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Original Manuscript
Perceptual and Motor Skills
2024, Vol. 0(0) 1–18
© The Author(s) 2024
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DOI: 10.1177/00315125241236123
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Analysis of Off-The-Wall
Smash Shots in Men’s and
Women’s Professional Padel
Iv´
an Mart´
ın-Miguel
1
, Diego Muñoz
1
,
Adri´
an Escudero-Tena
1
, and Bernardino J. S´
anchez-Alcaraz
2
Abstract
Purpose: our aim was to analyze the characteristics of the off-the-wall smash in men´s
and women´s padel, and to compare gender differences in the set-dependent frequency
of these shots. Study sample: through systematic observation, we analyzed 441 off-the-
wall smashes from the Final Master of the 2022 season of the World Padel Tour.
Results: showed that the women performed twice as many off-the-wall smashes as the
men. This shot was executed most frequently (90%) from the center and right side of
the court and from the dominant side, usually providing volley continuity (73%) and
sometimes resulting in point winners (21.5%). Furthermore, there were gender dif-
ferences, depending on the defense zone from which the wall smashes were defended
(p= .014) and on the final match result (p= .018). In men’s padel, the losing pair
performed more off-the-wall smashes, while in women’s padel, the winning pair
performed more of these smashes. Finally, between both genders, most off-the-wall
smashes occurred in the first set and decreased in number in the third set, with the
second set containing the fewest off-the wall smashes.
Keywords
smash, game analysis, racquet sports, gender, padel tactics
1
Department of Physical Education and Sport, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Extremadura, C´
aceres,
Spain
2
Department of Physical Activity and Sport, Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
Corresponding Author:
Adri´
an Escudero-Tena, Faculty of Sports Sciences, University of Extremadura, Avenida de la Universidad
s/n, C´
aceres 10003, Spain.
Email: adescuder@alumnos.unex.es
Introduction
Padel is a racquet sport played in pairs on a 20 × 10-m court, divided by a central net,
with an outer enclosure of a glass or fence wall four meters high at the bottom and
four and three meters on the sides, against which the ball can bounce during the
game (International Padel Federation, 2023a). Padel has had an exponential growth
in recent decades (Courel-Ib´
añez et al., 2017), and it is practiced by players of
different ages and competitive levels due to the simplicity of its rules and the fact
that its physical and technical-tactical demands are adapted to the level of play
(Courel-Ib´
añez et al., 2018;Garc´
ıa-Ben´
ıtez et al., 2018). The sport is currently
practiced in more than 70 countries, which has led in recent years to a significant
increase in facilities, commercial agreements, and sports licenses. (International
Padel Federation, 2023b;Muñoz, S´
anchez-Alcaraz et al., 2016). In this context, the
number of scientific studies on padel has also increased in recent years (Garc´
ıa-
Gim´
enez et al., 2022;Mart´
ın-Miguel, Escudero-Tena et al., 2023;S´
anchez-Alcaraz,
C´
anovas et al., 2022), with the most frequently studied padel topic being the
analysis of performance in men´s and women´s professional padel (Garc´
ıa-Ben´
ıtez
et al., 2018;Lupo et al., 2018;Mart´
ın-Miguel, Muñoz et al., 2023;S´
anchez-Alcaraz,
P´
erez-Puche et al., 2020).
Regarding game actions, several authors have analyzed technical-tactical actions
and the volume of play in three areas of the court: areas near the net, middle of the court
or transition areas, and backcourt areas (S´
anchez-Alcaraz, Muñoz, Escudero-Tena
et al., 2022). Conde-Ripoll et al. (2021) showed that, in the backcourt, shots using one
wall predominate, followed by shots using two walls. As these are the shots with the
most errors, the strokes used in this area of the court are more defensive and con-
servative (Mellado-Arbelo et al., 2019;Ramón-Ll´
ın et al., 2020). In the transition and
net areas, volleys and smashes are most frequent, with smashes most often resulting
in winning points. Thus, strokes in these areas of the court tend to have a more
offensive character (Escudero-Tena, Almonacid, et al., 2022;Escudero-Tena,
Muñoz, et al., 2022;S´
anchez-Alcaraz, Muñoz, S´
anchez-Pay et al., 2022). The aim of
the player pair who are in the baseline zone is to fighttooccupythenetzone,and
the aim of the player pair who are in the net zone is to fighttokeepthenetzone
(Courel-Ib´
añez, S ´
anchez-Alcaraz & Cañas, 2017).
