Humans of Padel
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Humans of Padel
A Passionate Leap into the World of Padel | Hernan Alessi
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Hernan Alessi shares his journey from Argentina to Dubai, offering insights into the evolution of padel, coaching relationships, and the sport's future. With a focus on community and personal growth, this episode explores the shared passion that enhances the padel experience for all involved.
• Hernan's introduction to padel at age 14 in Argentina
• Evolution of padel rackets and court design over the decades
• The art of defense as a key element of successful gameplay
• Coaching as a relationship-building practice for player retention
• The rapid growth of padel in Dubai and its opportunities
• The potential for youth academies to enhance padel's future
• Discussions on innovative changes to padel rules and structures
• Hernan's aspirations for opening a padel club in Mallorca
Evolution of Paddle Sport
Speaker 1Hello and welcome back to another episode of the Humans of Paddle podcast . In this episode , I'm joined by Hernan Alesi , one of our coaches at Paddle Art , from Argentina . We talked about when he started playing paddle in the 1990s , the evolution of the sport since then and the growth of paddle in the future . I hope you enjoy the episode and have a great day . So , hernan , it's a pleasure to have you finally sitting with me . We're good friends now . We've been working together for over a year sitting with me . We're good friends now . We've been working together for over a year , yeah , but this is the first time we're actually gonna have the chance to talk about you , talk about paddle , your journey , your experience yeah . So how did it all start for you ?
Speaker 2Well , you know , this is a long , long story , but it's about years . You know it's many years , because it's 1992 sounds close for me , but it was like I don't know . I had to count , you know , like 30 , more than 30 years ago . Well , this journey starts in Argentina when I was 14 . You know , I came also , I started playing tennis I did a lot of sports in my life but tennis was the key , you know to start playing paddle . And one day I started playing paddle with 14 years old and I really liked it , but then I stopped for some reason . Paddle didn't go well in Argentina , in this , in this time , and and I continued doing some sports . So I play football , did this physical education course for four years of sports and and then when I came back , when I go to europe for for a living because I moved to europe in 2005 I saw that paddle start again . Or I saw padel and said I know how to play this sport . It was very funny and I was playing with some friends .
Speaker 2Let's gonna play this , you know , yeah , I , I think I know . You know , before it was walls , you know , but now there are glasses , so it was like a funny um situation and you know , for me was like a to ride a bicycle . You know , you never forget . You start playing and you you get back and then this sport become famous , my passion to teach and my passion to teach sport becoming to to more , more , more , more important and and yeah , and then I start coaching . But and I just feel like this sport has given me a lot of opportunities to know the world , to know a lot of people . I think , since I'm in dubai , I made more people in my life in these two years in dubai , or almost three , that you know my life .
Speaker 1It's an amazing place for sport . It's an amazing place for paddle as well . It's grown like crazy here and we're in a boom of paddle , but when you started playing in 1992 , what was paddle ?
Speaker 2Paddle was basically the same . You know it doesn't change . You know the soul of the sport didn't change and one of the things that I said because there's many things to say to your clients or your players is about the consistency just to pass the ball , to make it hard to defend , have a good defense . So what changed ? It's not so many things . Of course there's spectacular shots , finishers , people going out of the court , but the basic of padel didn't change , or the soul , I mean the soul of padel for me didn't change . Of course it changed the courts , the speed of the ball . Before , for me it was faster Because the courts in Argentina were cement .
Speaker 2So the cement , yeah , the ball was flying , the ball was flying . Was it the same ball ? Was there was cement ? So the cement , the ball was flying , the ball was flying . Was it the same ball ? Was it still ? Reduced pressure yeah , I think they reduced the pressure . I don't know about that , but when they put a carpet for short , it will reduce the bounce . And when you put a glass , who absorb the power of the shots ? For you for sure , reduce the power , the speed of the ball and , of course , if you hit the glasses , your shoulders could be better if you hit a wall , you know . So paddle changed also in the injured way . You know people are not to get injured too much . Before it was knees , it was lower back , now it's knees and lower back Squash .
Speaker 1I guess before a lot more hard impact on the body , more impact and yeah , the physios are very back now his knees and lower back squash , I guess before a lot more hard impact on the more impact and yeah , the physios are very happy with paddle in the 1990s I can imagine also the equipment's changed a lot . Right , though , you must have seen a huge evolution , especially in rackets . Yeah , rackets are , because what rackets were you playing with in rackets ?
