Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
Padel Smash TV is the media arm of Padel Smash - a platform dedicated to the people, stories, and innovation driving the growth of Padel worldwide.
On this channel you’ll find racket reviews, player interviews, club features, industry conversations, and original shows that explore both the sport and the business behind it. Our goal is to spotlight the players, brands, entrepreneurs, and communities shaping the future of padel.
Padel Smash is built on four pillars:
• Padel Smash TV – original content and storytelling from across the padel world
• Padel Smash Pro Shop – a curated e-commerce platform featuring gear tested by our team
• Padel Smash Clubs – community-driven clubs designed to grow the game locally
• Padel Smash Academy – coaching education, training, and player development programs
Together, these pillars connect content, community, education, and equipment to support the continued growth of padel.
Subscribe and follow along as we cover the sport from every angle.
This year we came up with a very
strong program where we had already
three, four junior tournaments around
the us, which is like a big thing.
And we also played the America Cup this
summer, and now we're getting ready for
the World championships in two weeks.
We have players from all around like the
us, which the US is huge, and not just the
us, Mexico, south America, and even Spain.
Hey everyone.
Welcome to another exciting
episode of Paddle Smash Academy.
We are here on location at Paddle X's
brand new Boca Ratone with the two
leading coaches and also the US National
Junior Team coaches TTO and Lorena Ruon.
Welcome to the Channel guys.
Thank you so much.
Thank you so much.
We're very happy to be here.
We've been watching your podcast
and honestly we love it guys.
So cool.
Okay, so let's talk about
the Juniors program.
How does that work?
What age groups are there and what
tournaments do they participate in?
So everything as we've been here for,
like, we've been the coaches for a
year and it's been very challenging
because whenever we enter, we
don't have a lot of information.
So it was during so many months me
and tto working on like how everything
works, how can we reach out to everybody?
And then once we gar all this information,
we knew it was we, we have three teams.
You 14, you 16, you 18, girls and boys.
So my brother, he's in charge of the boys.
I'm in charge of the girls.
And right now, every year, right now,
it's very different from last year.
So last year we didn't have like.
Like a big program.
I feel like this year we came up with a
very strong program where we had already
three, four junior tournaments around
the us, which is like a big thing.
And we also played the America Cup this
summer, and now we're getting ready for
the world championships in two weeks.
Wow.
So let's talk about the
world championships.
Uh, how's the structure works?
How many players from the US
are playing and what divisions?
So we have 12 girls, 12 boys.
Four uh, players for each category.
You 14, you 16, you 18, and you need to
win at least two matches to win a country.
So you win two, one or three zero.
Okay?
And right now we didn't enter directly
to the world Championships where
playing the Quas, so we got a beat.
In my case, the girls, we
have to do Ecuador, Venezuela.
And in your case is.
It's in Venezuela and we gotta beat
these two countries in order to
enter to the world championship.
Once we enter there, it's like a round
robin format where you get to play many
matches and you have the national players
where they compete, like individually.
So where, where is it held right now?
In, in two weeks it's gonna
be in res, uh, in Spain.
That's actually fun.
One hour far from home.
No, it's beautiful.
I know.
It's like, it feels like.
You know, we're from Spain, we
represented the US but we are going
to compete back home, so, yeah.
Oh boy.
So tell us a little bit about you
guys being the captains of, of Junior,
pretty much junior development in the
US and uh, what are the challenges for
you to create new talent or, or pick
the right talent to represent the us?
So, it's been pretty hard because I
feel like last year we had to pick
so many players through videos.
Because, um, we have payers from all
around like the us which the US is huge.
You know, it's not like Spain,
Mexico, and not just the us, Mexico,
uh, south America, and even Spain.
So it's been super tricky to find
like, and also for us, challenging
to take the right decisions.
'cause we're like, should we just
trust this pair because of this video?
So, so you're saying that you have players
from Mexico, south America, and Spain,
that they're American citizens Exactly.
Living overseas?
Exactly.
Oh, okay.
They outside the US but they represent
the US So is that where you're
getting the, the majority of here?
No.
No.
Right now, honestly, we're getting
more American players, but still we
get people from outside and also we
get a lot of requests from outside,
which you also have to pay attention
'cause you have American passport.
Right.