From areas at the back of the court, the lob is the most often used, as this is an
effective technical-tactical shot in both men´s and women´s professional padel for
getting the offensive position in areas near the net. Thus, the lob shot causes an
exchange of positions between player pairs (Escudero-Tena et al., 2020;Muñoz,
Courel-Ib´
añez et al., 2017;Muñoz, S´
anchez-Alcaraz et al., 2017). However, the
point does not necessarily end with such an exchange, as there are usually more
position exchanges during the same point sequence, with the exchanges ending
when the pair who has achieved the offensive position wins the point (Escudero-
Tena et al., 2020). Authors of a recent systematic review reported that up to 50%
2Perceptual and Motor Skills 0(0)
of men’s shots are ground shots, and almost 80% of women’sshotsarelob
shots (Mart´
ın-Miguel, Escudero-Tena et al., 2023). This means that there are
more team position exchanges during the same point sequence in women´s
professional padel than in men´s, as was found by Escudero-Tena, Gómez-Ruano,
et al. (2023).
In relation to the smashes that take place after a lob, sports researchers have
focused on a joint analysis of different smash shots that are performed over the head,
classifying them as bandeja,flat smash, topspin smash and off the wall smash
(S´
anchez-Alcaraz, P´
erez-Puche et al., 2020), or, following the variables of the
validated Observational Analysis of the Smash in Padel (OASP) tool (Escudero-Tena,
Ant´
unez, et al., 2023), classifying them by type of spin (flat, topspin and slice), and
final landing point (own court, opponent’s court, x3 and x4) (Escudero-Tena, Parraca,
et al., 2023). Thus, the flat spin (and topspin in men’s padel) and the down the line
direction are predominant types of smashes to achieve a winning point in men’sand
women’s professional padel (Escudero-Tena, Parraca, et al., 2023;S´
anchez-Alcaraz
et al., 2023;S´
anchez-Alcaraz, P´
erez-Puche et al., 2020), but the proportion of
winning points decreases the farther these shots are performed from the net. The slice
spin and cross-court direction is the predominant type of smash when errors are
committed.
A review of padel literature, shows that previous researchers analyzed different
types of smashes collectively as a group, without focusing on any one type of
smash (S´
anchez-Alcaraz, P´
erez-Puche et al., 2020). The off-the-wall smash is a
unique shot, because it combines offensive and defensive characteristics. It is an
overhead shot that often results in winning points (Escudero-Tena, Almonacid,
et al., 2022), but it is performed at the back of the court, where defensive shots are
typically played due to the high number of errors associated with them (Mellado-
Arbelo et al., 2019). Therefore, the off-the-wall smash can provide teams in
defensive positions an advantage. In addition, gender differences have been
observed in the number of smashes (flat and topspin) and bandejas played, as well
as in their directions and effectiveness (S´
anchez-Alcaraz, P´
erez-Puche et al.,
2020). These gender differences are likely due to differing anthropometric
characteristics of each gender (S´
anchez-Muñoz et al., 2020). Comparing playing
styles between players of different genders can help coaches and players adapt
training sessions and tactics according to gender-specific needs. Finally, it has
been observed that the number of winning points from off-the-wall smashes is
higher than the number of errors made with these shots in both men’sandwomen’s
professional padel (Escudero-Tena, Muñoz, et al., 2022). However, to the best of
our knowledge, no researchers have analyzed the specific characteristics of off-
the-wall smashes in professional padel. Therefore, our aim in this study was to
analyze the characteristics of off-the-wall smashes in men’sandwomen’spro-
fessional padel, while comparing differences between men and women in the
frequency of these shots according to the set.
