So you are enjoying your new favorite sport of padel (paddle) and want to buy the ideal control racket for your style of play and level?

This category will explain all the factors involved in this decision.

There are three ways to control padel racket that we must consider:

Round
Diamond
Falling tears

Buy round control and power paddle rackets

The round full control padel rackets are ideal for beginners. They have a medium/low weight balance that makes them handle very comfortably. They also tend to have an amplified sweet spot, and are therefore quite forgiving if you don't hit the ball exactly with the center of the racket (which, however, you should always aim to do).

They are rackets that are also ideal for defensive players whose greatest strength is the placement of the ball. They provide excellent control, and their biggest disadvantage is the lack of power for punches.

Buy paddle control rackets in the form of a teardrop

These are the most popular rough control padel rackets, as they are ideal for intermediate level players. They provide a great mix of power and control, and can therefore help you get great hits with a variety of effects.

They are cheap control padel rackets and at a good price very versatile that adapt to all styles of play, weather conditions and match situations. It is a mixture between diamond and round and has a very uniform weight distribution and displaced towards the center of the racket, which gives it the feeling of being very balanced and adaptable to different situations.

Buy diamond padel rackets online

This is the favorite way of many professional players. They have a superior balance, which means that most of the weight is distributed away from the grip and towards the top of the racket. This gives the padel racket a lot of power but on the other hand makes it much more difficult to control. The sweet spot of the racket is also minimal. Therefore, this type of racket is only recommended to those who really dominate the entire repertoire of padel strokes and who can hit the ball consistently with significant power and always with the center of the racket. It is ideal for players with an attacking mentality, especially those who play on the left.

If you switch to a diamond-shaped control padel racket of another type of racket, it is better to opt for a racket that weighs a little less than is customary, to compensate for the fact that the balance of these rackets is skewed upwards.

Grip of the control blade

The Asics control padel rackets come with different grip lengths and thicknesses. You can also add more overgroups if you want to make the grip bigger. It's important to change the overgrip regularly because, as your hands sweat, the grip will deteriorate quickly and you'll end up having a lot of racket movement when you hit the ball, especially if you don't hit the ball with the sweet spot on the racket's head.

Weight of the paddle racket

The weight of the racket is very subjective, you will have to try several rackets and see what weight you like best before buying yours. If you are a bigger and stronger player, as a general rule you will want to go for a heavier padel racket.

The general guidelines for buying cheap control padel rackets are as follows

Women - between 340g and 370g. Most opt for 360g.

Men - between 360g and 390g. Most opt for 370-375g.

Junior - between 240g and 280g.

The way the weight is distributed is also very important, and can totally change the maneuverability and balance between the control and the power of the blade. The best way to judge maneuverability is to try a racket and see which style fits you best. From my experience, it's easier to judge how agile a racket is near the net making volleys. More agile rackets will give you a sense of speed when preparing for a volley, while less agile ones will feel a little more uncomfortable. An example is the Hard Asics control padel racket.

Frame of the padel racket to buy

The frames of padel rackets are usually made of fiberglass or carbon. Fiberglass is cheaper to produce and you will find it used in low-end models. Kevlar is also used in some high-end rackets along with carbon.

The thickness of the racket is usually between 36 and 38 m, the latter being the maximum thickness allowed by current regulations.

Shovel core material

The soft foam (polyethylene) will help you feel every shot and you won't need a lot of energy to make quick shots. Since you have a little more time in contact with the ball, you can apply the effects more easily. The drawback is that as the foam is very elastic, you will have less power in the strokes with your cheap padel control blades.

On the packaging of a racket or in marketing materials, the "ball output" may be mentioned. This refers to the elasticity of the material. If you have a racket with a high "ball output" it means that the ball will bounce off the racket very actively. This is ideal for beginners and perhaps older players, as they don't have much strength and arm/body technique to move the ball with control and speed, making it easier for them to bounce the ball off the racket and take it to the other side, especially from a deflection position further back on the court.

EVA rubber is hard and less flexible. It is more difficult to play with it, especially in winter, when the balls are heavier. However, in high-speed matches, the paddle control and power paddle blades with EVA core are ideal. There are players who play with hard foam in summer and soft foam in winter. EVA cores are more durable than polyethylene cores.

Lately, some manufacturers have developed a third type of core (polyethylene) that combines both EVA and foam. This hybrid is a soft rubber with much more durability made of a FOAM core surrounded by an outer EVA rubber.

It can be difficult to distinguish which foam is used in a racket just by looking at it, but the sound they make on impact is significantly different.

 attack shovels vs. defensive shovels

One of the most important factors to consider when buying a paddle blade of control and power is whether you are an attacking or defensive player. Normally attacking players play on the left and defensive players on the right. As a player focused on attacking play, you'll do better with an aggressive racket that emphasizes power over control. The opposite applies if you are a defensive player.

The main current brands  are the following:

Shooter
Asics
Chief
Bullpadel
Enebe

If Shooter distributes rackets in your area, you should go for one of their rackets. His craftsmanship is the best there is right now, and the head and shoulders above the rest. Bullpadel is another brand that I like even though the rackets don't last as long as Shooter's.

The price is not the main factor when choosing the best padel racket. You should always find a store that allows you to try several rackets without any pressure before making a decision. Try as many variations (shape, brand, type of foam) as possible to find the one that best suits your taste. Even the sound of the racket hitting the ball can be an important factor when choosing a racket.

Remember to try several rackets before making a purchase decision, it is the best way to find the one that suits you best.

If you have any questions, leave a comment below and we will help you choose your ideal racket. In the catalog you will see paddle control padel rackets for men and women.