So that was like the hardest thing.
'cause last year we didn't have like.
Enough budget to be able
to travel around the US.
This year we had more so we're able
to travel to Texas, uh, to Chicago.
We also did, uh, here in Miami,
we're traveling to San Diego.
So right now everything has like,
it's starting to get like better
and have a better pro program.
So I know you guys started in
the juniors program for a while.
You guys have been working with
the juniors for a long time.
Uh, how do you see it developing
here in the US setting?
You know, as you guys start from
the beginning, I think right.
I am honestly super proud of our players
'cause I feel like we keep them super
motivated and I think that's the key.
They're juniors, so many of them, they
didn't grow up with a pot of racket.
Like so many players, you know,
in Spain, Argentina, Mexico.
And we try to give them motivated.
We, we try to also, besides
coaches, try to help them as like.
Players and persons and mentor.
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
Because at the end, we're traveling
with them, just me and him
with like 24 players in Spain.
Sometimes we win, sometimes we lose.
They start crying.
It's like, we're like
their parents too, right?
So we end up like being their
mentors in life, you know?
So how did you get
involved with the juniors?
I mean, it's a tough thing.
It's not easy to, to work with juniors is
a, is a different type of coach, you know?
Yes.
Um, because how did you guys get involved?
I think we had like really nice
childhood as, um, players in tennis
though we, we didn't do that in paddle
first and the best years of my life
is whenever I was super young and
I was travel, traveling as a team.
Of my clubs with the coaches, we
were like singing in the band.
We were competing, we were
training so hard every day.
Great memories, but I had really,
we had really great memories and it
was like, I think with the perfect
coaches to be able to balance like
the professional part in the court,
but also like to have fun outside,
you know, and keep them motivated.
Gosh.
So I heard stories that, uh, I don't
know if it they're true or not.
You're traveling with 20 plus kids.
You go to, you know, to a tournament
and all that in the middle of the night.
Kids run out of the rules.
Yeah.
That's, you know, going crazy
and you're just remembering the
times when you were younger.
Oh no.
But I hear stories that, you know,
you guys waking up in the middle of
the night, they, the room service
picking up and kids running around.
How do you control these?
Difficult part a hundred percent.
Right.
It's how this, because we're so tired
within four hours during the world
championships and then in those four
hours you wake up 'cause you heard
like somebody like running in the
corridors and like, oh my God, no.
I know I'm gonna deal with this.
So then we're standing up there like,
you are gonna say one hour here.
Like, we try to do what they used
to do to us, you know, whenever
we were doing these things.
So, but we're, we are very
strict during those days.
But was tougher you or Tado?
I don't know there.
Who's the pushover?
Who's tougher?
Who's the pushover?
I would say me.
You're the pushover or the tougher one?
I'm, I'm more tough, but like
they listen a lot to him.
You guys play good cop, bad cop.
Yes.
You are.
The next one.
He's a bad one, or vice versa.
Have 50 50, right?
50 50. I would say for some
things I'm more pushy and
then samali, he's more pushy.
So I think it's a good
balance to work together.
Yeah, because we know each other so much.
Um, I feel like we also have kind
of like the same way of coaching,
leading the kids and treating them.
So that's, that's great.
So now I, I see some of the kids like,
um, making trips right, to different
states so they can play with each other.
I mean, how difficult is that?
'cause not everybody can do that,
you know, and you're limited
with the group that you have,
and they're all over the place.
So how do you deal with that?
It is hard and I understand because
the US is also so big that people
invest a lot of money, you know,
and time, mostly the parents.
'cause it's not driving one hour far
from your club and competing, which
I wish it would, but it's traveling.
Parents asking for days off,
investing a lot of money.
But we try to reach out
as many kids as we can.
Give them the chance to,
everybody stay behind them.
And honestly what we try to do
is put our a hundred percent.
Time once we're there.
So once the tournament is over, sometimes
sat last week stayed until 2:00 AM
playing matches with kids in Chicago.
You know, so we keep them motivated
as much as we can and tell them
and show them this is worth it.
So, and, and how, you know,
with kids now you get.
Another component, which is parents.
And some of the parents
are like very pushy.
That's a good one.
Very.
My kid is the best in
the world and all that.
