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Racket Sport Dynamics
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Racket Sport Dynamics

A special issue of Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology (ISSN 2411-5142). This special issue belongs to the section "Athletic Training and Human Performance".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 886

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Bernardino Javier Sánchez-Alcaraz Martínez

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Murcia, 30720 San Javier, Spain
Interests: performance analysis; health; physical education; racket sports; training methodology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The popularity of racket sports games can be observed across the world. The popularity of and elite performance in the most famous racket sports are reaching new milestones. In tennis, we are witnessing an incredible battle between the top players. Table tennis and badminton are amongst the highlights of the Olympics. Never before have there been so many squash players from so many different countries among the world’s best. Lastly, the popularity of padel is breaking all records and spreading rapidly around the world. The commonality between all the above games is the fact that they are easy to enjoy. On the other hand, they are also complex sports, where performance at the highest level depends on a number of parameters and their synergistic effects.

The aim of this research topic is to encourage researchers in the field to publish their latest findings on the factors that have a significant impact on either the popularity of the sport (e.g., a healthy lifestyle) or the achievement of excellence in an elite environment. These include sociological, physiological and psychological aspects, as well as appropriate physical conditioning and planning in the training process and performance analysis in terms of biomechanics (techniques), tactics or movement.
Contributors are encouraged to submit original research and systematic reviews related to methods, curriculum instruction and pedagogy, data reports, technologies and codes.

Dr. Bernardino Javier Sánchez-Alcaraz Martínez
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • racquet sports
  • tennis
  • padel
  • squash
  • badminton
  • sociology
  • physiology
  • psychology
  • performance
  • training

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 286 KiB  
Article
Lack of Neuromuscular Fatigue in Singles Pickleball Tournament: A Preliminary Study
by Eric A. Martin, Steven B. Kim, George K. Beckham and James J. Annesi
J. Funct. Morphol. Kinesiol. 2025, 10(3), 267; https://doi.org/10.3390/jfmk10030267 - 16 Jul 2025
Viewed by 152
Abstract
Objectives: The objective of this study was to examine the neuromuscular fatigue response to playing in a singles pickleball tournament, as measured by performance on a countermovement jump test (CMJ). We hypothesized that players would exhibit neuromuscular fatigue after the tournament. Methods: Six [...] Read more.
Objectives: The objective of this study was to examine the neuromuscular fatigue response to playing in a singles pickleball tournament, as measured by performance on a countermovement jump test (CMJ). We hypothesized that players would exhibit neuromuscular fatigue after the tournament. Methods: Six adult pickleball players (five male and one female, M ± SD: 40.2 ± 10.1 years old, height = 178.7 ± 12.3 cm, body mass = 85.4 ± 16.7 kg) participated in a 15 game singles pickleball tournament. Prior to the tournament, everyone completed the CMJ to assess lower body strength and power on paired Hawkin Dynamics force plates. After the tournament, players repeated the CMJ. Mixed-effects regression modeling was used to examine changes in key outcomes measured from the CMJ. Results: All nine outcomes from the CMJ significantly changed from pre to post-tournament (e.g., means for net impulse increased from 2.32 ± 0.22 to 2.40 ± 0.18 N·s, p = 0.0006; RSImod increased from 0.28 ± 0.07 to 0.33 ± 0.05, p = 0.0001, and propulsive peak power increased from 41.79 ± 6.14 to 44.34 ± 4.70 W/kg, p < 0.0001). All the changes demonstrated improved performance in the CMJ test. Seven out of the nine outcomes demonstrated a large effect size by the partial-eta square statistic, with η2-partial of 0.153–0.487, and three key outcomes (RSImod, propulsive peak power, and propulsive mean power) also demonstrated large effect sizes by the F2 statistic (F2 of 0.4603–0.9495). Conclusions: Contrary to our hypothesis, participants did not demonstrate significant neuromuscular fatigue. In contrast, they showed significant improvements in CMJ performance. It is possible that adequate rest between games prevented neuromuscular fatigue; alternately, singles pickleball may not provide enough stimulus in the lower body musculature to induce neuromuscular fatigue. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Racket Sport Dynamics)
12 pages, 355 KiB  
Article
Risk of Upper Extremity Injury in Recreational Pickleball Players
by June Hanks and Betsy Myers
J. Funct. Morphol. Kinesiol. 2025, 10(3), 247; https://doi.org/10.3390/jfmk10030247 - 28 Jun 2025
Viewed by 210
Abstract
Background: With the increasing popularity of pickleball (PB) has come an increase in upper extremity (UE) injury. This study examines the relationship between PB-related UE injury and player characteristics, typical weekly playing behavior, grip tightness, and stretching or strengthening exercise among recreational PB [...] Read more.
Background: With the increasing popularity of pickleball (PB) has come an increase in upper extremity (UE) injury. This study examines the relationship between PB-related UE injury and player characteristics, typical weekly playing behavior, grip tightness, and stretching or strengthening exercise among recreational PB players. Methods: Players at least 18 years of age who played PB for at least six months were recruited to complete an anonymous online survey. Results: Among the 253 participants, 41% reported at least one UE injury: 10% acute and 37.5% chronic. Chi-square analysis (α = 0.05) was used to determine between group differences. The risk of UE injury was 1.51 to 1.53 times higher among individuals who played longer or more frequent sessions or played on consecutive days. Acute injury was more likely in those who played >two hours at a time, on consecutive days, or maintained a tight baseline grip—with relative risks of 2.38, 4.97, and 2.67, respectively. Chronic injury was more common in those who played >two years, at higher skill level, or >six hours a week. No difference in UE injury and sex, strengthening, or stretching was found. Conclusions: The risk of UE injury was higher for those who play longer, more frequently, or on consecutive days. Additionally, acute injury was more likely when using a tight grip for baseline shots and chronic injury was more common among those who played more years, at a higher skill level, or greater playing volume. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Racket Sport Dynamics)
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