Performance Outcome Measures in Padel: A Scoping Review

Abstract

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.

Physical Fitness and Upper Limb Asymmetry in Young Padel Players: Differences between Genders and Categories

“…In recent years there has been increasing interest in studying the sport of padel by analysing adult players of different levels and especially professional players [ 11 , 12 ]. The found published research has focused mainly on investigating other game variables, such as the temporal structure [ 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 ] and the technical or tactical actions performed during the matches [ 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 ] as well as analysing the metabolic and physiological response that occurs during the competition [ 1 , 8 , 21 ].…”

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

“…In fact, actions (i.e., shots) occurred frequently (e.g., 43 shots/minute) during short rallies (e.g., 6.7 s) at low density (e.g., WRR = 1:3.4). The effective playing time for elite players was heterogeneous, ranging from 35 to 46% [ 5 , 10 ]. However, the effective playing time reported in this study for sub-elite players (i.e., 31%) is lower than for elite.…”

“…According to previous research [ 10 ], 61 key performance indicators (KPIs)—9 for time-motion analysis (TMA) and 52 for notational analysis (NA)—were analyzed. They were clustered within five areas [time-motion analysis (TMA), shots characteristics (SC), errors (E), serve (S) and points won (PW)], and described as follows in Table 1 .…”

“…However, substantial differences in rally durations exist according to age, competition level or type [ 5 ]. Performance in padel was widely investigated in elite competitions [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ], and scientific research has arisen to better understand the characteristics of padel in terms of anthropometrics, biomechanics, epidemiology, physiological requirements and match analysis [ 10 ]. In this regard, the literature shows controversial results about time-motion (TMA) and notational analysis (NA).…”

“…Despite this important and growing information about performances in elite padel representing useful references for elite coaches and athletes, little is known about sub-elite or domestic competitions across Europe. From the match analysis perspective, which is the primary area of scientific interest from 2013 to date (i.e., 38 papers out of 72 reviewed), most (25 out of 38) focused on elite performance [ 10 ]. As a consequence, specific analyses for sub-elite competitions are needed.…”