Efecto del género y del resultado final del partido en competiciones profesionales de pádel. [Effect of gender and match outcome on professional padel competition]

Position and ranking influence in padel: somatic anxiety and self-confidence increase in competition for left-side and higher-ranked players when compared to pressure training

This study aimed to analyze the differences in the precompetitive anxiety and self-confidence according to the side of play, the ranking and the match outcome, under different competitive scenarios, in high level men's padel players from Finland who trained under pressure prior to the competition. 10 men's padel players (28.60 (4.17) years old) from the highest category participated in the research. The CSAI-2R (Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 Revised) and STAI-S (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory - State) questionnaires were used and descriptive and inferential analyzes were performed, including Mann-Whitney's U tests. The findings illuminate that, across the player spectrum, somatic anxiety and self-confidence levels are higher before competition compared to training matches. This trend holds true for left-side, higher-ranked and match winning players. Even lower-ranked players exhibit heightened self-confidence preceding competitions. These insights offer valuable considerations for players, coaches, and sports psychologists, fostering a deeper understanding of the intricate interplay between pressure training, competition, and the athlete's psychological landscape.

Absence of association between serve and winning point in professional padel

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to analyze the efficiency of the serve in relation to different tactical parameters in men's professional padel.

METHODS

A total of 1089 points - from 217 games and 19 sets - from 8 World Padel Tour matches played in 2020 were analyzed by systematic observation.

RESULTS

The results showed that the ordinary number of the set influences the efficiency of the serve (P=0.015) with more points won on serve during the second one, and more points lost during the third one. Differently, no difference emerged for the serve efficiency in terms of situation (P=0.233). Similarly, the serving situation does not affect the efficiency in key points (P=0.097) and in non-key points (P=0.706), producing more equality in Australian formation in key points. The direction of the serve in Australian formation (P=0.351) and conventional (P=0.32) does not affect its effectiveness, without effects for the second shot after the return in Australian formation (P=0.472) and conventional (P=0.458), being in both cases the backhand volley the most frequent stroke, for which the pair lose more points when serving. The number of strokes per point is associated to a higher probability of winning the point, being the number of strokes from 3 to 10 where the serving partner maintains the advantage, losing it from that stroke, in addition, there are no winning points neither with the serve nor with the serve-return.

CONCLUSIONS

There are no significant differences (but only small divergences) in most of the tactical parameters considered in terms of serve efficiency.

Conditional performance factors in padel players: a mini review

Introduction

Padel's global growth highlights its technical complexity. The first publications focus on the physical aspects of padel, using methods that evaluate players' endurance, strength, speed, and range of motion, while the quantification of load, using internal and external indicators, is crucial for performance optimization, whilst taking into account athletes' profiles and levels. Therefore, the objective entailed analyzing the scientific literature about the conditional demands in competition within padel players from different levels.

Methods

Data was collected from various databases and after the selection process, the information was analyzed in mini review.

Results

The mini review shows that the conditional demands are categorized into internal and external load to try to obtain reference values that may define the demands of padel based on the competitive level and sex. Regarding the internal load, the heart rate (HR)% of the padel players from different levels is around 70%-80% of the HR Max. Regarding the external load, in femalés categories, a greater number of strokes are made per point which entails a longer duration in the points.

Conclusions

Padel research usually analyses physical demands using internal and external loading. HR% values (70%-80% HR Max) are consistent across studies. There is variation between variables such as strokes per point, and contextual factors affect the metrics. Further exploration is vital to obtain comprehensive benchmarks and understand the demands of this sport.

Importance of Maintaining Net Position in Men's and Women's Professional Padel

The objective of this research was to analyze the importance of maintaining the net position in men's and women's professional padel. The data sample was drawn from 2,756 padel rallies (n = 1,434 men's and n = 1,322 women's) in matches played during the 2021 season of the World Padel Tour circuit. The results showed that there was no net exchange in 50.7% of the women's rallies, while in 65.9% of men's rallies, the servers kept the net. Due to their physical advantages, men servers had more opportunities to finish the rally at the net than women servers, giving them more opportunities to win the rally. However, when either men or women receivers finished the rally at the net, they had more opportunities to win the rally. In addition, both men and women tended to end the rallies with a winner when they were in the net zone and with an error when they were at the back of the court. These findings suggest that wins in padel are closely related to time spent at the net.

