Padel is the Dark Horse of Racket Sports

Padel is a racket sport that dates back to the 1970s. Padel has become one of the most popular sports in Spain, with over four million regular players, and it is fast spreading over the globe, thanks to a surge in popularity in recent years. Padel pits two players against one other within a 20 by 10-meter synthetic glass and metal court. 

The presence of barriers encircling the court, which the ball may bounce, is a notable feature. Compared to racket sports like badminton, tennis, or squash, the glass back wall in padel lengthens rallies. This also means more significant actions and strokes per player.

Check out this quick video to see the racket sports famous from all over the world:

When looking at the game dynamics and match activity of padel, we can see that it is a high-intensity intermittent sport that combines high-frequency (0.7–1.5 per second (s)) and low-intensity actions during rallies of moderate duration (9–15 s), interspersed by 1020 s of rest, resulting in longer breaks of 90s.

The utilization of volleys and smashing motions is essential for offensive success in padel. Defensive moves include lobs and bouncing the ball off the baseline into the wall to send the opponent to the back of the court.

When you think about it, match activity in padel is a combination of tennis and squash

Performance is linked to physical fitness and anthropometric measurements, in addition to game dynamics and technical-tactical demands. Body kinematics and anthropometric factors are linked to increased success in racket sports, especially.

Key takeaway:

At the amateur level, physical fitness has minimal bearing on padel players’ performance. This is because recreational padel has less competitive standards. Despite this, the rising intensity of professional sports tournaments makes strength and conditioning training a need for success.