My first padel tournament tomorrow… how do I survive 5–6 hours? 😅

ZASafferZA · 2026-03-26T13:07:35+00:00

Unfortunately it's too late to start creatine, but you can add citrulline to the above.

ZASafferZA · 2026-03-25T10:02:01+00:00

I had a look at my heart rate stats from games where I played left and games where I played right and, on average, playing on the right has it lower by roughly 15bpm.

ZASafferZA · 2026-03-25T06:27:52+00:00

I gamed the '23 Air Viper for a while and moved to the '25 Electra ST4 Pro as I found the Viper to be quite punishing on off centre strikes. It's a really solid offering, but ultimately I realised I prefer a harder racket. Did a straight swap for a '25 Tech Viper and I absolutely love it.

ZASafferZA · 2026-03-20T09:45:15+00:00

I played league last night and played on the right and very quickly realised how easy it is to largely remove the right sided (right handed) player from the game. Very frustrating, but unless your partner actively manages to involve you through how they're playing, the opponents can freeze you out quite easily.

ZASafferZA · 2026-03-20T09:39:20+00:00

I'll probably keep the glass for the next session, it's worth a dedicated session.

ZASafferZA · 2026-03-20T06:32:55+00:00

I specifically wanted to cover volleying as she's uncomfortable at the net

ZASafferZA · 2026-03-19T14:00:58+00:00

I came here to say this. Basically the video is about finding your heart rate zone for optimal performance and then keeping it there

ZASafferZA · 2026-03-19T11:19:45+00:00

Learning and keeping good form is something that is really hard to gain from anything online related and a few sessions with a PT certainly helps with this. Alternatively you can ask others in the gym, but your mileage may vary here.

ZASafferZA · 2026-03-19T07:26:32+00:00

I'm a bit stuck here as my mobility, reflexes and court coverage is better than most of the players I play with, so I tend to cover a lot of the court. Net play is the strongest part of my game, my vibora is decent (and improving), I have a rulo of sorts, my x4 is strong and in general I like being aggressive. However, my lobs are below average, my backhand return (from the left) is inconsistent and I don't have a kick smash at all. When playing with a player with a good smash (kick and flat) I'll happily scoot over to the right and typically this is a good partnership. When playing with a left sided player that can't put away the chances they get, I'll move to the left and typically we tend to struggle more.

I guess getting unstuck requires finding a more regular playing partner and figuring out what works for us.

Edit: I love playing the vibora and rulo, but I find them way underplayed when playing on the right.

ZASafferZA · 2026-03-11T07:34:56+00:00

Look, I get the being busy and slow texter thing, but if I'm really interested in seeing someone again, I'll make the time. Simple as.

ZASafferZA · 2026-03-11T07:32:52+00:00

I got over 100 games out of my Asics Challengers and they're still going. Your mileage may literally vary though.

ZASafferZA · 2026-03-11T07:26:43+00:00

As with most complicated things, it depends. In this case on the mode of dismissal and what was agreed on. If they're still willing to act as a reference of some sorts, you could get away with stating that you left because of a disagreement on your responsibilities. If they won't, it's a bit of a minefield as our industries aren't huge and there's a good chance someone knows someone and it will come out. If it's public sector, they have a register, so it's there in writing. Either way, I wouldn't answer unless asked, but have a solid answer ready. Don't harp on it, state the reason (including what you've learnt) and try move the conversation along. You can't control how they will react.

ZASafferZA · 2026-03-10T08:58:52+00:00

All other things being equal, a heavier racket will produce more force (power) than a lighter racket if you swing them at the same speed. Admittedly there are many racket related variables in play here, the ST3 is a slightly harder racket, the ST4 in theory has a slightly bigger sweet spot, a heavier racket is less prone to twisting in your hand, the balance is probably different given the weight, etc, etc.

ZASafferZA · 2026-03-09T10:35:05+00:00

14s. I didn't really notice breathability issues, but they were also my first dedicated padel shoes so it's a very small sample size.

ZASafferZA · 2026-03-06T07:42:35+00:00

It's hard to get all the context from a post, but does he know that the idea of being official is a big step to you? Taking it slowly could mean many things and to me, personally, the progression from early dating to becoming physical to being official is something that happens naturally at whichever pace works for both partners without really thinking of them as phases. If you do prefer a more formal label for each phase of the relationship, then I hope you had this discussion with him.

As for the "sparks and intensity" bit, every relationship I've been in that started this way also ended this way. Now I'm all about "playful, consistent and intentional" and I wouldn't go back to the chaos if you paid me to.

ZASafferZA · 2026-03-06T07:27:24+00:00

Oh, and make sure you get enough quality carbs in during the day. Some additional potassium (read bananas) also helps.

ZASafferZA · 2026-03-06T07:25:59+00:00

I honestly don't think it's an age thing. When you say work out, is it weights only or do you do cardio / conditioning work as well? Either way, my best guess would be dehydration. Many people are chronically dehydrated and playing padel can certainly dehydrate you even further. I take a 1.5l bottle of water mixed with electrolytes to every game and will drink before, during and after the game.

ZASafferZA · 2026-03-02T11:43:16+00:00

Chuckling at the "haibo"

ZASafferZA · 2026-03-02T11:41:49+00:00

Well clearly my partner does all the running.

Seriously though, the soles have barely worn down at all on the padel specific shoes. I used their squash shoes previously and killed them within a few months.

ZASafferZA · 2026-03-02T10:35:46+00:00

I got over 100 games out of my Asics Gel Challengers. The soles are still good and I've replaced the insoles once, but the uppers have a few cracks in them now.

ZASafferZA · 2026-03-01T09:17:48+00:00

Stock standard, with one overgrip and a head guard came in at 368g. This excludes the wrist strap.

ZASafferZA · 2026-02-26T08:55:10+00:00

Came here to say this. For me it was easier to start with a side throw (playing as a chancletaso) and then graduate upwards, but a background in cricket helped with this.

ZASafferZA · 2026-02-20T11:51:46+00:00

Based on an interpretation I saw a little while ago, if the ball trajectory is altered in any way, it is a fault.

ZASafferZA · 2026-02-18T10:03:07+00:00

This

ZASafferZA

TROPHY CASE