Performance Analysis in Padel: A Systematic Review

The aim of the study was to carry out a systematic review of the most recent research on performance analysis in padel. An electronic search was made in four sport science databases: Web of Science, Pubmed, Scopus and Google Scholar. Systematic review principles were used to identify and select studies following inclusion and exclusion criteria. From a total of 261 articles identified in the initial search, 27 articles were included in analysis, all dating from after 2018. The articles were classified according to four study variables: temporal aspects, game actions, on-court movements and match score studies, ordered in turn according to the year of publication. The results show differences in the four study variables according to the gender or the level of players, the side or the zone of play and the duration of the match. In conclusion, the results define the relevant aspects of the game with the aim of being used at a technical, tactical and physical level, as well as contributing to the development of scientific knowledge in padel, allowing future research to address less studied topics and carry out more complete and specific studies and interventions for a greater understanding of the needs of padel.

Incidence of Upper Body Injuries in Amateur Padel Players

The objectives of this study were to analyze the injuries suffered during the previous year by amateur padel players according to the characteristics of the racket, their usual volume of practice and their experience in padel. A total of 950 amateur players (X age: 31.68 years; X weight: 70.84 kg; X height: 170.9 cm) participated voluntarily, completing an ad-hoc questionnaire. The results indicated that the appearance of the injuries and their location was different according to the sex of the amateur padel players. Men had a higher incidence of muscle and ligament injuries in the shoulder, and tendon injuries in the elbow. On the other hand, women had a greater probability of having muscle injuries in the shoulder and arm, ligament injuries in the elbow and bone injuries in the wrist and elbow. In general, tendon injuries were the most common injury in padel and the shoulder and elbow were the most affected areas. Moreover, men tend to use heavy (CSR = 6.0), fiberglass or carbon (CSR = 2.1), diamond-shaped rackets (CSR = 3.2), with a hard core (CSR = 4.4) and with two or more over grips (CSR = 2.7). Women usually use less heavy (CSR = 6.0), round-shaped rackets (CSR = 4.9), with a soft core (CSR = 4.4) and with one or no over grips (CSR = 2.7). In addition, men tend to play padel more often and have been practicing for longer. In conclusion, although the risk of injury depends on many factors, we identified that the characteristics of the racket, the volume of weekly practice, the experience of the player and the gender of the player are fundamental aspects to take into account for the prevention of injuries in amateur padel players.

Padel Match Analysis: Notational and Time-Motion Analysis during Official Italian Sub-Elite Competitions

Although performance analysis in padel represents a useful process to gain references about players’ technical and tactical behavior, most of the research was conducted in elite compared to the sub-elite competitions. Therefore, this study aimed to describe sub-elite competitions in order to enhance scientific knowledge for sub-elite athletes and technical staff. 4287 shots were analyzed within five areas (time-motion analysis, shots characteristics, errors, serve and points won). Effective playing time and work-to-rest ratio were lower than in elite competitions, while strokes per minute and total match duration were in line with it. Shots were mainly forehand volleys performed under the head, while volleys and smashes were more likely to end with a point in comparison with ground or wall shots. However, sub-elite winning pairs performed fewer volleys than the losing side and fewer errors on volleys. One serve out of five ended in errors (almost half were net errors); fewer errors during serve return shots represented an advantage for the winning pairs. Finally, 65% of the points scored were caused by unforced errors of opponents. This knowledge should help technical staff design specific training programs for sub-elite padel players.

