# Notational Analysis of Men's Singles Pickleball: Game Patterns and Competitive Strategies
## 3 Results
### Descriptive Analysis
The effect size test indicated that the relationship was weak (\(V=0.166\)) in the first case (none of the adjusted residuals exceeded the critical value of \(\pm 1.96\)) and relatively strong in the second (\(V=0.357\)). Points won from striking zone 2, both on serve and return, were particularly noteworthy. From this mid-court zone, returners frequently won points with winners, while servers often benefitted from their opponents' unforced errors. In striking zones 3 (baseline area) and 4 (beyond the baseline), \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{l l l l l l l l l l} \hline \hline
**Criteria** & **Code** & \(n\) & **\%** & \(\chi^{2}\) **Test** & **Criteria** & **Code** & \(n\) & **\%** & \(\chi^{2}\) **Test** \\ \hline \multirow{3}{*}{Service} & FS & 1118 & 97.6 & \(\chi^{2}=1039.547\) & \multirow{3}{*}{Winner} & RW & 611 & 53.4 & \(\chi^{2}=5.178\) \\  & SF & 27 & 2.4 & \(p<0.001\) & & SW & 534 & 46.6 & \(p<0.023\) \\ \hline \multirow{3}{*}{Rally length} & LN & 145 & 12.7 & \(\chi^{2}=220.215\) & \multirow{3}{*}{Point ending} & RWUE & 377 & 32.9 & \(\chi^{2}=44.921\) \\  & MD & 504 & 44.0 & \(p<0.001\) & & RWW & 234 & 20.4 & \(p<0.001\) \\  & SH & 496 & 43.3 & & SWUE & 291 & 25.4 & & \\ \hline \multirow{3}{*}{Strike zone} & SZ1 & 12 & 1.0 & \(\chi^{2}=944.716\) & \multirow{3}{*}{Point ending} & SWW & 243 & 21.2 & \\  & SZ2 & 581 & 50.7 & \(p<0.001\) & & ACE & 1 & 0.1 & \(\chi^{2}=1608.860\) \\  & SZ3 & 218 & 19.0 & & BH & 248 & 21.7 & \(p<0.001\) \\  & SZ4 & 304 & 26.6 & & & BHV & 203 & 17.7 & \\  & SZ & 30 & 2.6 & & & DS & 7 & 0.6 & \\ \hline \multirow{3}{*}{Finish zone} & NT & 316 & 27.6 & \(\chi^{2}=739.583\) & \multirow{3}{*}{Final stroke} & FH & 394 & 34.4 & \\  & OUT & 348 & 30.4 & \(p<0.001\) & & FHV & 237 & 20.7 & \\ \cline{1-1}  & FZ1 & 27 & 2.4 & & LB & 6 & 0.5 & \\ \cline{1-1}  & FZ2 & 20 & 1.7 & & & OT & 4 & 0.3 & \\ \cline{1-1}  & FZ3 & 109 & 9.5 & & & SC & 29 & 2.5 & \\ \cline{1-1}  & FZ4 & 126 & 11.0 & & & SM & 16 & 1.4 & \\ \cline{1-1}  & FZ5 & 93 & 8.1 & & & & & & \\ \cline{1-1}  & FZ6 & 106 & 9.3 & & & & & & \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 3: Descriptive analysis of the investigation. most points won by the returner resulted from unforced errors, whereas the server achieved numerous winners. The analysis of the adjusted residuals reveals that striking zone 2 (SZ2) is crucial in scoring points during the match, particularly highlighting the winners from the receiver, which presented an adjusted residual of 14.8, as well as the errors from the receiver, with a residual of 4.9. This suggests that the receiver has a notable advantage in controlling the game in this zone. In striking zone 3 (SZ3), the server's errors were significantly higher than expected, with an adjusted residual of 8.4, while the winners from the receiver were less frequent, showing a residual of \(-7.4\). This indicates that, although SZ3 favors the server, this advantage is primarily due to errors from the receiver rather than winning shots (6.0). On the other hand, in striking zone 4 (SZ4), both the server's errors (residual of 5.8) and the receiver's errors (residual of 3.0) exceeded expectations, while the winners from the receiver were significantly lower than expected, with an adjusted residual of \(-9.0\). Table 4 presents an analysis of play patterns that illustrates how points were concluded, taking into account the type of rally, the zone from which the final shot was executed, and the point ending. The analysis reveals that, in short rallies, points were predominantly resolved with shots from striking zone 2 or striking zone 4. From striking zone 2, where the receiver was positioned in most cases, 67.1% of the points resulted in unforced errors and 33.7% resulted in winners by that player. When the final shot came from striking zone 4, unforced errors were predominant for both the server and the receiver. In cases where a winner was recorded, it generally belonged to the server.