So how do you, no, but I mean, how
do you deal with the parents and
obvious the expectations and the
reality that your kid is your kid.
Either he's good or he's not good enough.
So how do you deal?
And I'm sure you get a lot
of pushback from that, right?
Yeah.
Yeah.
So how do you deal with that?
That's true for me.
At least.
That's how it is.
Boring.
Yeah.
For me too, because everybody,
of course, all the parents
seeing their kids is the best.
And, and I understand it, you know, but
also for me, it's hard to tell the, like,
to tell sometimes the reality to parents.
'cause it's like, look,
this is what it is.
Yeah.
You, you're that what you do,
how, how, what's your tactic
when it comes, when somebody is
really not realistic, which right.
To be honest, like your kid needs to
work on all these things, you know?
But.
You also don't wanna tell the
the player he is not good enough.
'cause I feel like everybody has a
chance and everybody can, next year
it can be the best one, you know?
Yeah.
But you're limited to a number of players.
Exactly.
And if you have to choose 20
or 10, that, that's hardest.
And the world championship,
that's what's happening.
We're not allowed to tell which
players are gonna be playing and
just two players and gonna be
playing, competing and therefore,
so, so let me ask you a question.
You guys are gonna decide who plays.
We decide who plays.
So how do you decide that?
Because that, that's the other thing.
It's like.
You have different
three age groups, right?
You have people who win, people
who are playing better, people who
are not playing better people, you
see, they're investing more time.
People maybe that are not.
Mm-hmm.
But that maybe could
be a little bit better.
Or also if you go into a group
and you know, we're not going to
win, do you let everybody play?
So we have the technique,
we put the best out there.
Always.
Yeah.
Always.
What?
So what happens if you going into.
And, and you know that, I mean, the other
team is just way, levels way too high.
There's no way you're going to win.
So it depends because for example,
if we lose two one, it's completely
different than three zero.
Gotcha.
So even if we get one match.
We, that's what we, that's what we thinks
for the next year, for the next World
Championship or for the next Pan America.
I get it now.
Mm-hmm.
That's why that support it is important.
Yes.
Because that's gonna help us, for
example, for next year Pan Americans.
Right.
Or the next World championship that
we're better ranked and maybe we
don't have to play the Quas to enter.
Well, that's good to know.
I mean, I don't think a
lot of people know that.
Yeah.
So now you are bringing also one
of the top junior players pretty
much in the world with, or.
She's representing the us.
Yes, she's, and actually, I
was just talking to her dad.
I mean, she's, I think she's
number two in the world right now.
I mean, she's literally one of
the top players in the world.
She's all the way up here.
The rest of the team is down here.
How do you, you as a coach, how
do you balance that level and more
importantly, what's the strategy
when it comes to not going to Spain?
You know, she is.
End up playing at 16 and she gonna play at
14 of those things you could talk about.
Believe us.
This is something we still like.
You don't know until we're there.
Why?
Because for something, I
feel like you guys do know.
No, but it's okay.
So No, no, no.
Do you know why We don't know?
Like everything is a strategy,
so it's a teamwork, right?
Even the parents get into this, I'm like,
okay, we're playing against Venezuela.
Everybody goes towards the practice
of Venezuela and we gotta decide.
Who is the best, like team 14, 16, or 18.
And from there, so you
do the scouting and see?
Yeah.
Also who, let's say if we win
two, one or three zero, amazing.
That's what we want, right?
But if we know, like it may,
it may be too hard to win.
We need to see and move the
best players in 14 or 16.
So an in this case can play
14, 16, but cannot play 18.
So this is like a, you play that with a
strategy and Ella here, she knows, she has
like a huge role in like leading the team.
Yeah, the partner and having the best
attitude because, or that's super
tough for rn but also the partner
she's playing with 'cause or she might
be like sometimes playing against
players that she for sure beat before,
but maybe she has partners like.
It's a little bit harder.
So she wants to give, you're only
as good as your her best attitude.
Yeah.
And the other players also,
like, they feel pressure
playing with Darnella of course.
So it's a lot of like mental coaching too.
Yeah.
That's what we do.
And sometimes the kids play, they finish,
they cry and we gotta be there for
them, you know, in those tough moments.
So where do you guys
get the budget for this?
I know Paddle X is very
involved in Junior's program.
