Performance-Led. Match-First. Functional.
A global, subscription-based performance academy designed around how padel is actually played: through frequent match play and regular competition. Not another coaching subscription - a performance system.
Most Coaching Gets It Wrong
The majority of online padel coaching platforms share the same fundamental flaws: they prioritise how to hit shots over how to play points, rely on tennis-derived teaching models, and focus on technical perfection rather than functional effectiveness.
This creates a disconnect between coaching content and real padel behaviour. Padel players do not book courts to practise in isolation - they play matches, often several times per week. Existing coaching often slows players down and fails to translate into improved match performance.
Ant Hardman
Built by Ant Hardman, a coach with more than 25 years of experience in elite player development, including working with Wimbledon champion and former world number one Neal Skupski.
That experience now forms the foundation of his work in padel, shaping a coaching system built on how matches are actually won, not simply how shots are taught.
Rather than following traditional, shot-led coaching models, his approach is built around what consistently decides points in real match situations: decision-making, positioning, patterns of play and performance under pressure.
Through coaching, competing and continuous immersion in the sport, Ant has developed a system that reflects how padel is played today and continues to evolve alongside it.
The result is a training programme designed to help players develop a clearer understanding of the game, make better decisions under pressure and build skills that transfer directly into real competition.
A Cohesive Teaching System
The academy is structured around five interlocking pillars, deliberately ordered by impact. Together they form a performance system that accelerates real improvement.
Game Understanding & Emotional Control
Padel is a game of mistakes, not winners. Players learn to understand net control as the core tactical objective, accept that even dominant wins involve losing close to 50% of points, and reduce emotional volatility under pressure.
Padel-Specific Functions
Players are not taught shots - they are taught jobs. Creating height under pressure, removing opponents from the net, managing the middle, and exploiting physical limitations. The lob as a reset tool, pressure through the middle, and treating glass and fence as tactical space.
Transferable Skills
Padel is rarely a player's first sport. We actively use transferable skills from tennis, football, combat sports and S&C to speed up understanding, reduce cognitive load and build confidence through familiarity.
Level-Layered Technique
Technique supports performance - it does not lead it. From beginner to elite, all levels work on the same tasks and decisions. Technique is adapted only to the extent required to execute effectively.
Prehab & Rehab
15-minute pre-play warm-ups and post-play recovery routines focused on shoulders, trunk, hips and movement quality. Supporting longevity, consistency and long-term retention.
4-Week Performance Roadmap
Designed to deliver immediate match-play improvement. Each week builds on the last, with all five pillars woven throughout.
Understanding & Winning the Net
- Net control as the core tactical objective
- Serve and volley as a must at all levels
- The serve as the easiest opportunity to take the net
Taking the Net
- Stealing the net from the incoming server
- Push and lift returns
- Pinning opponents back with height and depth
Holding the Net
- Holding the net once we have it
- 'The floor is lava' mindset
- Doing everything possible to avoid letting the ball bounce
Winning the Net Back
- Accepting net loss and reacting quickly
- Racing the ball back
- Using the lob to push opponents back and re-establish control
Unlock Your Potential
The Absolute Padel Academy is a subscription-based training programme built around a different, functional approach to coaching, focused on how the game is actually played.
Designed by Head Coach Ant Hardman, it gives players weekly coaching, ongoing insights and a growing library of content designed to improve real match play.
How the Academy Works
Start with the Foundations
Build confidence from the ground up with a beginner-friendly introduction designed for players picking up a racket for the first time.
Train Week by Week
Follow structured weekly coaching focused on tactical awareness, decision-making and real match situations, helping you improve consistently over time.
Learn Beyond the Lesson
Go deeper into the game through an expanding library of content, including technical breakdowns, tactical insights, and match understanding.
Learning as a Shared Process
Community engagement is central to learning and retention. Throughout each week, additional tips and best-practice reminders are shared, live-recorded clips from coached sessions in Liverpool are dropped, and members discuss challenges, observations and match experiences.
This keeps the weekly theme active between matches and turns learning into a continuous, shared process rather than a one-off content drop.
Join the AcademyStay In The Game
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