Elite Padel Académie: data-driven padel training

Can you become a recognised padel coach without ever having played at the highest level yourself? That is exactly the path Thibault Lalouette is taking with Elite Padel Académie. After five years of intensive training with leading Spanish and Argentine coaches, he is developing a training method based on statistics, biomechanics and neuroscience – with the goal of establishing a scientific approach to padel in France that remains rare today.

That a coach without their own professional playing career could earn respect in padel was long unthinkable. With his network of 45 international coaches, Lalouette proves that knowledge and methodology count at least as much as a playing career. His path through ice hockey and golf also provides perspectives from other sports that have barely been used in padel until now.

An atypical path in French padel

In France, most major academies are run by former professional or international players. Names like Benjamin Tison, Loïc Le Panse, Jean-Thomas Peyrou or Johan Bergeron embody this tradition. Thibault Lalouette, however, follows a fundamentally different approach.

Coming from ice hockey and later golf, he never competed as a padel player at the highest level. Instead, he chose to go straight to the source of knowledge and train with the best Spanish and Argentine technicians.

Over five years, he made more than 20 trips, visited 15 cities, completed 330 hours of training and exchanged ideas with over 45 international coaches – including several reference figures on the Premier Padel circuit. His mentors include Ángel González, voted best coach of the year in 2023 and coach of Ari Sánchez and Andrea Ustero, as well as Ramiro Choya, the former Spanish national coach who worked with Paquito Navarro, Juan Lebrón, Sanyo Gutiérrez and Álex Ruiz. Paula Eyheraguibel, eight-time world champion, and Jorge Bellmont, former national coach of Qatar and Saudi Arabia and now sporting director of the Hexagon Series, are also part of his network.

His guiding principle sums up the philosophy: when you encounter 45 different visions of the game, you stop believing and start understanding.

The first opponent: lack of self-awareness

For Elite Padel Académie, progress does not begin with technique or power. The starting point is a simple finding: most players misjudge their own level of play.

According to Lalouette, many now know that points should be built rather than constantly seeking winners. Yet statistics show that in most amateur competitions up to P1000 level, players produce more direct errors than winning shots.

The coach's first task is therefore to confront the player with the reality of their performance before technical fine-tuning begins. Only when an athlete recognises their actual strengths and weaknesses can targeted training meaningfully begin.

Data instead of feeling

Unlike intuitive training approaches, Elite Padel Académie relies on objective data. Every shot is analysed to measure its real impact on the course of the point.

This philosophy stems from CoachMyPadel.com, a platform created in 2025 together with several Premier Padel circuit coaches that enables tactical video analysis of matches. Instead of relying on subjective impressions, the system delivers hard facts about decisions on court.

Momentum as a key statistic

The academy has developed its own statistical reading around the concept of momentum – in other words, control of the rally. Every ball is assigned to one of three categories:

• momentum gain
• momentum loss
• neutral shot

The analysis is no longer limited to winners or direct errors alone. Using an AI-powered tool, each shot is additionally categorised by court zone, shot type, forehand or backhand, and game phase – defence, transition, volley, smash.

In the end, the player receives a precise picture of their actual influence on rallies and can identify the areas where they lose control. This transparency is a central building block of the training method.

Especially in the amateur sector, where television broadcasts rarely provide detailed statistics, the academy fills a gap. While professionals often have access to extensive match data, recreational players previously lacked a comparable tool. The momentum analysis is designed to provide exactly this transparency for all performance levels.

Biomechanics inspired by golf

The second pillar of the method is based on biomechanics and motor preferences – concepts widely developed in golf or tennis but still little used in padel.

For Lalouette, there is no universally perfect stroke for all players. Every athlete uses their body naturally, shaped by motor history, posture and coordination skills. The goal is therefore to adapt technique to the player – not the other way around.

In a second part of the concept, which explores motor preferences in depth, the academy aims to show how individual movement patterns can be specifically developed.

Presence in northern France

As the first private academy present in several clubs, Elite Padel Académie is now active at the new Padelshot Lille in Hellemmes, TC Mérignies, Padel Campus Arena in Billy-Berclau and Padel Family Club in Brebières. In Brebières, a group of players from the world top 200 has also been forming with the academy for three months.

From 26 to 27 September, a stage with Thibault Lalouette and Ángel González – Premier Padel coach of Ari Sánchez and Andrea Ustero – will take place at Padelshot Lille. Interested players can register at contact@elite-padel.fr.