The Role of Padel in Improving Physical Fitness and Health Promotion: Progress, Limitations, and Future Perspectives—A Narrative Review

Benefits of regular exercise for health are beyond any doubt. However, adherence to regular physical activity is an ongoing challenge. Among the options for exercise engagement, racket sports, and particularly padel, stand as emerging practices for children and adults to have fun, improve physical fitness, and potentially develop motor and cognitive skills. In the last decade, the literature on padel is increasing exponentially. However, there is a need for further experimental research. To design safe and effective sport-base physical activity promotion interventions, it is essential to have a deep understanding of the physical requirements, technical complexity, injury risks, and strength and conditioning programs. To assist researchers to conduct effective padel-based interventions for health, this review summarizes the state-of-the-art evidence about padel, identifies key topics to be addressed in the future, and discusses the potential role of padel as a physical fitness and health promotion strategy. A narrative review is presented, summarizing the results of padel articles from three different databases: Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Studies written in Spanish and English were the inclusion criteria. The studies had to be published from 2000 onwards and be original, as well as peer-reviewed.

Performance Outcome Measures in Padel: A Scoping Review

Padel is a modern doubles racket sport which has become popular around the world in the last decades. There has been an increase in the quantity of scientific research about this sport in the last years. Therefore, the main objective of this scoping review is to provide an updated contextualization of research regarding padel. PRISMA ScR was used in order to search for articles fulfilling the inclusion criteria in five fields of interest: the anthropometric profile, physiology and physical performance, biomechanics, the epidemiology of injuries, and match analyses Seventy-seven records were included in the study. Padel is an emerging sport both in sport and research terms. This scoping review provides coaches and researchers with all the knowledge available in the five fields of interest. Furthermore, this study enables them to make a map of the current state of the research about padel, and it opens up doors to future investigations.

Analysis of the Actions of Net Zone Approach in Padel: Validation of the NAPOA Instrument

To carry out research that analyzes performance indicators through observational methodology, it is necessary to have validated tools. The purpose of this study was to design and validate a tool to ascertain the characteristics of the strokes that padel pairs use to reach the net and their consequences in the two subsequent shots of the game. Eleven experts, who had to meet four of the five inclusion criteria established by the researchers, participated in the process. Aiken’s V coefficient and confidence intervals were used to analyze content validity and Cronbach’s α coefficient to calculate reliability. The adequacy and wording of the sixteen variables initially designed were evaluated. Four variables were eliminated due to obtaining values <0.90 in Aiken’s V coefficient in adequacy. The rest of the variables were modified in their wording, according to the qualitative evaluations of the experts, or were considered correct. The reliability of the instrument was acceptable (α = 0.89). The NAPOA instrument is novel, as it is of interest to analyze the characteristics of the strokes that padel players use to achieve the offensive position.

Analysis of Game Performance Indicators during 2015-2019 World Padel Tour Seasons and Their Influence on Match Outcome

A better understanding of the demands of in-game competition demands may improve coaching strategies, training designs, and injury prevention programs. However, there is limited information regarding performance analysis in professional padel. This study aimed to analyse performance indicators and their influence on match outcomes regarding sex, tournament round, and set number. The sample contained 1070 sets from 532 matches of the 2016 to 2019 World Padel Tour seasons. Variables including sex, round, game result, stroke effectiveness, and break points were registered through systematic observation. A non-parametric approach was applied to evaluate differences between sex, match outcome, and tournament round. The results showed significant differences between winners and losers regarding sex in break points (male d = 2.13, p = 0.00; female d = 2.22, p = 0.00), smash winners (male d = 0.85, p = 0.00; female d = 0.69, p = 0.00), groundstroke winners (male d = 1.01, p = 0.00; female d = 1.18, p = 0.00), volley winners (male d = 1.08, p = 0.00; female d = 0.91, p = 0.00), and errors (male d = 0.76, p = 0.00; female d = 0.65, p = 0.00). Furthermore, differences in shot effectiveness between winners and errors increased in the last set of the match and in the last round of the tournament (p < 0.05). Therefore, shot effectiveness seems to be a key factor in professional padel that distinguishes between winning and losing players. Such knowledge may have implications in the design of appropriate game strategies and specific training sessions to improve performance and to prevent sport injuries.

