www.franketa.com

Padel is similar to Life.

Even if the ball has passed you

and it looks like the point is over, or that you have failed,

there is always a second chance, but you have to believe in it!

Franco Ariano Maestro Illu Minato – Work of art RITROGRAFIA N. 52 named PADEL IS LIFE

Name of the new Padel shot
FRANKETA o FRANKETTA o FRANQUETA

Creator of the new Padel shot
FRANCO ARIANO, aka Maestro Illu Minato, March 2024

Creator of the name FRANKETA
Benjamin ARIANO, May 2024

Created in
Cattolica and Misano Adriatico - Rimini - Italy

What is a FRANKETA?
It is a new type of serve in Padel. It is the most hated shot by both Professional and amateur players.
When executing the FRANKETA serve, the player, respecting the rules of Padel, hits the ball from the bottom upwards, creating a very high lob, with the first bounce being in a particular area of the opponent's rectangle, looking for his backhand return shot.

Goal No. 1 - TIME to NET
When using the FRANKETA the player has triple the amount of time to reach the net.
In fact the time between " departure " of the ball and its " first contact " in the opponent's court is tripled, compared to the classic "tense" serve.

Goal No.2 - PRESSING
Forcing the player to be crushed against the lateral or back glass, the player will respond with a backhand, making his response almost impossible, preventing the correct technical execution.
The return shot will be weak and/or inaccurate, allowing opponents to win the point much more easily.

Goal No.3 - The ACE
Using the FRANKETA we have the possibility of achieving the never before seen ACE in Padel. Numerous ACES occurred when the ball exited over the top of the lateral glass.

Conditions for a successful FRANKETA
The successful FRANKETA occurs when it is "perfect". We have a "perfect" FRANKETA when the ball, as soon as it has been struck, has its first touch on the ground in the opponent's batting rectangle, in the corner area towards the left or right lateral glass, after the lateral grids.

Conditions for a UNsuccessful FRANKETA
The UNsuccessful FRANKETA occurs when the FRANKETA is "IMperfect", i.e. if the batted ball does not bounce at the point indicated in the definition of "perfect" FRANKETA.

Who should the FRANKETA be used against
The FRANKETA should be played against an opponent positioned on the left, who plays with the right hand, or positioned on the right, who plays with the left hand.

Who shouldn’t the FRANKETA be used against
The FRANKETA should never be played against the opponent's forehand, as it reduces its disruptive effects, which is instead optimized when the opponent is forced to respond with a backhand.

Tips for playing the FRANKETA
As in Golf, it is essential to set-up the "ADDRESS", the set of seven lines, the feet, knees, hips, shoulders, eyes, arms and racket face, which serve to understand where we are aiming before starting the movement. The “ADDRESS” is the first image of the movement: everything starts from here.
The server, in order to force the opponent's backhand must position himself as so:
if he hits from right to left, in the area as far to the right as possible, when a left-handed player responds;
if he hits from left to right, in the area as far to the left as possible, when a right-handed player responds.

Tips for receiving a FRANKETA
There is no good advice. The receiver can try to anticipate his response, without great result since he is forced to wait for the ball to bounce, but the response will always be inadequate.
There is only one way to win against a FRANKETA: change the rules and make it illegal.

DIRECT BENEFITS with the frequent use of FRANKETA
To date, the data obtained, although not yet statistically significant, is nevertheless interesting and confirms a result of 80% of points won using the FRANKETA when serving. In addition, when the FRANKETA was "perfect", the success rate rose to over 90% of points won, when the player can’t return or when the return-ball makes it very easy to win the point.

INDIRECT BENEFITS with the frequent use of FRANKETA
Frequent practice and repetition of the FRANKETA also resulted in a strong improvement in the execution of lobs in matches and the increased mastery of the game, leading to more wins.

Disadvantages with frequent use of the FRANKETA
Disadvantage only occurred when the FRANKETA was 'IMperfect'. The error was made by the server, who sent the ball into an area that allowed the opponent to respond with a forehand.

Comments on the FRANKETA from Professional players
“It's a banal shot.
It's easy to return.
It doesn't seem like big news to me.
Anyway, I'll move to the right and destroy you..."

Results obtained with the FRANKETA against the above-mentioned Professional players
Professionals commenting on the FRANKETA trying to demolish its importance, made the serious mistake of underestimating the shot which, apparently to them, seems to be banal. It is the same error of judgement, on the most important shot in Padel, the lob, that tennis players make when approaching Padel for the first time. For the "expert" tennis player, the lob, compared to a strong, passing forehand or backhand, is a shot for low level losers, to be played as little as possible, under penalty of being considered a "ballista".
To the contrary, the most important shot in Padel is the lob. Being able to make a lob that “dies” against the opponent's back glass is the trick to winning every game. From the technical comparison of the two shots, the “lob” and the “FRANKETA”, the latter is successful, since the former (lob) can be hit immediately, while with the FRANKETA the receiver is forced, per legem, to wait for the ball to bounce before being able to return.
The results obtained by the Professionals players confirm the percentages indicated in the "BENEFITS", having lost 90% of the points when forced to answer a "perfect" FRANKETA.
On two occasions the professionals made the mistake of waiting for the rebound of two extremely high and precise FRANKETAs, while the balls EXITED over the top of the lateral glass, thus resulting in 2 ACES!!!

PREMIER PADEL
It would be useful to evaluate the winning points with FRANKETA against the Professionals, playing:
on the left, with the backhand using the right hand, such as GALAN, STUPA, PAQUITO, TAPIA;
on the right, with the backhand using the left hand, such as COELLO, RUIZ, SANZ, CAPRA.

Epilogue
The FRANKETA can be defined as a 'democratic' shot. It affects both professional and amateurs in the same way, finding themselves unnaturally clumsy or scrambling over the court glass.
If the FRANKETA is 'perfect', it is impossible to return adequately.