Position and ranking influence in padel: somatic anxiety and self-confidence increase in competition for left-side and higher-ranked players when compared to pressure training

This study aimed to analyze the differences in the precompetitive anxiety and self-confidence according to the side of play, the ranking and the match outcome, under different competitive scenarios, in high level men's padel players from Finland who trained under pressure prior to the competition. 10 men's padel players (28.60 (4.17) years old) from the highest category participated in the research. The CSAI-2R (Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 Revised) and STAI-S (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory - State) questionnaires were used and descriptive and inferential analyzes were performed, including Mann-Whitney's U tests. The findings illuminate that, across the player spectrum, somatic anxiety and self-confidence levels are higher before competition compared to training matches. This trend holds true for left-side, higher-ranked and match winning players. Even lower-ranked players exhibit heightened self-confidence preceding competitions. These insights offer valuable considerations for players, coaches, and sports psychologists, fostering a deeper understanding of the intricate interplay between pressure training, competition, and the athlete's psychological landscape.

Sequential Mapping of Game Patterns in Men and Women Professional Padel Players

PURPOSE

This study analyzed the sequences of actions in professional men and women padel players to identify common game patterns.

METHODS

The sample comprised 17,557 stroke-by-stroke actions (N = 1640 rallies) of the championship World Padel Tour. Multistep Markov chains were used to calculate the conditional probabilities of occurrence of actions during the rally.

RESULTS

Results revealed that men's and women's padel is mainly defined by 36 patterns constituting 55% and 63% of all actions in the game, respectively, with the 10 most common sequences accounting for 42% to 45% of the game. There were recurrent technical-tactical actions with specific offensive and defensive functions that were constantly reiterated during the rallies. In men, the use of smash, volley, bandeja, direct, back wall, back-wall lobs, and direct lobs followed a foreseeable pattern up to 8 lags, whereas women described predictable interactions for volley, bandeja, direct, lobs, and direct lobs up to 5 lags and for smash and back wall up to 4 lags.

CONCLUSIONS

The ability of padel players to recall these patterns and enhance their anticipation skills may potentially improve their performance. These findings contribute to a better knowledge of professional padel game dynamics while providing coaches and players with useful information to optimize training and decision-making strategies.

Precompetitive anxiety and self-confidence during the 2023 Finnish Padel championship in high level men's players

The aim of the current study was to assess precompetitive anxiety and self-confidence in high level men's padel players from Finland. Twenty eight men's padel players from the highest category participated in the research (87.5% of the target population). The CSAI-2R (Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 Revised) and STAI-S (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory - State) questionnaires were used and descriptive and inferential analyzes were performed, including the Kruskal Wallis's H and Mann-Whitney's U tests. The results show that seeded players presented lower levels of cognitive anxiety (η2 = 0.111). Moreover, losers of first round presented more state anxiety than winners (η2 = 0.302). Before the first match, state anxiety was higher than prior to the second match (η2 = 0.148). Furthermore, lower ranked players of first round, compared to second, presented more state anxiety and somatic anxiety (η2 = 0.487 and η2 = 0.277, respectively). However, according to the results obtained, self-confidence was not affected by any of the variables analyzed (ranking, seed, result or round). These findings may be of great interest to players, coaches and sports psychologists, as they allow an enhanced comprehension of the player's level of anxiety and self-confidence.