Physiological demands of competition in paddle

The aim of the present work is to determine the physiological exigencies of the practice of paddle. A total of 12 top level male players (age, mean +/- sd: 16.57 +/- 1,51 years) participated in the study. Twenty-four hours before competition, the subjects carried out an incremental test on a treadmill, determining different cardiorespiratory parameters, as the oxygen uptake (VO2) and the heart rate (HR). In competition the VO2 and HR values were obtained. The VO2 reached values below 50% of the maximum that those reached in treadmill test, whereas the mean HR represented, approximately, 74% of the maximum HR reached in the same test. After the definition of the functional characteristics of paddle competition, very similar ones to those of individual tennis. A better design of the training programs of the players is made possible, recommending itself its practice, in addition, to a wide spectrum of the population.