Speaker 2were like uh was wooden rackets at the beginning with , uh , maybe some fiber of carbon fiber on the metal , the frame , some carbon fiber on the frame , but was metal on the frame also . So the face of the racket was maybe a really small layer of carbon , then wood . So you have to destroy the wall . That's why old school paddle is about consistency , because it's the art of defense . You know paddle is an art and if you art of defense , you know paddle is an art . And if you defend well , you can play paddle . You can win a match with loves . Basically , no , true it's very true .
Speaker 1So if you are a good playing loves , yeah , when you watch the the old paddle , let's say when you see the videos of 80s , 90s yeah it does seem very slow and it's a lot more controlled and there's a lot less smashes . Yeah , completely . I mean the bandeja was used a lot more . Some say that the bandeja now is dying . It's a shot that less and less people are using .
Speaker 2Do you think that's true ? Yeah , it could be . It could be because the materials change , the aggressive of the player , the physical also . So everything is faster , everything is more , more spectacular . But I think there is always the the option to bandeja stay there , because it's not about to increase the speed of the point , it's about also to place the ball in the right timing , you know . So you can do a soft bandeja , you can do with that , but they have it angled . So bandeja will be there always , because for me it's make paddle as a paddle . Lob and Bandeja are the shots who are different ?
Speaker 1Yeah , and what made you decide to take your career ? Your paddle journey to Dubai .
Speaker 2Wow the options to know more world and to the opportunity to live from this sport and to improve my skills , my personal skills , trying to coach in a different language , try to get different people from all around the world and experiment . Another world , another city is part of my , my goal . So this is amazing city . Of course , for me it's not my last city . I think I will move around the world , maybe with paddle , maybe not , but I'm happy to come to dubai to coach also in paddle art . I think it's amazing place and , and yeah , to live from padel is amazing . At the end it's leisure . We are coaching recreational people , so people come here for fun , you know , except some of the players who take it really serious . Okay , we go for serious things , but this sport is social , this sport is fun , this sport is recreational and I love to coach and to have this experience with my players .
Speaker 1And before moving to Dubai , where were you coaching before that ?
Speaker 2I was living for more than 17 years in Spain , in Mallorca , which is an island , and it's an amazing place . Mallorca was the place that I started playing paddle and I was living there . Beautiful place to live .
Speaker 1There are definitely worse places to be . How do you maintain that relationship Because , for example , even here at Paddle Art , a lot of your players are regular students of yours . They will train with you every week , every week , for a year , two years . How do you maintain that longevity and that relationship with them ? I will tell you At the same time how do you manage that longevity and that relationship with them ?
Speaker 1I will tell you at the same time , how do you manage to keep them interested in paddle ? Because you need to create different lessons for these people to keep it interesting so they don't move on or get bored yeah .
Speaker 2Well , I will tell you with these three words I don't know . You know , you know is this is they come for sure to play paddle , but I feel like most of the people come also to see me and to talk with me , to have a moment to . You know , of course there is an obsession to improve your skills , but you can improve more than your skills . You can improve your tolerance , you can improve your frustration . You can improve many things that paddles give you , because if you react because you miss a bandeja , okay , you know that it's not the end of the world .
Speaker 2You know you are not really happy when you make an amazing shot , but this is the thing you know when someone is happy when you make an amazing shot . That's why I'm here , you know , because if you are happy when you do an amazing shot , if you are frustrated when you're doing a bad shot , no problem . And , of course , to to take people and to prepare lessons . That's the hardest thing because the client they come and they know what they want . So I give what they want and then I just offer what I think they need . Yeah , and this is the way . This is like a . It's not a battle , but I think it's like okay , I give you something , you tell me something , so the lesson is made by by these two like decisions yeah , it's a given take .
Speaker 2It's a given take and of course you can get deeper in the physics , you can work more in the strategic and the tactics . But at the end , you know , in a lesson , one-on-one is quite difficult because padel is a sport who play two against two . So you can do exercise with decisions , you can do exercise with some tactical or physical points , that's that you cannot do it . Or you can do it one-on-one or you cannot do it , sorry , one-on-one when . When you can do it two and two , so it's yeah , I don't know what I'm doing . Really , that's the , that's the main thing . I Ask them no , I say yeah .