Mart´
ın-Miguel et al. 3
Method
Research Design and Ethical Considerations
This research methodology was quantitative and descriptive, using an arbitrary code to
record natural observation during professional padel play. In addition, this investigation
was empirical, nomothetic, cross-sectional, and multidimensional (Ato et al., 2013). We
conducted the study according to the guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki (World
Medical Association, 2013), and the research protocol was approved in advance by
University of Extremadura Ethics Committee (154/2020). As we were observing public
play that was intended to be observed, no informed participant consent was necessary.
Participant Sample
We systematically observed and analyzed 441 off-the-wall smashes (150 men’s and
291 women’s) from 14 matches (seven men’s and seven women’s) in the Barcelona
Final Master tournament of the 2022 season of the official World Padel Tour (WPT)
circuit. We selected these tournaments and matches to include observations of the
highest-ranked players and ensure that our summary of optimal techniques and tactics
was not influenced by the play of lower-level players. This tournament included
32 players, 16 men (Mage = 30.18, SD = 6.23 years; Mheight = 1.81, SD = 0.04 m) and
16 women (Mage: = 32.31, SD ± = 5.92 years; Mheight = 1.61, SD = 0.04 m). The
16 players of each sex who we observed were those with the best ranking, according to
official WPT ranking during the 2022 season.
Observed Variables
Following methods developed by Anguera and Hern´
andez-Mendo (2016),wedefined
and observed the following variables:
Gender: We were interested in men´s and women´s performances, because we
suspected important differences between them.
Set: We grouped observational data were grouped according to whether they were
recorded in the first, second or third set.
Playing Situation: We distinguished between observations made when a player
pair was a serving or returning Because we suspected tactical relevance to this
distinction.
Side of the Court: According to S´
anchez-Alcaraz, Mart´
ınez-Gallego et al. (2022),
we divided court areas into three zones of 3.33 m (m) each because area of play
has had an important connection to game tactics. We also differentiated between
shots hit on the left side of the court, those hit on the right side of the court, and
those hit in the center of the court for similar reasons (see Figure 1).
4Perceptual and Motor Skills 0(0)
Player Making the Shot: We distinguished between players on the left side and
right side of the court for relevance of this positioning to team tactics.
Type of Off-the-Wall Smash: We classified types of these smashes according to
the hitting side, the dominant side or off-the-wall forehand smashes and non-
dominant side or off-the-wall backhand smashes because prior investigators have
neglected these distinctions.
Direction of the Shot: According to previous findings (Escudero-Tena, Parraca,
et al., 2023;S´
anchez-Pay et al., 2023), we classified shot directions into two
trajectories - cross directional (the ball is hit diagonally by the player, to the
opposite side of the court from their position) and down-the-line (the ball is hit
straight by the player, to the same side of the court from which they are playing)
(see Figure 1).
Effectiveness of the Shot: We differentiated between winning wall smash shots,
errors (the point was lost after the off the wall smash) and continuity (the point
sequence continued after the off the wall smash) because these results have
tactical implications (Courel-Ib´
añez et al., 2018).
Opponents’Playing Zones: We recorded the opponent’s position when they
received the wall smash we observed, classifying these positions into three zones:
backcourt (a 3m zone from the wall to the service line), transition (a 3.5 m zone
from the service line to 1/3 of the ocourt area) and the net (a 3.5 m zone from 1/3
of the court area to the net) because these zones have shown tactical player
decision-making relevance (S´
anchez-Alcaraz, P´
erez-Puche et al., 2020) (see
Figure 1).
Figure 1. Areas of the Padel Court.
