Análisis de la situación en la pista de los jugadores en el saque y su relación con la dirección, el lado de la pista y el resultado del punto en pádel de alto nivel (Analysis of the situation on the court of the players in the serve and its relationship

Abstract


 El objetivo de este estudio fue conocer la influencia de la situación en la pista de los jugadores al saque y su relación con la dirección, el lado de la pista y el resultado del punto en pádel de alto nivel. La muestra incluyó un total de 1071 puntos correspondientes a nueve partidos donde participaron 36 jugadores masculinos de 1º Categoría Nacional. Se analizaron variables relacionadas con la táctica utilizada en el saque (tradicional o australiana), la dirección del saque (pared lateral o “T”), el lado de la pista (derecho o izquierdo) y el resultado del punto (gana o pierde la pareja al saque). Los resultados mostraron que los jugadores sacan entre un 75% y un 85% de las ocasiones a la pared lateral en el lado de izquierdo de la pista. En el lado derecho, se incrementa el porcentaje de saques a la “T”, especialmente utilizando una situación en la pista australiana. A nivel general, los jugadores ganan un porcentaje mayor de puntos al saque cuando utilizan la táctica tradicional frente a la australiana. Sin embargo, estas diferencias no fueron significativas cuando los jugadores sacaron a la “T” o a la pared lateral, desde ambos lados de la pista. Finalmente, el porcentaje de puntos ganados al saque disminuyó a medida que avanzó el partido de pádel, especialmente con táctica australiana del segundo al tercer set. Estos datos tienen una importante aplicación práctica en el diseño de ejercicios de pádel basados en las demandas técnico-tácticas específicas de la competición.
 Abstract. The aim of this study was to know the influence of the players’ serve tactical position and its relationship with the direction, the side of the court and the point outcome in elite padel. The sample included a total of 1071 points corresponding to nine matches with 36 male players of 1st National Category. Variables related to the serve tactic position (conventional or Australian), serve direction (side wall or "T"), court side (right or left) and point outcome (serve pair win or lose) were analyzed. The results showed that padel players serve between 75% and 85% of the times to the side wall on the left side of the court (advantages side). On the right side, the percentage of serves to the "T" is increased, especially using an Australian tactical position. Furthermore, serving pair win a higher percentage points when they use traditional tactic. However, these differences are not significant when the players serve to the "T" or the side wall, from both sides of the court. Finally, the percentage of points won by serving pair decreases as the padel match progresses, especially with Australian tactic from the second to the third set. These data have an important practical application in the design of padel exercises based on the specific technical-tactical competition demands.

Effect of the golden points and non-golden points on performance parameters in professional padel

“…Ramón-Llin, Guzman and collaborators indicate in their study that the effectiveness of the serve is conditioned by the tactical position adopted by the players. 46 However, this type of analysis has never been carried out during the golden points in padel, where the returning pair chooses the serving arrangement of the opposing pair. Thus, the receivers usually choose the Australian serving arrangement of the opposing pair (except in women's padel when it is the player on the left who serves).…”

“…34 In addition, Ramón-Llin and collaborators state that players win a higher percentage of points when serving using the traditional formation compared to the Australian one, especially in the third set, probably due to the effects of fatigue on the server, who is the player who covers the greatest distance per point in professional padel. 46 Therefore, although there is a tendency to choose the Australian formation, it is worth taking into account other aspects such as the physical or mental state of the players, as well as the characteristics of direct opponents.…”

Influence of the importance of the point and service tactical position in the shot following the return in men’s and women’s professional padel

“…Likewise, various manuscripts have stated that the service position is a parameter that affects the analysis of the men's and women's professional padel game. 19,21,22 Thus, players win a higher percentage of points on serve when they use the traditional tactic against the Australian one, especially in the third set. In addition, using an Australian strategy will force the server to go further, finding him or herself, at the moment of the return, at a greater distance from the net.…”

Comparison of service tactic formation on players’ movements and point outcome between national and beginner level padel

“…Usually, high level players alternate the use of the Australian and conventional formation at the beginning of the points, allowing to start the point on the same side of the net. This suggests that, in elite padel, each player is specialised in one side of the court [ 37 , 38 ], coinciding with other sports, such as soccer [ 39 ], basketball [ 40 ] or rugby [ 41 ], which reveal tactical specialisation depending on the playing position. However, the results obtained in this study highlighted the importance that padel players be able to play both side of the court, since more points are obtained with the conventional formation.…”