PLAYERS WITH TALENT IDENTIFIED VOLLEYBALL SKILLS AND PHYSICAL FITNESS AFTER TRAINING

Gabbett, T., B. Georgieff, S. Anderson, B. Cotton, D. Savovic, and L. Nicholson. Changes in skill and physical fitness following training in talent-identified volleyball players. J. Strength Cond. Res. 20(1):29–35. 2006.—This study investigated the effect of a skill-based training program on measurements of skill and physical fitness in talent-identified volleyball players. Twenty-six talented junior volleyball players (mean ± SE age, 15.5 ± 0.2 years) participated in an 8-week skill-based training program that included 3 skill-based court sessions per week. Skills sessions were designed to develop passing, setting, serving, spiking, and blocking technique and accuracy as well as game tactics and positioning skills. Coaches used a combination of technical and instructional coaching, coupled with skill-based games to facilitate learning. Subjects performed measurements of skill (passing, setting, serving, and spiking technique and accuracy), standard anthropometry (height, standing-reachheight, body mass, and sum of 7 skinfolds), lower-body muscular power (vertical jump, spike jump), upper-body muscular power (overhead medicine-ball throw), speed (5- and 10-m sprint), agility (T-test), and maximal aerobic power (multistage fitness test) before and after training. Training induced significant (p < 0.05) improvements in spiking, setting, and passing accuracy and spiking and passing technique. Compared with pretraining, there were significant (p < 0.05) improvements in 5- and 10-m speed and agility. There were no significant differencesbetween pretraining and posttraining for body mass, skinfold thickness, lower-body muscular power, upper-body muscular power, and maximal aerobic power. These findings demonstrate that skillbased volleyball training improves spiking, setting, and passing accuracy and spiking and passing technique, but has little effect on the physiological and anthropometric characteristics of players.

Key Words: Accuracy, Technique, Physiological Characteristics, Anthropometric Characteristics, Talent Search