Mart´
ın-Miguel et al. 5
Result of the Match: We differentiated between play that was associated with a
player pair either winning or losing the match because of its importance to
understanding the result of game tactics.
Procedure
The analyzed matches were streamed and subsequently hosted on the WPT TV website
(https://www.worldpadeltourtv.com/), from which we downloaded and saved them for
our observations, data collection, and data analyses. For this recording and data collection
process, we used the specialized software, LINCE (Gabin et al., 2012), and we designed an
ad-hoc instrument to analyze the variables under study. We then used, open-source Kinovea
software (V.0.8.15;, www.kinovea.org) to place nine visual grids over the video image of
the court area for our data recording. The software’s grids differentiated the backcourt,
transition, and net areas of the court, as well as the left, center, and right side of the court,
enabling objective observation of the playing areas based on the specificmeasurementof
each zone. A PhD student in Sports Sciences who was a certified padel coach with ex-
tensive published scientific research related to this study served as our first observer for the
matches, recording all study variables. At the end of the collection process, we performed
an intra-observer reliability analysis with Cohen’s Kappa calculations to ensure the veracity
of the data collected. The observer then reanalyzed a random sample of 70 off-the-wall
smashes to ensure enough relevant data to represent 10%–20% of the study sample
(Igartua, 2006). The mean intra-observer reliability was 0.95, considered almost perfect
(Landis & Koch, 1977). A second observer, also holding a PhD in Sports Sciences and a
certified padel coach with extensive published scientific research related to the topic of this
study, also analyzed the random sample of 70 offthe-wall smashes observed by the first
Table 1. Intra-Observer and Inter-Observer Reliability.
Study variables
Intra-Observer Inter-observer
K
Gender 1.00 1.00
Set 1.00 1.00
Playing situation 1.00 0.95
Side of the court 0.82 0.79
Player making the shot 1.00 0.98
Type of off the wall smash 1.00 0.94
Direction of the shot 0.83 0.79
Effectiveness of the shot 1.00 0.92
Playing zone of the opponents 0.87 0.77
Result of the match 1.00 1.00
Total 0.95 0.91
6Perceptual and Motor Skills 0(0)
observer to permit calculation of average inter-observer reliability between the two ob-
servors. The result was inter-rater reliability of, 0.91 (Landis & Koch, 1977). According to
Altman (1990), the kappa values obtained reflected very good strength of agreement
(>0.80). Table 1 shows the value of the Cohen’s Kappa coefficient (K) used for each of the
study variables (Cohen, 1968). Finally, the statistical analyses were carried out and the
study was written up.
Statistical Analysis
The recorded variables met criteria for normality of data distributions (Field, 2018),
permitting us to use parametric inference statistics for testing our hypotheses. We
performed a descriptive analysis of these data for the number of times each categorical
study variable occurred (using frequency and percentage). We then conducted an in-
ferential analysis by developing contingency tables, including Pearson´s Chi-square (χ2)
statistical test to understand the association between variables. We calculated the strength
of the associations between variables, for which we used Cramer’s V coefficient (Vc)
(Field, 2018). In interpreting these findings, we followed Crewson’s(2006)differen-
tiation of the strength of association according to which the Vc values are considered
small (<0.100), low (0.100–0.299), moderate (0.300–0.499) or high (>0.500) associa-
tions. In addition, we performed subsequent Z-tests to compare column proportions,
adjusting for pvalues <0.05, according to Bonferroni. Contingency tables allowed the
identification of associations between variable categories through corrected standard
residuals (CSR). Residuals > |1.96| betrayed cells with more or fewer cases than there
should be (Field, 2018). We set statistical significance at p< .05, and we performed
statistical analyses using the SPSS 27.0 statistical package for Windows.
