Beach volleyball performance benchmarks in men’s high level

The aim of this study was to explore the set and technical indicators between winning and losing men’s teams in the 2022 beach volleyball World Championship, depending on the set of the matches to 21- (S21) and 15-points (S15). A total of 250 sets and 9,096 points were analysed from the men’s 2022 World Championship. Discriminant function analysis determined which skill(s) contributed significantly to winning a set in S21 and S15. This study showed that the teams that won S21 and S15 had better performance in all scoring skills (serve, attack, block, opponent errors), attack kill percent and attack and serve efficiencies compared to their opponents. The attack opponent errors points and attack kill percent, were the main predictors of a team’s success of set and technical indicators respectively. In conclusion, the results of the men's teams at the highest level of beach volleyball, show that attack kill percent is not the only technical indicator that increases the probability of winning a set, since attack opponent errors per set points contribute equally significantly. Furthermore, teams should reduce the number of attack errors despite the high level of blocking to increase the probability of winning a set

The effect of gender in risk factors and characteristics of injuries in athletes of handball national teams

The aim of the present study was to present the injuries and to examine the effect of gender in risk factors and characteristics of injuries in players of a high competitive level. The sample of the study consisted of 16 juniors, 16 men, 15 young women and 15 women handball players who were members of Greek national teams. All athletes were given a self-reported questionnaire. The questionnaire related to the injuries the players had suffered during their involvement in the sport during the last 24 months. The incidence was for male and female 40.6% and 37.9% respectively. The percentage of severity for male was 40.9% and for female 40%. Injuries occurred in both genders mainly during the training sessions. The type of injuries in male players was ligament injuries whereas in female it was muscular strains. The localization of injuries for both genders was the lower limbs. The mechanism of injuries was the contact with the opponent player. Players used conservative treatment in their long period of returning to the same sporting activities after injury. A small percentage presented a relapse after injury. Correlation analysis showed the prophylactic equipment, the rate of incidence of at least one injury, the players’ opinion about the cause of injuries, the injury mechanism, the severity of injuries, the treatment, the days of players’ absence and the players with no modification of training program after injury had a significant difference between male and female players. Conclusively, the gender affects risk factors and characteristics of injuries at a high competitive level. The necessity of studying this matter in another sample is obvious

Analysis of time characteristics, jump patters and technical-tactical skills of beach volley men’s final in Rio Olympics 2016

In the men’s final of Beach volleyball in the Rio Olympics 2016 Brazil won Italy team with 2-0 sets. The aim of this study was to find the a) timing characteristics, b) distribution of jumps, c) distribution of side-out and counter attacks, d) type of attack. Player's age was 29 ± 3.4 years and height was 196.5 ± 8.5 cm (Blockers = 203 cm, Defenders = 190 cm). A total of 78 points were played in the match (38.39 min). Distribution of rallies was: Serve errors = 7.7%, Aces = 5.1%, Side-outs = 59% and Counter attacks = 28.2%. The work duration was 7.6 ± 4.7 sec while the rest was 26.2 ± 17.7 sec (ratio = 3.5). The work alone duration without serve aces and errors was 8.6 ± 4.3 (ratio = 3). The rest alone without other intervals was 20.3 ± 6.1 (ratio = 2.4). The total number of jumps was 264 (66 ± 22.7 jumps per player) and the distribution of jumps was (Attack = 38.6%, Block = 31% and Servis = 30.3%). The attacks that blocked were 11.8% while the percentage of spikes was 52.8% and the shots was 47.2%. In conclusion, the results are in accordance with other articles concerning high level of beach volleyball. Coaches should use in the training sessions the specific demands of the work and rest ratio and adapt the rally distribution according to percentages occurring during the match and also use the performance indicators of the best teams in the world

The efficacy of the attack and block in game phases on male FIVB and CEV beach volleyball

The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and differences of the attack, block, and reception in side out and counter-attack phases during beach volleyball games. A total of 80 games of FIVB World Tour and European Championships were analyzed. The technical skills analyzed were the type and efficacy of the attack, the type of block, and the efficacy of reception. The sample included 13.939 rallies, including attack (n=7.090), block (n=7.090), and serve reception (n=5.161). Descriptive statistics were applied in order to obtain frequencies and percentages. Inferential statistics were calculated (p<.05) through chi square tests. The results showed that the spikes were more frequent values than shots at both side out and counterattack phases. Attack errors and kills were the more frequent values in both phases. Perfect receptions showed a kill percentage similar to situations when the reception was limited. It was concluded that players should make fewer errors when spiking, and coaches should pay more attention to fake blocks during both side out and counter-attack phases

