Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2025
Publication Title
Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology
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 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.
Recommended Citation
Martin, Eric A.; Kim, Steven B.; Beckham, George K.; and Annesi, James J., "Lack of Neuromuscular Fatigue in Singles Pickleball Tournament: A Preliminary Study" (2025). Kinesiology Faculty Publications and Presentations. 51.
https://digitalcommons.csumb.edu/kin_fac/51
Comments
Published in Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology by MDPI. Available via doi: 10.3390/jfmk10030267.
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).