Results
Table 2 shows a descriptive analysis of observed variables related to the off-the-wall
smash in professional padel. The women performed twice as many off-the -smashes as
the men; and almost two of three off-the-wall smashes were performed by the serving
player pair. Most off-the wall smash shots (80%) were performed from the center and
right side of the court (center: 40%; right side: 40%), with only 20% executed from the
left side. Players on the right side of the court performed more off-the-wall smashes
than players on the left, with over 90% of these shots performed from the dominant side
and 63.5% directed down the line. Among these smash shots, 70%led to point con-
tinuity but only 20% were winning shots, and less than 10% were errors. For 73.7% of
these shots, the rival pair was in areas close to the net. Finally, the winning player pair
made 13% more down-the-wall shots than the losing pair.
Table 3 shows the differences between the men and women in their off-the-wall
smash shots. There were no significant sex differences in these off-the-wall smashes
according to the game situation, the side of the court, the player performing the off-the-
wall smash, the types of off-the-wall smashes, the direction of these smashes, the type
Mart´
ın-Miguel et al. 7
of point, or the efficiency of the shot. However, significant differences were evident
between the men and women in the opponent’s zone on the court and the results of the
match; with a low association between these variables (0.113–0.139), based on
Cramer’s V results. With respect to the opponent’s zone on court when the off-the-wall
smash was performed, the women defended this shot significantly more often from the
back of the court (p= .014) (CSR = 2.6). On the other hand, with respect to the match
outcome, the off-the-wall smash was significantly more match-determinant for
women’s play (p= .018) for whom the winners of the match performed 20% more
Table 2. Descriptive Analysis of Observed Variables Related to the Off-The-Wall Smash.
N%
Gender of players
Men 150 34.0
Women 291 66.0
Game situation
Serving 283 64.2
Returning 158 35.8
Side of the court
Left 86 19.5
Center 175 39.7
Right 180 40.8
Player making the shot
Right side of the court 253 57.8
Left side of the court 186 42.2
Type of off-the-wall smash
Forehand 402 91.2
Backhand 39 8.8
Direction of the shot
Down the line 280 63.5
Cross 161 36.5
Hitting efficiency
Winner 95 21.5
Continuity 312 70.7
Error 34 7.7
Zone of the opponents on the court
Net 325 73.7
Back 51 11.6
Transition 65 14.7
Result of the match
Winning pair 249 56.5
Losing pair 192 43.3
Note. N: number; %: percentage.
8Perceptual and Motor Skills 0(0)
off-the-wall smash shots than the losers of the match. However, among men, there were
approximately the same numbers of off-the-wall shots that resulted in winning and
losing the match.
Figure 2 shows the number of off-the-wall smashes as a function of set number,
differentiating between women’s padel and men’s padel. Women made more than twice
as many off-the-wall smashes as men in each of the three sets. Moreover, in both men’s
and women’s padel, there were fewer off-the-wall smashes from the first to the second
set. There was a slight increase of off-the-wall smash shots in the third set for both men
and women.
Discussion
We aimed in this study to analyze the characteristics of off-the-wall smash shots
in men’sandwomen’s professional padel, and to compare sex differences in
Table 3. Gender Differences in Off-The-Wall Smash Shots.
