The bandeja and the víbora both swing sideways across your body, so the swing direction does not tell them apart. The differences are at the start and the end of the swing. A bandeja is prepared with the racket out to the side and finishes with a flat follow-through. A víbora is prepared with the racket behind the head and a cocked wrist, and the follow-through carries on down past the waist. The bandeja is a control shot that keeps you at the net. The víbora is an attacking shot that tries to make the ball skid away off the side glass.
Why players mix them up
A common explanation is that the víbora is the shot with the "more sideways" swing. In practice, both shots sweep across the body. When the padel coach who helped us build OnCourtAI's padel analysis reviewed real clips, the sideways movement was not what separated them. The preparation and the follow-through were.
That matters because it changes what you should watch for. If you are judging your own shot by how much it swings sideways, you will not be able to tell which one you hit. Watch where the racket starts and where it ends instead.
Side by side
| Bandeja | Víbora | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Control. Keep the net. | Attack. Force a weak reply. |
| Preparation | Racket out to the side, elbow level with the shoulder | Racket behind the head, wrist cocked |
| Contact | In front, at eye level, arm fully extended | Above and in front, wrist released through the ball |
| Swing | Sideways across the body | Sideways across the body |
| Follow-through | Flat: the racket stays roughly level | Down: the racket finishes below the waist |
| Ball | Slower, deep, slice | Faster, heavy slice and sidespin, skids into the side glass |
| Difficulty | Learn this first | Learn once the bandeja is reliable |
The preparation: side or behind?
Watch the racket just before the swing starts. For a bandeja, it is up and out to the side, with the elbow at shoulder height, a bit like holding a tray (which is what "bandeja" means). For a víbora, it goes back behind the head and the wrist bends back, loading up for the spin.
The follow-through: flat or down?
This is the easiest check, and the one to look at first when you film yourself. After contact, a bandeja finishes with the racket roughly level. A víbora keeps going, down and across the body, finishing below the waist. If your "bandeja" finishes down by your knees, you are hitting something closer to a víbora, usually without the preparation and wrist that make the víbora work.
Which one should you play?
- The lob is good and you are moving back: bandeja.
- The lob is short, in front of you, and you are balanced: víbora, or a smash if it is very short.
- You are unsure: bandeja. A safe bandeja keeps you at the net. A rushed víbora often loses it.
Most club players should play many more bandejas than víboras. The víbora is a shot to choose when the lob gives you the chance, not a default.
The most common mix-ups
- The "falling bandeja". The preparation is a bandeja, but the follow-through dives down. The result is neither shot, and it often ends in the net.
- The "flat víbora". The player tries a víbora but stops the swing at contact. Without the low finish there is no spin, and the ball sits up.
- The smash in disguise. Swinging straight down through the ball instead of across it. That is a smash, and from the wrong position it bounces off the back glass back to your opponents.
How to check which one you are hitting
Most players have never seen their own overheads. A quick video tells you more than any amount of feel.
- Film from the side. Put your phone on the side glass or fence, level with where you hit your overheads, with your whole body in frame.
- Pause just before the swing. Is the racket out to the side with the elbow at shoulder height (bandeja), or behind your head with the wrist bent back (víbora)?
- Pause just after contact. Is the racket roughly level (bandeja), or already heading down towards your waist (víbora)?
- Check they match. A bandeja preparation should end in a bandeja finish, and a víbora preparation in a víbora finish. Mixed versions are where most errors come from.
Which to learn first
Learn the bandeja first. It teaches the parts both shots share: turning side-on early, moving so the ball comes down in front of you, and swinging sideways across the body. Once your bandeja lands deep and reliably, adding the víbora is mostly about changing two things: where the racket starts (behind the head, wrist cocked) and where it finishes (down past the waist). Players who learn the víbora first often never develop a dependable bandeja, and lose the net every time they are lobbed under pressure.
For step-by-step technique, read our guides on how to hit a bandeja and how to hit a víbora.
How OnCourtAI tells them apart
OnCourtAI's padel analysis has separate models for the bandeja and the víbora, built around these differences. When you upload a bandeja, it checks for the flat follow-through. When you upload a víbora, it checks for the racket behind the head, the cocked wrist and the follow-through going down past the waist. If the shape of your swing does not match the shot you chose, your score for that part will show it.
OnCourtAI measures your body, not the ball, so it does not see the spin or where the ball lands. It shows whether your technique matches what a coach looks for in each shot. Film side-on with your whole body in frame for the most reliable results.