Analysis of the smash in men´s and women´s junior padel

The objective of this study was to analyze the types of smashes in men´s and women´s junior padel according to the direction of the ball and its effectiveness, making a comparison between the men´s and women´s gender. To do this, 1175 smashes corresponding to six finals (three men’s and three women’s) of three Spanish junior championships were analyzed, differentiating the smashes analyzed between off the wall smash, tray, topspin smash and flat smash. The results show that junior padel players usually perform trays and topspin shots with a crossed trajectory, while flat smashes usually have a parallel trajectory. The flat smash is the type of smash with which players play the most winners (52%) and the tray with which they commit the most errors (39.2%). In addition, the tray is the type of smash that most encourages the continuity of the point (56.1%). Regarding the differences between genders, the results show that in women´s padel there is a greater use off the wall smash (13.8%) and flat smashes (36.5%), while in men´s padel there is a greater use of topspin smashes (22.6%). These results can serve as a reference for coaches and padel players when designing specific training sessions adapted to the demands of the competition, as well as for improving decision-making and establishing feedback.