Trends of the fast game in men’s EHF European handball championships

The aim of this study was to measure the effect of fast play on a handball team’s performance by assessing ranking in three European Men’s Championships (Euro 2018, 2020, 2022) as a dependent variable. The independent variables indicating fast play were the ranking of the team in the tournament, total fast breaks (TFB) per match played, successful fast breaks (SFB) per match played, total fast throw-offs (TFTO) per match played, and successful fast throw-offs (SFTO) per match played. Analyses for each tournament included descriptive statistics, correlation analyses between team ranking and TFB, SFB, TFTO, and SFTO per match played, and hierarchical regression analyses to identify whether the independent variables could predict team ranking in a tournament. TFB and SFB per match played were statistically significant predictors of tournament placement for all three European tournaments examined. Euro 2018 scored the highest team ranking prediction for both TFB and SFB. However, TFTO and SFTO per match played were not significant predictors of tournament placement in all three tournaments. In conclusion, the TFB and SFB per match played were statistically significant predictors of tournament placement

The height of the men’s winners FIVB Beach Volleyball in relation to specialization and court dimensions

The purpose of this study was to find and compare the heights of the men FIVB Beach Volleyball winners in relation to their specialization and court dimensions (9×9 m or 8×8 m). The heights of men’s winners of all FIVB Beach Volleyball (BV) tournaments held between 1987 and 2010 were recorded. The winners were then split into three groups according to their specialization: Defenders (DE), Blockers (BL) without any specialization (No Specialization - NS). Post-hoc Anova test was conducted to determine if there is difference in the winners’ height in relation to their specialization and the court dimensions (9×9 and 8×8). Overall, 91 players from 16 countries have won the 257 FIVB BV tournaments. Of the 257 tournaments, 115 were held in 9×9 courts and 142 in 8×8 courts. Of the winners, 44 were defenders, 38 were blockers and 9 had no specialization. The players of all winning teams in 8×8 courts had specialization. The average height of the winners was 192.7 ± 5.3 cm. The shortest winner was 180 cm and the tallest 206 cm. The one way ANOVA indicated that there were significant differences (F(2,88) = 34.071, p<0.001) between the defenders, blockers and no specialization players. The Post Hoc Scheffe indicated significant differences between the DE (M=189.3, SD=3.7 cm) and BL (M=196.7, SD=4.6 cm), as between BL and the NS (M=192.2, SD=2.5 cm). Also, significant differences were found (F(4,99) = 24.286, p<0.001) between the DE9x9, DE8x8, BL9x9, BL8x8 and NS. The Post Hoc Scheffe indicated significant differences (p<0.001) between the DE9x9 (M=188.6, SD=4.1 cm) and BL9x9 (M=194.0, SD=3.8 cm), as between DE9x9 and BL8x8 (M=198.0, SD=4.1 cm). Furthermore, significant differences were found (p<0.05) between BL8x8 and BL9x9. No significant differences were found (p=0.506) between DE9x9, DE8x8. Significant difference were found between NS (M=192.1, SD=2.7 cm) and DE8x8. The independent t-test found significant difference (t(18)=3.215, p<0.01) between the 10 first blockers in victories at 8x8 m (M=199.4, SD=4.1) and 9x9 m (M=193.5, SD=4.1). Overall, regarding player specialization, blockers were taller than defenders in both court dimensions. Although blockers in 8×8 courts were taller than those in 9×9 courts, no significant difference was found in defenders. Smaller court dimensions seem to favored taller players in top level world Beach Volleyball because of the larger importance of blocking and the reduced need for agility. The data at hand certifies the new somatometric requirements for blockers in Beach Volleyball

The height of the women’s winners FIVB Beach Volleyball in relation to specialization and court dimensions