Stroke Analysis in Padel According to Match Outcome and Game Side on Court

The aim of this study was to analyze the distribution of padel strokes, their effectiveness, direction, and court zone, comparing between the winning and losing pairs in the match and the playing side of the players. The sample included 8441 strokes corresponding to 1055 points out of a total of nine padel matches in the First National Category. The variables analyzed were type of stroke, court area, effectiveness and directions of the strokes, match outcome, and game side. Matches were analyzed through systematic observation. The results showed that the winning pair made a significantly higher percentage of winners, and cross-court smashes and volleys from the offensive zone. In addition, players on the left side executed a higher percentage of cross-court and winning shots than the players on the right side. Such knowledge may constitute a useful guide in the design of appropriate game strategies and specific training sessions based on the shots that will help players to win the match according to the role of the player and depending on their game side.

Analysis of Performance Parameters of the Smash in Male and Female Professional Padel

The aim of this study was to analyze the distribution and effectiveness of the different types of smash in professional padel according to the area and direction of the strokes and the gender. Through systematic observation, 1.015 smashes from eight finals (four men's and four women's) of the professional matches were analyzed. The smashes were categorized into four types of smash: tray, flat, topspin and off the wall. The results showed both men's and women's that the tray is the most used smash by padel players, presenting a percentage of point continuity of almost 90%. The flat and topspin smashes are the strokes that achieve the highest percentage of winning points (near 60%), although this efficiency decreases significantly when the players move away from the net area (p < 0.05), especially in the flat smash. Men perform a higher percentage of winning smashes than women, mainly in the flat smash (p = 0.02). Furthermore, with regards to direction, flat and off the wall smashes are predominantly down the line strokes and women perform significantly more cross court topspin smashes than men (p = 0.005). The results shown could be used to design tasks and exercises by padel coaches at professional players.

Analysis of Serve and Serve-Return Strategies in Elite Male and Female Padel

This aim of this study was to analyze serve and return statistics in elite padel players regarding courtside and gender. The sample contained 668 serves and 600 returns of serves from 14 matches (7 male and 7 female) of the 2019 Masters Finals World Padel Tour. Variables pertaining to serve (number, direction, court side and effectiveness), return of serve (direction, height, stroke type and effectiveness) and point outcome were registered through systematic observation. The main results showed that the serving pair had an advantage in rallies, under 8 shots in women and under 12 shots in men. Statistical differences according to gender and court side were found. Female players execute more backhand and cross-court returns and use more lobs than men. On the right court, serves are more frequently aimed at the “T” and more down the line returns are executed when compared to the left side. Such knowledge could be useful to develop appropriate game strategies and to design specific training exercises based on actual competition context.

Use and Efficacy of the Lob to Achieve the Offensive Position in Women's Professional Padel. Analysis of the 2018 WPT Finals

Studies that analyze the actions carried out by paddle tennis players during the point are scarce. The present investigation characterizes every action in which a stroke by a pair in a defensive position sends the ball over the position of a pair in an offensive position. It is a descriptive and observational study of quantitative methodology. The sample consisted of 1324 actions, statistical analysis units, from the women’s circuit in the 2018 World Padel Tour (WPT) season. For this study, various situational, dependent, and independent variables were analyzed. The results showed the number of times the categories of each variable occurred, as well as the significant relationships between the independent variable kind of hit and the dependent variables “actions that facilitate the possible change of position” (AFPCP) and “incidences in the game” (IG). The conclusion is that the lob is the most effective kind of hit (CSR = 4.9) to achieve the offensive position (CSR = 11.4), even if the point does not finish (CSR = 5.8), leading to more position exchanges during the same point in the AFPCP. These findings are of great interest since they give information about how and why certain behaviors produce a certain result.