Analysis of Off-The-Wall Smash Shots in Men’s and Women’s Professional Padel

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 differences, 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.