Variables Categories
Men Women
N% CSR N% CSR pχ2Vc
Game situation Serving 97 64.7a 0.2 186 63.9a 0.2 0.876 0.024 0.007
Returning 53 35.3a 0.2 105 36.1a 0.2
Side of the court Left 28 18.7a 0.3 58 19.9a 0.3 0.117 4.296 0.099
Center 51 34.0a 1.8 124 42.6a 1.8
Right 71 47.3a 2.0 109 37.5b 2.0
Player making the
shot
Right side of
the court
91 60.7a 1.0 162 55.7a 1.0 0.516 1.323 0.055
Left side of the
court
59 38.7a 1.0 129 44.0a 1.0
Type of off the
wall smash
Forehand 137 91.3a 0.1 265 91.1a 0.1 0.925 0.009 0.004
Backhand 13 8.7a 0.1 26 8.9a 0.1
Direction of the
shot
Down the line 91 60.7a 0.9 189 64.9a 0.9 0.376 0.783 0.042
Cross 59 39.3a 0.9 102 35.1a 0.9
Hitting efficiency Winner 35 23.3a 0.7 60 20.6a 0.7 0.653 0.851 0.044
Continuity 102 68.0a 0.9 210 72.2a 0.9
Error 13 8.7a 0.5 21 7.2a 0.5
Zone of the
opponent on
the court
Net 113 75.3a 0.6 212 72.9a 0.6 0.014* 8.548 0.139
Back 9 6.0a 2.6 42 14.4b 2.6
Transition 28 18.7a 1.7 37 12.7a 1.7
Result of the
match
Winning pair 73 48.7a 2.4 176 60.5b 2.4 0.018* 5.620 0.113
Losing pair 77 51.3a 2.4 115 39.5b 2.4
Note. N: number; %: percentage; CSR: corrected standard residuals; p:p-value; χ2: chi-square; Cramer’s Vc:
Cramer’s V; a, b: indicate significant differences in the Z tests for comparison of column proportions from p<
.05 adjusted according to Bonferroni.
Mart´
ın-Miguel et al. 9
off-the-wall smash shot frequencies by set. We found that serving players per-
formed a higher percentage of off-the-wall smashes than did returners. Others have
shown that, to obtain more chances to get a point and win the match, teams must
occupy, for as long as possible, the areas close to the net, where 80 % of points are
scored (Courel-Ib´
añez, et al., 2015). The serve allows the serving pair to position
themselves close to the net at the beginning of the point sequence (Ramón-Ll´
ın et al.,
2019), and this causes the opposing pair, located in the back areas of the court, to try, from
the first moment, to reposition the serving pair, most frequently by using a lob shot
(Escudero-Tena et al., 2020;Muñoz, S´
anchez-Alcaraz et al., 2017). Thus, when the
serving pair loses the net area due to a deep lob from their opponents, they next have an
opportunity to perform an off-the-wall smash (an offensive hit from the back of the court).
Logically then, the serving pair tends to perform a higher percentage of off-the-wall
smashes than returners.
Secondly, our data showed that most off-the-wall smashes were performed from the
center and right side of the court. This finding is consistent with those of other studies that
found a higher percentage of shots from the back of the court in these two areas (S´
anchez-
Alcaraz, Muñoz, Escudero-Tena et al., 2022), and this finding is likely due to a greater use
of the lob shot by the players who stand on the right side of the court, where effectiveness
of the smash is higher. Likewise, we found that 90% of the off the wall smashes were made
on the right. Escudero-Tena, Almonacid, et al. (2022) showed that losing players
committed more errors than winners when making backhand shots; accordingly, players
chose to hit more conservative technical-tactical shots than a backhand off-the-wall smash
to minimize errors. In this context, coaches might assume two strategies. First, they should
create training drills that involve a high number volume of off the wall smashes in the
center and right areas of the court and that use another shot in the left area of the court.
Figure 2. Number of Off-the-Wall Wmashes as a Function of Set.
10 Perceptual and Motor Skills 0(0)
Second, they should prepare players to anticipate an opponent team’soffthewallsmash
from the center or right side and use another shot (e.g. a lob) from the left side of the court.
Taking into account the direction and effectiveness of the off-the-wall smash
shot, we found that two of every three off-the-wall smash shots were down the line.