How do you guys get the
budget of opening up courts?
Make it more affordable, not just for
the affluent kids, for the pe, the
kids that have natural abilities of
that may not be able to afford it,
and also going to all these places.
Uh, do you guys have a sponsor?
Do you have Paddle X
gives you guys a budget?
How, how, how does that work?
So Paddle X for sure, they
been super supportive with, uh.
With the players, which they gave
us like a better rate for juniors
whenever they come and train.
'cause it's Miami, it's super expensive.
I mean, I understand.
Yeah.
Paddle, it's expensive here.
And the kids, you need them
to play almost every day.
Yeah.
And that's not affordable in Miami.
So Palo's for sure, they've,
they helped us so much with that.
But whenever we travel, the USPA like
covers our expenses and everything, but
it's a lot of us also giving our time.
Sure.
And sometimes not getting anything back,
but it's, for us, we want the best for the
country, we want the best for the players.
We're at this moment, super attached
with everybody, so I'm like, TA
when we would be able to leave this.
'cause right now we're really attached
to the players that we do this for them.
Yeah.
So how, how do you deal with, you're
seeing a kid and he has great talent,
but he's playing another, another sport.
You know, in school, because, you
know, paddle is not involved yet
in the, in the school industry.
So we have so many of these pairs,
we call them almost every day.
Yeah.
Trying to get him to our like territory.
But it is, it is hard.
And I understand for example, almost
everybody plays soccer at the same
time, them pass soccer titles.
But we're trying to approach the kids
in another way that they maybe don't
feel like that in soccer, you know?
So.
We're starting to travel with kids.
Kids spread like the entire weekend,
like playing paddle on the court
with us outside training super hard.
We started to play
tournaments with players.
Nobody's paying for this.
We do this because we love them.
So sometimes I'm like, okay,
let's play this weekend.
I wanna teach you how to compete so they
don't get that with maybe soccer coaches.
You know?
We try to bring that to another level.
Has the USBA been supportive of you guys?
Yes.
Really supportive.
They've been, I saw that like they're
improving so much more every time.
They, they also are capable to give
us more, they're very supportive.
I think right now we have a really
strong junior committee too, and the
only thing it's, we're still trying to
get more sponsor and sponsors to help
us and the players and the program.
I'm gonna ask that you've seen
the juniors develop, right?
What is it gonna take?
To to get them to be competitive
with the other countries.
To have academies on around the US Yeah.
In every single club in the us.
Not just Miami, but Texas,
but California, New York.
So more clubs than more.
More clubs.
More academy.
And you need good coaches too.
Good coaches.
So you need the Cords Academy
and good coaches would, not
everybody can train juniors.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And, and.
I know that the budget of the
USB is not, is not as big.
Are you guys getting paid for
all this great work or you do it?
Do you get something out of it
or, or Cel let's, it's a joy.
The joy.
Just a joy.
You?
Yeah.
Me and joy.
The joy, we, joy, it's joyful.
It's a joy.
Joy, I can tell you.
No, I know.
The parents be rich of your If cash joy.
I, I, we did some homework and I
know the parents are very, very
supportive and they help you
financially in some aspects, you know?
I know a lit was being very
helpful to you guys as well.
Yeah, because at the end for us,
we came so many more things when,
like with some others, we're losing
a little bit of money with that.
But for us it's not that, you know,
because I think in the future.
We can give so much more to the kids.
And for us it's more than that.
Last year, the USP didn't have
that big of a budget, so it was
all because of the joy, everything.
This year we, they've been
a little bit more helpful.
Good.
Um, so financially, so we're able also
like to work and do more things with that.
That, that's fantastic because at the end
of the day, you're giving up your time
not to teach or coach at the club, and
then you're doing all this work, which is.
You know, aching out with kids
juniors, you know, like it's not
just like they play and that's it.
After they be double seating.
Yes.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
But the parents, they've
been super supportive.
Last year they were like, we
don't wanna lose these coaches.
They've never been like this.
Yeah.
We've never seen this.
We wanna keep them.
So they helped us out too.
No, at, at the end of the day,
guys, I think it's, it's, we
appreciate what you guys are doing.
I mean, everybody brings their own little.
Grain of grain, of, of sand to,
to the big mountain that we're
building without your support.
