Introduction. Longitudinal volleyball training stimuli can cause an increase in muscle strength that is brought about by neurological and morphological adaptations, such as changes in muscle fibre composition percentage and cross-sectional area (CSA). Aim of Study. The aim of this study was to examine the biological adaptations of volleyball-players in terms of muscle fiber type composition, cross-sectional area, myonuclei and satellite cell pool in comparison to physically active controls. Material and Methods. Ten professional volleyball-players (VG) and five physically active-persons (CG) participated in this study. Muscle biopsies were obtained from the vastus-lateralis of the dominant leg. Results. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that although MHC I and MHC IIC muscle fibre distribution was not different between the groups, MHC IIX and MHC IIAX were totally absent in VG and appeared only in the CG. The cross-sectional area revealed a slightly different pattern as both MHC I and IIA were larger for the volleyball players. In accordance, MHC II myonuclei number was moderately larger in the volleyball players, while the satellite cells and their ratio to number of fibres had a large and very large difference, respectively. Conclusions. In conclusion, our study reveals that volleyball training-induced hypertrophy for both type I and II muscle fibres in the vastus lateralis of volleyball players and resulted in a specific shift in muscle fibres containing MHC II isoforms. This hypertrophy of the muscle fibres is associated with an increase in the myonuclear number and satellite cells.

The game analysis is known as a useful tool for understanding the level of technical-tactical performance of volleyball. As one of the main characteristics of volleyball is defined as the intense relationship between its skills and concluded performance, the present study aimed to perform a comprehensive analysis of the serve reception zone, set zone and attack quality of the top-level volleyball players. The analysis process included reviewing the videos of the games by an experienced scout man who was an expert analyst and specialist in the knowledge of volleyball skills. Initially, during each game video checking, data were collected, and irrelevant/invalid outputs were deleted. Data were exported to the Data Volley special volleyball analysis software. Bivariate associations were assessed for pairs of variables with Pearson’s chi-squared tests. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Moreover, the effect size was calculated in terms of Crammer’s V, with values of <0.1, 0.1-0.3 and > 0.5 for small, medium, and large effects respectively. The results showed that there were significant relationships between reception zone with setting zone, setting zone with attack quality as well as reception zone with attack quality. Coaches may consider the relationship between critical skills of volleyball to promote their team performance.

{A skilled control of postural stability is fundamental in many of the actions performed by volleyball athletes. The effectiveness in serving, forearm passing or setting the ball is affected by the athlete’s ability to control their dynamic balance. When referring to team sports, earlier studies have shown that balance and proprioception training have the potential to induce performance enhancement in selected components of physical fitness and some technical skills but only few of them focus on the field of volleyball. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of a balance and proprioception training program on dynamic balance and volleyball skills of female volleyball players aged 13-15 years. The sample is consisted by 18 participants who were divided into an experimental group (EG

In volleyball, the performance in the passing affects the setter’s strategy and the effectiveness of the attack after the reception or defense. This study aims to assess the spatial and temporal characteristics of the setting choices made by junior female volleyball setters and their performance concerning the origin of the ball and the game complex. The sample for this analysis consists of 3728 setting actions (Complex I = 1.616, Complex II = 1.212). A three-member group of experienced coaches assessed the setting zones’ choices as well as the setting tempo and the performance of junior female setters from 20 volleyball games of teams competing in the final phase of the Greek Junior Championship. The variables under consideration were complex of the game (C1 & CII), origin of the ball (left/middle/right lane for the vertical and front/centre/back lane for the horizontal axis of the court), setting zone (six zones of the court), setting tempo (1st, 2nd & 3rd tempo) and setting performance in a five-level ordinal scale. Inter-rater and intra-rater reliability coefficients were estimated using Cohen’s kappa coefficient with acceptable values. The test of independence for the categorical variables was carried out using the chisquare test. Following the overall independence test, the difference in proportions among all levels of variables was tested. Results showed that junior female setters regardless of the complex and the origin of the ball choose zone 4 in a 3rd tempo, performed in a moderate and good setting. However, the origin of the ball was an important variable for the subsequent setting. The most preferable route of the ball was from a pass in the left lane of the court to an attack in zone 4 regardless of the game complex. Additionally, setters when receiving the ball from the left and middle lane of the court prefer more often zone 3 in 1st tempo, during CI than CII. The results of the study will give useful directions to the coaches of the specific age category regarding the creation of appropriate training programs for the individual improvement of the setters and teams.

In volleyball outside hitters have wide participation in the offensive game. This study aims to analyze the variables that predict attack effectiveness in top-level volleyball depending on gender. ...