Previous studies reported a greater use of crossed trajectories in padel compared to
down the line shots (Mellado-Arbelo et al., 2019;Ramón-Ll´
ınetal.,2020), since
directing the ball towards lateral areas increases the difficulty of returning the ball
and causes an increase in the opponent team’s errors (Courel-Ib´
añez et al., 2019;
S´
anchez-Alcaraz et al., 2021); but in the case of winning smashes, down the line
trajectories are predominant (Escudero-Tena, Parraca, et al., 2023). In the specific
case of the off-the-wall smash, since the opposing pair is usually at the net, performing a
down the line off-the-wall smash decreases the opponent’s reaction time and increases the
chances of a point winning shot. Yet, due to the opponent team’s predominant net proximal
position, the vast majority off-the-wall smashes led to continuity in the game (S´
anchez-
Alcaraz, P´
erez-Puche et al., 2020). While the off-the-wall smash shot serves as a
counterattack, the percentage of winners is higher compared to another type of smash, such
as the bandeja (S´
anchez-Alcaraz, P´
erez-Puche et al., 2020). Consequently, data from our
study enable players and coaches to anticipate the play in competition. The two team
members that make the off-the-wall smash will typically press with a second shot to try to
finish the point, as the smash shot usually generates continuity. On the other hand, the
opposing pair will likely swing, closing the gaps in the court towards the player who
intends to hit the off-the-wall smash, and this can leave the cross court less well defended if
the wall shots are down the line.
Regarding sex differences in the off-the-wall smash, our results showed that the
women performed it more often than men. Results from previous studies of profes-
sional play corroborate these data (Escudero-Tena, Almonacid, et al., 2022), and they
reveal a greater use of the lob shot by women (S´
anchez-Alcaraz, Ramón-Llin et al.,
2022) and suggest that gender-related anthropometric characteristics of female players
(Muñoz et al., 2022;Pradas et al., 2015,2021;S´
anchez-Muñoz et al., 2020), cause them
to hit a ball more often from the back zone after the ball bounces on the ground rather
than hitting from the transition zone into a more unfavorable position. Thus, coaches
who train women should give more importance and training frequency to the off-the-
wall smash stroke than do coaches of men.
On the other hand, with respect to the position of the opposing players at the time the
off-the-wall smash, we observed that, although on most occasions players of both sexes
tended to defend the off-the-wall smash in the net proximal zone, while women tended
to defend it in the defense zone more often than men. Although no investigators to date
have analyzed this type of data, it is likely that there is a greater tendency for men to
perform more shots in areas close to the net and for women to perform more shots from
the middle or back of the court (Lupo et al., 2018;Torres-Luque et al., 2015). Our
results differentiated between a more offensive type of play by men who tended to
occupy offensive positions after launching the lob, and a more defensive style by
women who more often opted to defend in the backcourt areas. Furthermore, these
Mart´
ın-Miguel et al. 11
findings suggest that players adjust the intensity and height of their off-the-wall smash
shots so that, if the opponents defend this shot at the backcourt, smash shot makers can
afford to play with more margin, reducing their intensity and passing the ball further
away from the net to take fewer risks.
Considering match results, we found that, in men’s padel, the losing pair performed
more off-the-wall smashes than the winning pair, concurring with Courel-Ib´
añez et al.’s
(2019) finding that the pair that played more shots from the back of the court tended to
lose the match. On the other hand, in women’s padel, we found that the winning pair tended
to perform this shot more often than the losing pair, consistent with other findings that
women play with fewer winning shots, fewer powerful smashes with topspin, and more
shots from defensive zones (Escudero-Tena et al., 2021;S´
anchez-Alcaraz, Jim´
enez et al.,
2022;S´
anchez-Alcaraz, P´
erez-Puche et al., 2020). Thus, women tended to use the off-the-
wall smash more as a shot as a defensive tactic that allowed them to win the match. These
data suggest that men may benefit from using a lob shot behind the wall or a bandeja to
avoid losing the net and to increase their chances of winning the match., while women may
find it advantageous to hit an off-the-wall smash instead of a poorly positioned overhead
shot, as this tactic increased their chances of winning the match. Thus, coaches should create
gender-specific drills and tactical situations to increase or decrease the use of the off-the-wall
smash.
