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Visual Behaviours of Expert Padel Athletes When Playing on Court: An In Situ Approach with a Portable Eye Tracker
Carlos Espino Palma1, Vicente Luis Del Campo1, Diego Muñoz Marín1
1Faculty of Sport Sciences, University of Extremadura, Avda. de la Universidad, s/n, 10003 Caceres, Spain.
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)
|February 11, 2023
Summary
Padel players focus on the ball and opponents' upper bodies for effective returns. This consistent visual strategy aids in performing interceptive actions during padel matches.
Area of Science:
- Sports Science
- Biomechanics
- Motor Control
Background:
- Eye-tracking studies have characterized gaze behaviors in sports like tennis and badminton.
- Limited research exists on the visual strategies employed by padel athletes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the gaze behaviors of young expert padel players during match play.
- To identify key visual areas of focus during different return situations in padel.
Main Methods:
- An exploratory case study involving eight young expert padel players.
- In situ eye-tracking using SMI Eye Tracking Glasses 2 Wireless during match games.
- Gaze patterns analyzed during opponent's smashes, serves, and volleys.
Main Results:
- Padel players predominantly fixated on the ball-flight trajectory and opponents' upper bodies.
- These two visual locations received the most fixations and longest fixation durations.
- No significant differences in gaze patterns were observed across different return situations.
Conclusions:
- Padel players exhibit consistent gaze behavior across various return scenarios.
- Fixating on the ball and opponent's upper body kinematics (head, shoulders, trunk, arm-hand-racket) is crucial for interceptive actions.
- This visual strategy supports effective performance in real-time padel play.
