Match activity profile analysis during professional men’s double pickleball tournaments

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyse the activity profile of professional men’s doubles pickleball tournaments. A total of 6839 shots from eight men’s doubles matches, corresponding to the final stages of two Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) Tour tournaments were analysed. The match activity analysis included technical-tactical (shots per player, hitting locations, type of shots, ball trajectory and action and shot outcomes) as well as playing and resting time parameters (rally duration, effective playing time, resting time, work-to-rest ratio). Match duration averaged 36 ± 15.9 min, with a work-to-rest of 1:1.6 ± 0.3, while actual playing time averaged 14.0 ± 5.0 min (39% of total match time). Most points lasted between 3–9 s (67.4%) with rest times of 9–15 s (84.3%). In 60.5% of the cases, rallies involved 3–10 shots, with the forehand being the most frequent shot (40.2%). Indirect shots were more common than direct ones, with most shots being played from the transition zone (71.3%). Cross-court play (54%) dominated over parallel play and 90.8% of shots were intercepted. Winning pairs’ left-side players performed more shots per game (27.3%). This analysis provides valuable insights into the activity profile of doubles pickleball, offering guidance for improving sports’ performance.