Finally, with respect to the number of off-the-wall smashes in relation to set
number, we observed that women played more than twice as many off-the-wall
smashes as men in each of the three sets. In both men’sandwomen’s padel, there
was a decrease in the number of off-the-wall smashes from the first to the second set,
andinthethirdsetthereappearedtobeaslightincreaseinthenumberofoff-the-
wall smashes in both groups. First, the higher number of these smashes in the first
set may be due to less accumulated fatigue early in the match, compared to the
following sets (C´
adiz-Gallardo et al., 2023), allowing for more effective lobs and a
higher number of shots per point sequence (Muñoz, Garc´
ıa-Fern´
andez et al., 2016).
On the other hand, the decrease in the frequency of these smashes in the second set
may be due to less accuracy in the lob and a greater use of other types of smashes to
keep the net (Mart´
ın-Miguel, Escudero-Tena et al., 2023). Another increase of these
smashes in the third set could be due to the accumulated fatigue that hinders hitting
in a proper position. Coaches, especially those of women, should encourage in-
creasing the number of off-the-wall smashes at the end of the training sessions to
help immunize players against this accumulated fatigue.
Limitations and Directions for Further Research
Among the limitations that should be considered when interpreting these results, our
study’s sample size, while large by comparison to past studies, was still problematic for
broad generalizations to other populations. Future researchers might analyze a greater
number of shots by expanding the number of tournaments and players studied. Also, we
only analyzed the off-the-wall smash shot, without considering previous or subsequent
12 Perceptual and Motor Skills 0(0)
shots, and these further considerations might help us better understand the full context
of this shot.
Conclusion
The information we obtained through this study will allow professional padel coaches
to design sex specific training tasks for their players’technical and tactical im-
provements, with a particular focus on both offensive and defensive approaches to the
off-the wall smash shot for men and women, respectively. Likewise, these data will
allow further testing of new hypotheses about competitive padel play to provide
specific feedback on the key aspects of the off-the-wall smash shot, to increase its
effectiveness and optimize padel player performance. Our specificfindings were:
In women’s padel, twice as many off-the-wall smashes were performed as in men’s
padel, with greater use of this shot in the first set in both genders, followed by the third
set and finally the second set.
- Serving players played almost two out of three off-the-wall smashes, both in
men’s and women’s professional padel.
- Both men and women performed most of the off-the-wall smashes from the right
(dominant) side or from the center of the court, with more than 90% being down
the right.
- The predominant direction for off-the-wall smash sots was down the line versus
cross court, in both men’s and women’s professional padel.
- The off-the-wall smash shot produced continuity in the point sequence in more
than 70% of its occurrences in men’s and women’s padel, while about 20% of
these shots were winning shots and errors occurred in 10% of them.
- The opposing player pair in men’s padel tended to defend this shot at the net; but
women players tended to defend it more often in the back court.
- In men’s padel, the losing pair played more off-the-wall smashes; in women’s
padel, the winning pair played more off-the-wall smashes.
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship,
and/or publication of this article.
Funding
The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this
article.
ORCID iDs
Ivan Martin-Miguel https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1894-3651
Adrian Escudero-Tena https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7196-5606
Mart´
ın-Miguel et al. 13
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Mart´
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Author Biographies
Ivan Martin-Miguel is a PhD student in Physical Activity and Sports Sciences and
author of numerous scientific publications on padel, being an expert in pader notational
analysis.
Diego Muñoz is a PhD in Physical Activity and Sports Sciences and currently holds the
function of University Titular Professor in the Faculty of Physical Activity and Sports
Sciences at the University of Extremadura.
Adrian Escudero-Tena has a PhD in Physical Activity and Sports Sciences, is an
expert in padel notational analysis with numerous scientific publications on padel.
Bernardino J. Sanchez-Alcaraz is a PhD in Physical Activity and Sports Sciences and
currently holds the function of professor in the Faculty of Sport Sciences at the
University of Murcia.
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