shot, the opponents recover and you've given them an easy ball.

A classic pattern: chiquita to the feet, weak volley back, then you and your partner take the net and volley the next ball deep.

Common mistakes

1. Hitting too hard. A fast chiquita becomes a comfortable volley for the net player.
2. Hitting too high. If the ball comes up above net height, it's an easy put-away.
3. Not moving forward after the shot.
4. Playing it from too deep, close to the back glass.
5. Being predictable. Mix chiquitas with lobs so the net players have to guess.

Chiquita vs lob: a quick guide

How to practise it

1. Target practice. Place a towel a few metres beyond the net on the other side, where the net players' feet would be. From the service line and then from the back, play soft balls that land on or near it.
2. Two up, two back. The back pair must alternate lob and chiquita. The net pair scores a bonus point for every chiquita they can volley down.
3. Chiquita and move. After every chiquita, the back pair moves to the net. Play out the point.

The Padel Drill Book has drills for touch shots and transitions from the back to the net.

Defending against a chiquita

If you're the net player facing a chiquita, the key is to stay low and keep the volley deep. Bend your knees rather than dropping the racket head, open the face a little and push the ball back deep into the corner. Don't try to attack a low ball: just get it back deep and keep your position. Stepping in towards the net early, before the ball dips, makes the chiquita much less effective.

A chiquita in a rally: example

1. The opponents hit a deep volley; you let it come off the back glass.
2. You see both net players standing around the service line.
3. Instead of lobbing, you play a soft chiquita at the feet of the player on your diagonal.
4. They have to volley up from below the net.
5. You and your partner move forward together and volley the floating reply deep. Now you have the net.

Common questions

Is the chiquita a beginner shot?

It's a touch shot, so it takes some practice, but beginners can start using it once they can control the ball at slow pace. It's a great way to learn that padel is about placement, not power.

Does the chiquita work in the women's and men's pro game?

Yes. It's a standard shot at all levels, and you'll often see professionals use it to break up long sequences of lobs and overheads.

Building it into your game

Start by using the chiquita once or twice a set, in a situation you've practised: the opponents around the service line and a slow ball coming to you. As it becomes reliable, use it more often and from different positions. The goal is that the net players can never settle, because they don't know whether a lob or a low ball is coming next.

Quick chiquita checklist

1. Opponents around the service line? Consider the chiquita.
2. Same set-up as a lob, to disguise it.
3. Slow, gentle swing; just clear the net.
4. Aim at the feet or the middle.
5. Move forward with your partner straight away.

Sources

• FIP Rules of Padel (official rulebook)
• NOX: the chiquita in padel
• Racquet: padel shots, a lexicon
• HEAD: beginners' guide to padel shots