Speaker 1There's a psychological side to it , right , yeah , you have . You get along well with your with your clients , and people come to play with you . You have a good relationship , so it's not about just about teaching them paddle . You get along well with your clients and people come to play with you . You have a good relationship , so it's not just about teaching them paddle . There's a relationship there . People come , they've had a bad day at work , they just want to play , they want to have fun , they want to work out , they want to sweat , and you're able to listen to what they want and build that into a lesson that is driven towards paddle . So the soft skill that you have of building that relationship with the players is very important , right , and that creates the retention and they come back and they grow and you build friendships .
Speaker 2Yeah , yes , definitely . For me it's like why I should be obsessed to teach something to someone who doesn't need that . When people come and say I want to see these three meters shots , okay , let's do it . Why I shouldn't ? No , because I just start playing private . Okay , you know , try .
Speaker 2The only thing that I just take care of this is just about injuries . I touch my , I touch wood because you know , like I didn't have many injuries as a player doing coaching , because I think that warm-up is very important . I think that warm-up is very important . I think that stretching after is very important which we don't have time to do that , but it's very important and , of course , technique and decision making . You know like it's very important . So if I don't have injuries , the thing is it's okay . You know , for me , it's one of the worried things that , okay , someone drop in the ball and twist the ankle is something is okay . For me , it's one of the worried things that if someone drops in the ball and twists the ankle , it's something that could happen . An injury by a racket in your face or a racket on your knee something that you can avoid , I think is .
Speaker 1And how do you take care of your own body , because you've been doing this for a while , right ?
Speaker 2Yes , my own body , my own body . You know my mind goes with . I'm 20 , but my body is the age that I have . The thing is , I think we need to work more the compensation , you know , because padel is a sport , who you play in front of you , you know like everything is in front pectoral shoulders . So for compensation , I need or I should do which I'm not doing too much is to work your back part . So we are talking about rotation of the shoulder , lower back , glutes , everything at the back . As you mentioned , core , you have to have strong abs but you have to have strong glutes . This is the way to compensate a little bit , because when you make a smash , all the power comes from the front and the muscles at the back should be stronger too . So this is the physical preparation also for padel players . They need to be strong also in the back , because everything is in front of you .
Speaker 2What I'm doing with my body Pray and stretch a little bit and sleep and eat well . This is important . Are you eating well ? I'm eating here in Pajalar , so I'm eating well Every day like that . I try to eat well . I try to sleep the hours that I need to sleep , but I'm struggling with my body because paddling is hard . It's a sport so you need to be fit . But yeah , with some another skills , just about positioning , about
Dreams for Future Padel Art Club
Speaker 2experience . You can play with these coaches of 20s , 20 something years old . I mean , you can play with these coaches of 20s , 20 something years old you can too .
Speaker 1Every time I see you playing matches , playing with people who are half your age .
Speaker 2Age is a challenge , time is the challenge speaking of time what do you ?
Speaker 1think is next in the life of Hernan Aleti . Oh wow , that's a good one . You know my wish .
Speaker 2What do you think is next in the life of Hernan Aleti ? Oh , wow , that's a good one . You know my wish . Of course , this is more really personal . You know , like , of course , I would love to go back to Spain . I'm designed to open a club in Spain . This is my goal .
Speaker 2Mallorca is a beautiful area . There is a lot of padel . There is a lot of padel . There is a lot of good vibes there . Same here in Dubai . People from around the world go there for holidays but then they're living there like a fixed residence and I would love to have a club there . I would love to have a club just to manage a club with coaches , with a kids' academy also . I would love to have a kids just to manage a club with uh , with coaches , with a kids academy also . I would love to have a kids academy with everything like a club , like a full , full club , and with uh , like padel art . You know , like padel have an amazing community , which is , I think , the best thing that you can do for a club and the most difficult thing to get to put a soul on the club . You know , make a good team . This is something that you did like work with , just to respect the people and to ask for the best for them . You know , what can you bring as an ?
Speaker 1add , I mean for me from that perspective . I mean a lot of people give me credit for the success of Padelot . Yes , I'm here from the beginning . Yes , I hired the team , but ultimately , I believe the true success of padelard it comes from the team and everyone else other than me . Okay , maybe I hired these people or they hired other people , but it comes from that team , like people like yourself , like the rest of the coaches , the reception team , the cafe team , everyone , the cleaners , everyone , everyone , everyone feels like they're part of something .