The purpose of this paper is to record and compare the height of women’s winners in FIVB competitions in relation to their specialization and court dimensions (9×9 m and 8×8 m). The heights of 56 winners in 217 tournaments were processed. The winners were split in three groups depending on their specialization: 21 Defenders (DE), 22 Blockers (BL) and 13 without any specialization (No Specialization - NS). The average height of winners was found to be 178.8 ± 6.1cm (min= 165 cm and max=191 cm). The one way ANOVA showed that there were significant differences (F(2,53)= 20.198, p<0.001) between the DE, BL and NS players. The Post Hoc Scheffe indicated significant differences between the DE (M=173.7, SD=4.9 cm) and BL (M=182.1, SD=5.2 cm), as between DE and the NS (M=181.1, SD=3.2 cm). Also, significant difference was found (F(5,60) = 12.210, p<0.001) between the DE9×9, DE8×8, BL9×9, BL8×8, NS9×9 and NS8×8. The Post Hoc Scheffe indicated significant differences (p<0.05) between the DE9×9 (M=171.8, SD=4.7 cm) and BL9×9 (M=180.0, SD=2.8 cm), as (p<0.05) between BL8×8 (M=182.9, SD=5.6 cm) and DE9×9 (M=173.7, SD=5.1 cm. Also between NS9×9 (M=179.7, SD=2.3 cm) and DE9×9. Furthermore, the independent t-test found significant difference (t(18)=2.717, p<0.05) between the 10 first blockers in victories at 8×8 m (M=182.6, SD=5.0) and 9×9 m (M=177.0, SD=4.2). Overall, when considering heights versus specializations, blockers and not specialized players were taller than defenders for both court dimensions. Moreover, the top ten blockers in 8×8 courts were taller than those in 9×9, while defenders had no statistically significant difference. Smaller court dimensions appear to have favored taller players in the FIVB top ten winning teams in Beach Volleyball due to the greatest significance of blocking. But, the importance of agility in defense favored players with such skills and was not depend on height

Drop Jumping on Sand Is Characterized by Lower Power, Higher Rate of Force Development and Larger Knee Joint Range of Motion

Plyometric training on sand is suggested to result in advanced performance in vertical jumping. However, limited information exists concerning the biomechanics of drop jumps (DJ) on sand. The purpose of the study was to compare the biomechanical parameters of DJs executed on rigid (RIGID) and sand (SAND) surface. Sixteen high level male beach-volleyball players executed DJ from 40 cm on RIGID and SAND. Force- and video-recordings were analyzed to extract the kinetic and kinematic parameters of the DJ. Results of paired-samples t-tests revealed that DJ on SAND had significantly (p &lt; 0.05) lower jumping height, peak vertical ground reaction force, power, peak leg stiffness and peak ankle flexion angular velocity than RIGID. In addition, DJ on SAND was characterized by significantly (p &lt; 0.05) larger rate of force development and knee joint flexion in the downward phase. No differences (p &gt; 0.05) were observed for the temporal parameters. The compliance of SAND decreases the efficiency of the mechanisms involved in the optimization of DJ performance. Nevertheless, SAND comprises an exercise surface with less loading during the eccentric phase of the DJ, thus it can be considered as a surface that can offer injury prevention under demands for large energy expenditure

The influence of analogies on the development of selective attention in novices in normal or stressful conditions

The effect of explicit, implicit, and analogy learning methods on developing selective attention skills in young novice participants was examined under normal and stressful conditions. The 60 novice participants, aged 11-12 years old, followed a video simulation intervention program of 12 sessions (3 times * 4 weeks). They were tested four times (pre-test, post-test, retention, and stress test) to evaluate their reaction time and accuracy in selective attention skills. The differences among the groups and the measurements were analysed using a two-way mixed factorial ANOVA (4 groups * 4 measurements), and post-hoc Bonferroni evaluated significant differences among the groups. The results showed that all three experimental groups improved their performance in response reaction time and accuracy from the pre-test to the post-test and maintained their scores on the retention test. However, the analogy group had the best scores, followed by the implicit group, and they were both better than the explicit group. According to the stress test, the analogy and the implicit group remained unaffected while the explicit group showed a decrease in both reaction time and accuracy. Training by analogy was more effective in improving selective attention in novices in both normal and stressful conditions. Analogy learners probably developed an advanced mechanism that allowed them to quickly and accurately select the most useful information from the sport setting even in stressful conditions. This research highlights the advantages of simulation techniques; future research may assess selective attention in real conditions

The effect of rule changes for the scoring system on the duration of the beach volleyball game

La fédération internationale de volleyball a changé les règles de scoring du beach volley pour stabiliser la durée des matches, notamment pour faciliter la programmation des retransmissions télévisée