The Best Padel Awards for the best padel rackets and shoes were presented at the Padel World Summit
A total of 8 awards, 5 in the racket category and 3 in the shoe category, have been presented during the second edition of the Best Padel Awards, which have become firmly established in the padel industry thanks to their ability to attract the interest of both brands and players.
Testea Pádel, in collaboration with the Instituto de Biomecánica (IBV) and the Instituto de Automática e Informática Industrial (ai2 Institute) of the Polytechnical University of Valencia, have presented the awards for the best padel rackets and shoes during the Padel World Summit in Malaga, the largest padel industry event in the world.
After more than 300 laboratory tests, not only have the winners been endorsed by scientific knowledge, but also by technological research and the sports industry. “Our aim is to provide players with guidelines and a benchmark so that they can be sure which products best meet their needs, in an absolutely scientific and objective way, 100% based on laboratory results”, says Jordi Piedra, the CEO of Testea Padel.
The Testea Pádel Laboratory at the ai2-UPV Institute carried out tests on rackets to analyse aspects such as handling, ball exit, sweet spot, power and control, among others, for all 5 categories of rackets that received awards. “The rackets are subjected to a series of tests to objectively measure how they perform on the court: an inertia test to measure the moments of inertia around their different axes, ball exit, using a low-speed pendulum impact tester, power, using an accelerated pendulum impact tester, and the sweet spot, using a robot to characterise the energy”, explains Toni Correcher, Senior Researcher at the ai2 Institute’s Testea Padel Laboratory.
With respect to the shoes, the Functional Footwear Laboratory of the Instituto de Biomecánica (IBV) tested functional aspects such as their comfort, cushioning and power. “We evaluated aspects such as the weight and flexibility of the shoes in relation to their performance, as well as the deformation and energy return of the sole and the insole, which have a major impact on how a shoe reacts. We also carried out what they call a “drop test” to assess their ability to absorb impacts, and we carried out specific tests on users to analyse their comfort and fit”, comments Juan Carlos González, Director of Innovation in Sport, Footwear and Clothing at IBV.
Innovation in padel
The winning companies in each category have received the BEST24 seal, a distinction that underlines the excellence and superior performance of their products.
The padel world has been seeing exponential growth in recent years and brands and athletes are increasingly using technology to test developments and ideas before taking them to the competitive level. “Padel is a rapidly expanding sport in which technological innovations are appearing very quickly in all areas,”, says Juan Carlos González of the IBV.
In this context, “the fact that the innovations put forward by the brands’ R&D teams can be tested in a laboratory allows them to focus their efforts on the developments that yield the best results”, adds Toni Correcher of the ai2-UPV Institute.
“The padel industry has undergone a paradigm shift in terms of turnover, and this allows and indeed obliges us to ensure that every aspect of the sport becomes more and more professional. Technology, research and scientific knowledge are becoming increasingly important in product development and in all manner of innovations”, concludes Jordi Piedra, the CEO of Testea Padel.
FULL LIST OF AWARD WINNERS
Winners of the best racket in the market:
– Best Control Racket – Nox ML10 Bahia
– Best Hybrid Racket – Dunlop Galactica Pro
– Best Hybrid Control Racket – Nox ML10 Procup
– Best Hybrid Power Racket – Siux Electra ST3
– Best Power Racket – Head Extreme Pro
Winners of the best shoes in the market:
– Best in Comfort – Fitting – Head Boa
– Best in Power – Nox AT10 Lux
– Best in Cushioning – Kuikma PS PRO
