In this episode of Padel Up: Beginner to Intermediate, host Jack Mercer breaks down one of the most exciting skills in padel — adding disguise to your drop shots and lobs. Whether you're a club player looking to stop being predictable or an intermediate working on building tactical sequences, this episode delivers clear, actionable advice to elevate your game.

Jack covers the core principle of the preparation illusion — how keeping your backswing and body position identical for both power shots and touch shots makes your play far harder to read. He walks through the mechanics of a disguised drop shot, explaining exactly when to slow the hand, open the racket face, and use soft contact to create a shot that dies in the front corners. He also explains the ideal moment to deploy the drop shot based on your opponents' court positioning.

The episode then moves into lob technique, covering how to disguise a lob as a drive, the importance of lift angle at the point of contact, and why height and depth are critical to making the lob effective rather than an easy overhead opportunity for your opponents. Jack also introduces the side lob as a tactical weapon.

The big takeaway from this episode is thinking in combinations — using lobs to push opponents back and drops to pull them forward, creating court imbalances that win points. Jack encourages players to think two shots ahead rather than reacting one ball at a time.

Perfect for beginner to intermediate padel players looking to add deception, variation, and tactical awareness to their game.

Keywords: padel drop shot, padel lob, padel tactics, disguise in padel, beginner padel tips, intermediate padel strategy, padel podcast, Padel Up podcast.