Shoes, balls and grips: the cheap upgrades

Players agonize over rackets and ignore the gear that touches the ground, the ball and their hands every single point. Fix these three first — the total costs less than a mid-range racket.

Shoes: built for sideways

Padel is lateral lunges and quick pivots on sand-dressed artificial turf. Running shoes are built for straight lines: high, soft heels that roll ankles the first time you push off sideways. A padel or clay-court shoe with a herringbone sole grips the sand and releases exactly right for pivots.

Balls: fresh pressure tells the truth

Padel balls lose pressure fast. Flat, fluffy balls bounce lower, die off the glass and teach you wall reads that won't exist next match with fresh balls. Open a new can for competitive nights; keep the old ones for serve practice. A ball pressurizer stretches the life of a can considerably.

Overgrips: insurance for your elbow

A shiny, slick grip forces you to squeeze. A squeezed grip means a tense forearm, worse touch and, over months, elbow pain. Overgrips cost about a euro each: change them monthly (weekly if you sweat a lot) and your hands stay relaxed — which is where soft blocks and lobs come from.

Worth having, not essential

• ✓A wristband in summer — a wet grip hand undoes everything above
• ✓Frame protection tape if you scrape the glass on bajadas
• ✓A second identical racket once you play tournaments — not before