Perceived, but Not Neuromuscular, Fatigue Demonstrated After Doubles Pickleball Competitions

We assessed if neuromuscular or perceived fatigue would occur after multiple games of doubles pickleball. Sixteen male and 16 female recreational pickleball players participated in an 11-game doubles pickleball competition, one competition for each sex. Before and after the competition, participants completed a perceived fatigue questionnaire and a countermovement jump test (CMJ) to assess neuromuscular performance. Regression analyses were used to examine changes from pre- to post-competition, accounting for sex and the other measured factors. Most CMJ outcomes significantly increased for both sexes, including jump height, net propulsive impulse, and peak propulsive power (p < .001 for all). There were significant differences between the sexes on the magnitude of change in time to takeoff and propulsive phase time, with women decreasing to a greater extent than men (p = .0368 and 0.0196, respectively). Both sexes significantly increased perceived fatigue (p < .001 for both within-group time effects), with men increasing to a significantly greater degree than women (p = .0361). Changes in peak propulsive power, considered the main outcome from the CMJ test, and perceived fatigue scores were not related to each other. Though testing indicated an increase in perceived fatigue, we found no evidence of neuromuscular fatigue. The lack of neuromuscular fatigue may indicate that muscular endurance is not a quality that needs to be focused on in training for doubles pickleball.