Playing High: Strategic Use of the Lob in Professional Padel

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyze the lob in professional padel, taking into account sex, the player’s side of play, the direction of the lob and the efficiency of the lob. For this purpose, 2063 lobs (933 in men’s and 1130 in women’s) corresponding to 10 matches of the 2024 season of the Premier Padel circuit were analyzed through systematic observation. The results indicated that there is no association between the player who makes the lob according to the side of play in professional padel (p = 0.796) and the category of play (men’s and women’s). The distribution of lobs in these categories, both men’s and women’s, was distributed 50% between both players from the same pair. On the other hand, in men’s professional padel, right-side players made more cross-court lobs (RTC = 3.3), while left-side players made more down-the-middle lobs (RTC = 2.0). In addition, in women’s professional padel, right-side players made more cross-court lobs (RTC = 3.6), while left-side players made more down-the-middle lobs (RTC = 6.0). Finally, in men’s padel, the lobs tended to overpass the opponents when they were down the middle (RTC = 4.1) and tended to not overpass when they were cross-court (RTC = 2.5). In conclusion, there are differences in the characteristics of lobs in professional padel according to sex. These results can be very useful for coaches for performing specific training on the lob according to the sex of their players.