Rodrigo Ampuero

Beach tennis (BT) is a sport that combines elements from various racket disciplines and is played mostly in pairs on a sand court measuring 8 × 16 m. Despite its recent global expansion, there is still a lack of studies that comprehensively characterise its competitive demands. The aim of this study was to describe the temporal parameters and technical-tactical indicators of professional women's doubles BT, and secondarily, to examine potential differences between sets. Nine matches (6.527 shots) from the 2024 Sand Series Tour Finals were analysed. A cross-sectional observational design was performed. Matches had an average duration of 74.6 ± 27:1 min, of which only the 17% (12.5 ± 4:1 min) represented the effective playing time. Rallies lasted on average 6.8 ± 0.8 s, followed by recovery pauses of 23.3 ± 2.0 s, resulting in a work-to-rest ratio of 1:4.6. The forehand volley (18.4%) and cross-court play (53.4%) were the most frequent technical-tactical actions, with the left-side player contributing to 50.4% of all shots. No differences were observed between sets in temporal or technical–tactical parameters (p > 0.05). These findings provide a solid foundation for designing optimal training interventions tailored to the specific characteristics of professional women's doubles BT.

En el tenis existen distintos tipos de situaciones en las que los jugadores no pueden terminar un partido. El concepto de descalificación (default) se refiere

In padel, there exists four possible outcomes after hitting: into play, winners, forced errors and unforced errors. Courts are divided into three zones: baseline, transition and net. The objective of this study was to analyse how shot outcomes may vary based on the hitting location where they were executed. A total of 10,321 shots from the Premier Padel 2022 circuit were assessed through systematic observation. Type of shots, hitting locations and final outcomes were analysed. Significant differences (p < 0.001 to 0.005) were found in shot outcomes across hitting locations. At the baseline, into-play forehands, backhands, and lobs were performed more frequently than at the net (p < 0.001) and resulted more often in unforced errors compared to the transition zone (p = 0.003–0.026). Overhead shots were performed more frequently at the transition zone compared with the others, specifically in into play (p ≤ 0.001 to 0.026), winners (p = 0.008 to 0.026) and unforced errors (p = 0.005 to 0.038). The net was the only zone where all types of outcomes were observed, with volleys being the most frequently performed shot. These results confirm that shot outcomes vary significantly according to their hitting location.

This study aimed to carry out a descriptive analysis of the game actions and activity profile of professional men's singles pickleball. A cross-sectional design was used. Match activity profile of seven male singles pickleball matches from the Carvana Arizona Grand Slam tournament were analysed. Study variables, such as, playing and resting time parameters, shots per rally, type of shots, trajectory of the ball and its path and shot outcomes were studied. The mean match durations were 37.1 ± 11.6 min, with a work-to-rest ratio of 1:3.8 (mean, 0.26 ± 0.03), where the effective playing time represents 20.5% of the total playing time. Most rally durations (77.4%) lasted between 3–9 s and most resting times (76.9%) were between 9–18 s. 53.1% of rallies had between 3–5 shots. The forehand (32.3%), the serve (19.8%) and the backhand (19.5%) accounted for 71.6% of the shots. Cross-court play (55%) predominated over parallel (45%). Most of the shots (99%) were performed from the baseline (53.9%) and the transition zone (45.1%). The majority of the shots were intercepted (80.2%). This information enhances understanding of singles pickleball and can contribute to performance and training session improvements.

The main objective of this study was to analyze how professional male padel players technically-tactically behave and to whether determine if there are any differences between one game side and the other (left game side, LGS; right game side, RGS). The sample included 12.851 shots corresponding to 8 matches from the quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals of the Premier Padel circuit held in 2022 where 16 different professional right-handed padel male players participated. All matches were analyzed through systematic observation using an ad-hoc instrument. Variables such as, type of strokes, outcomes, hitting zones and switching displacements, were taken into account. Significant differences ( p < 0.05) were found on forehands, backhands, backhand volleys, forehand lobs, backhand lobs, counter wall forehand, counter-lateral wall forehand and backhand, and wall descent stroke backhand. Also, significant differences were found regarding the stroke outcomes: into play (RGS 46.4%; p < 0.05); winners (LGS 2.3%; p < 0.01). Finally, significant differences were noticed between switching displacements in which the LGS players switched considerably more times than the RGS (66.7%; p < 0.001). The reported results proved that there exist differences between both game sides regarding their strokes, stroke outcomes, and switching displacements.