Speaker 1Together , we've created this community that's sold to the club and I think that's like you said , it is the most important thing that we do have in Padla , and that we're trying to maintain and keep people happy , because , at the end of the day , it's a service industry , right ? We need to make people happy , keep them coming back , and life is easy if that's the case . So , if anyone is looking to invest in a club in mallorca , let's see , let's see .
Speaker 2I'll put your phone number . You know it's uh , yeah , it's a , it's an amazing place to go . You know I , I don't know how long it will be my trip in dubai . It's uh , I don't put time , but uh , but yes , you know I , I would love to come back , because it's not about the club , also it's about daughters and family . But I'm happy in Dubai , I'm just happy where I am and maybe sometimes , someday , we can put another Padel Art in Mallorca . What do you think ? Everything's possible .
Speaker 1I like it . It could be worse . There's worse places to go .
Speaker 2Yeah , I don't mind if they move me to Mallorca just to coach More work .
Speaker 1When you moved to Dubai , did it meet your expectations of Dubai , or had you been to Dubai before ?
Speaker 2No , I haven't been to Dubai before , so I came here and it was hard At the beginning . It was summer and you know it was extremely hot , everything . But it's a city who doesn't stop surprising me . You know Like I'm surprised all the time and , yeah , it's an amazing city to live but I really miss , for example , some of nature and the sea and other vibes . And Dubai surprised me from the beginning . You have the beach 10 minutes away .
Speaker 1Yeah , I know I go to it , I love it , you do yeah .
Speaker 2I really go . I really do If I know something that I don't know about the future , my future future .
Embracing Passion and Innovation in Paddle
Speaker 2So it's about that I'm learning and I go , you know , and I'm flexible with everything .
Speaker 1I mean , we're always learning right , it doesn't matter what you're doing .
Speaker 1There's always opportunity to learn and especially now , in this day and age , things can change so fast . Opportunities come , opportunities go on . Yeah , there's a lot of . There's a lot of things out there and you know , I believe , as long as you keep putting in the work and doing what you love with passion and without necessary expectation , always good things . Yeah , this , there's a lot of things out there , I believe , as long as you keep putting in the work and doing what you love with passion and without necessary expectation always good things will come to you .
Speaker 2Yeah , this is the main reason of everything for me , when you do something , if you do it with passion , no matter what happens , it will be business or not business Sorry about the investors , but if you do it with passion , that's the key of everything . Just put your heart on it . That's the way that I coach . I get angry when the thing doesn't happen with my players because it's like sorry , but it's like why ? So it's something that I need to understand . Like , okay , hernan , don't be so passionate . This is something one cook and say , okay , okay , relax , but passion is the key of everything . So if you put this in the club , it will take a bit more of time . You have to put passion , but you have to put the head for sure . You know . If you don't think this is something that I have , naturally , you know , everything that I do I do it like that . Otherwise , that's why I'm too intense , you know .
Speaker 1That's it . And what do you think is missing in paddling in Dubai Kids ?
Speaker 2Kids Academy .
Speaker 1Yeah , I agree and I feel paddling in Dubai is maybe it's an excuse , but it's still a little bit too young , it's still not a priority . And all the kids here they do like seven different sports already . They all have like football , judo . You have so many options that you know .
Speaker 2Sometimes , dubai is like this too many things . Don't let them focus in one .
Speaker 1I think in about five years in Dubai you will see real kids academies and a lot more kids playing . I think it still needs a little bit more time .
Speaker 2Yeah , maybe , but you asked me about this missing . So I think there is no , you know facilities . I think the best facilities in the world . You know we're talking about the Y , so everything is like in the sense sometimes , you know , maybe to play a league mixed , we can just do a mixed league . I'm just thinking now out of the box , you know , like why paddle is not fixed as a mixed sport . Do you like playing mixed doubles ? I like to play mixed . It comes with a strategic mindset that yeah , of course power is very important and you cannot hit the ball straight to a lady or you can . You know like it's a sport , but for sure , if any professional woman hit the ball harder , to me it will be very painful , or to a man , but I mean it could be , I like it , I like to play mix .
Speaker 1I find it depends . I find it gets a bit repetitive , where it just ends up being the women playing against each other and then , as a guy , in mixed doubles , in the case where the guy is the stronger player , obviously if the woman's the stronger player , then it flips it , but if you are the stronger player but then again it's the same in normal padel as well you touch less , you play less because all the balls go to you .