We're trying to do our best
with our podcast and, and,
and bringing the knowledge of
Paddle to, to the United States.
I think it's, it's, we really
appreciate what you guys are doing.
Well, I, I, I, I remember
what I was gonna say, so.
Alright.
Yeah.
All the other countries, do you think the
other countries have advantage because all
the other countries is a lot cheaper to
play than the U-S-A-U-S-A is one of the
countries that are most expensive to play.
So do you find that a, a hemorrage
of the way when it comes to
finding good town people who can
play but maybe can't afford it?
It can be because if I compare, for
example, to my back home country,
we were able to play every day.
Yeah.
You know, and we don't come from
like a rich family or anything.
We were able to play, of course my
parents had to sacrifice so much too,
but we were able to play every day
because we, it was more affordable.
So I think that that
maybe could be a risk.
Yeah.
But I think, I think it's the
natural evolution of the sport
and use Ford in the beginning.
It's expensive the more More courts.
Exactly.
It becomes more
competitive, more sponsors.
Yes.
Like, yeah.
So now, now if, if you are a junior
or somebody listening to this or
panelist do this, that your kids want
to participate, how would they do that?
How would they participate
or get in contact with you?
Right now, what they're doing and
I invite all the juniors in the
entire us, like as everybody like.
If they wanna try, they just, you just
need to put a junior in the paddle court.
I promise they will love it.
Everybody loves this sport
and juniors, they love it.
And you know, for me, what's the most
beautiful thing is like you have four
juniors inside and I, that's what
I loved from this sport, the most.
Everything in.
So close.
So you're playing yesterday where
20 kids playing in one court.
Oh yeah.
You know, so like you're able to
do all these things, but everybody
right now is contacting me or my
brother, even from California.
Hey my, my kid wants to play.
How can I do it?
And we try to set up matches, find
coaches over there, like more players.
We create groups like, okay,
I know you're from the city.
I know that guy too.
We are creating this
WhatsApp group, you know?
Right now.
That's, that's how it's, I hope in the
future more coaches can be involved and
we get more juniors in other states,
but right now everybody's contacting
us and we're putting everyone together.
So I talked to Natalie earlier today
and he told me that, uh, there's
no band juniors coming up here
and, and, uh, in the Paddle X Yes.
Can you talk about that exactly.
So we have A-U-S-P-A junior
tournament that I think it's, uh.
23rd, 24th.
25th that weekend.
I think the third weekend of October.
And we are gonna have all
the juniors, um, here.
Boca Raton.
Yes.
Battle.
Exactly in Boca Raton.
Battle X. And as always, we have
everybody coming from around the US
coming to compete this tournament.
And we try to put as many matches
as we can for the juniors.
Usually they pay two categories.
So whenever people that they're
traveling from Mexico, Argentina,
the other states can come and
play as more matches as possible.
This is a good opportunity if you
enjoy playing paddle, pay paddle
before and want to get a tournament,
this is a tournament to be in.
And if you're new to paddle and one
just wanna combine and see what it's,
what it's about to get involved this,
that would be the time to do it.
Correct?
Yes, exactly.
We invite all the juniors, not
that, not just the juniors that
they're training on competing.
But also the ones they
wanna start playing.
Oh, you're the fan.
Um, okay, LoRa, is there anything
else you wanna talk about before
we, we finish the podcast?
No, I'm, I'm super thankful guys
with you that we're doing this.
I know at the end this reaches out
to so many, uh, American people,
so players and as many juniors
as we can, we want to host them.
And so if they wanna reach out and be
part of the team, is there a website or
they go through the USPA, where do like.
USPA email and they forward that
to us, but also our contact and
okay, so at the end we put our hands
together everybody and let's we go.
Let's go.
USA.
No, I wanna thank both of you guys,
man, for all the time you guys put in.
So yeah, everything you,
so thank you so much.
Thanks.
Dealing with adults, but
even tougher with juniors.
What you guys are doing is incredible
because wasn for you guys, we wouldn't
have these players that we have.
This is, this is worth it.
When, when, when we're in the world
championships of Pan Americans, it's
every time they put the American flag
and goosebumps, we get goosebumps.
We look at each other and
we're like, this is worth it.
That's all it is.
The joy.
There's the joy right there.