Speaker 2Imagine that there is no mixed sports . You play less because all the balls go to you .
Speaker 1Imagine that there is no mixed sports . Yeah , you know what I would love to see in padel . What Would be like , you know , in wrestling and they have tag team .
Speaker 2You could have what .
Speaker 1Tag team you know , when there's someone waiting outside . So you could have two players Ah , you switch , and a third player outside , so it's like 30-15 . You could bring in another player and switch , like substitutes , like ice hockey . I think that would be really cool . Wow , okay , that's completely different of like a sport . Completely changed the sport Completely changed it .
Speaker 1yeah , but I feel like that would be a really interesting way to approach it , you know . So you'd have a whole different tactical side . So you'd have , like , maybe a great smasher in your team that maybe you would bring in on certain points , but maybe he's not as good at defending , so you'd have a whole dynamic substitution .
Speaker 2Yeah , it could be . You know . Now I remember something the previous question about the future of Padel . Be ready , because the future of Padel is with one service . I 100% agree with this . I really like it . Actually , we're going to make a tournament with only one service . It will be called one service tournament . It will be half a price or something like that , because you play less , because there is no reason to play two service with a service .
Speaker 1I agree in pickleball , it's one serve so why we still have two . Even in tennis I would push for one serve just to make it a bit more , but that's a whole different conversation . That's a bit of a different conversation . That's very dramatic , yeah , but that's actually going to happen , you think .
Speaker 2They start to implement in Argentina . Ah , really , In small tournaments . Yeah , Some guy who is really involved . He's a crazy guy . I don't want to say the name , but this guy is bringing ideas and these ideas are set . You don't like this he's doing .
Speaker 1So I think it's good . I think one serve is a great idea . When you started playing paddle , did they play advantage or golden ?
Speaker 2point , no advantage . Golden point is part of something about paddle . You know paddle who starts , but we were playing it was also changing rules in paddle that the one who serves doesn't have to go to the net . So now it's like you serve and you go to the net for your first volley . Right , so I serve , you return and I make my first volley . The point starts there after my first volley , for me , or for my players too . So . But if I serve , the initiative of the point is the , the rival , my rival . So you return and you come to the net . I cannot go to the net , but it's pickable , so you can't serve a volley .
Speaker 1It was before like that .
Speaker 2I tell you it was before . Like that , that was a rule before , that was a rule in paddle . You couldn't serve a volley , you couldn't make a volley in your second shot , so the ball had to bounce . Yeah , so I serve . And why I should go to the net if I cannot volley ? So I stay at the back with my partner . I did not know that existed in padel . This is rule of padel in the 1990s back in time . So Piquet asked these players , you know like , yeah , you cannot go to the net . So the return of the arrivals , it was always down , because if they play high you can make bandeja , you can make smash . So it was down . And then you play a lot . Yeah , yeah , understand Makes sense . Yeah , so , and then the match starts like that yeah , no attacking , no initiative for the servers . That's why , with two services , like what , if you don't want to take the initiative , just put the ball in . Yeah , exactly , wow .
Speaker 1I learned something today , amazing .
Speaker 2Wow , I learned something today , amazing . You know , this old man can give you something .
Speaker 1Good stories , buy the barbecue .
Speaker 2Yeah , you know we should have a barbecue . I won the barbecue in my club . You know my club had to have a barbecue . Actually , max gave me a barbecue and I did some barbecues . They're going to do more barbecues .
Speaker 1I mean that was part of your signing bonus . Yeah , exactly If Hanan will only join Paddle Arts if we buy a barbecue .
Speaker 2And we bought a barbecue just for you . Amazing . I like to cook also . This is one of my things that I would love to do also , just to have my restaurant in Mallorca . If you want to invest with the Paddle Club , let's put a restaurant .
Speaker 1Hernán does everything . Hernán in the kitchen , Hernán on the court it's my hands .
Speaker 2It's about my hands .
Speaker 1Well , hopefully you don't get injured . What ?
Speaker 2time is it ? I don't know Shit what time Jennifer is waiting for me .
Speaker 1Okay , well , we'll wrap this up , Hanan . Thank you so much for your time . I know you're a busy man . Enjoy your lessons . We'll do this again another time . Bye .