Effect of changes in the net height, court size, and serve limitations on technical-tactical, physical, and psychological aspects of U-14 female volleyball matches

Jose M Palao; Aurelio Ureña; Maria P Moreno; Enrique Ortega-Toro

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1341297

Effect of changes in the net height, court size, and serve limitations on technical-tactical, physical, and psychological aspects of U-14 female volleyball matches

Front Psychol. 2024 Jan 10:14:1341297. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1341297. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Jose M Palao^{1

2}, Aurelio Ureña^{2

3}, Maria P Moreno^{2

3}, Enrique Ortega-Toro^{2

4}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Health, Kinesiology and Sport Management, University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Kenosha, WI, United States.
² Sports Performance Analysis Association, SPAA, Faculty of Sports Sciences, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.
³ Department of Physical and Sports Education, Faculty of Sports Sciences, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
⁴ Faculty of Sport Science, Regional Campus of International Excellence "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.

Abstract

Introduction: The objective was to analyze the effect of a reduction of the net height and the court size and serve limitations on the technical-tactical actions, physical actions, and psychological aspects in youth volleyball players.

Methods: The sample was 29 under-14 female volleyball players (three regional club teams). A quasi-experimental design was implemented to assess the effect of modification in three tournaments. The independent variables were: a) official rules tournament (no changes in the rules), b) Experimental Tournament 1 (reduction in the net height from 2.10 m to 2 m, no jump serves, and a maximum of two serves per player and rotation), and c) Experimental Tournament 2 (reduction in net height from 2.10 m to 2 m, reduction in court size from 9 × 9 m to 8 × 8 m, no jump serves, and a maximum of two serves per player and rotation). The dependent variables were: ball contact done (type), quality and efficacy of the technical actions, team game phases occurrence, quality and efficacy, continuity index, number of jumps, player's jump load in the take-off and landing, number of hits, average heart rate, Rate of Perceived Effort, time between ball contacts, serve velocity, perceived individual and collective self-efficacy, perceived enjoyment, and perceived satisfaction.

Results: Experimental Tournament 1 involved an increase in the efficacy of serves and a decrease in the efficacy of side-out phases. The imbalance between serve and reception did not impact game continuity but reduced the attack and blocks. Experimental Tournament 2 involved a decrease in the efficacy of serves and an increase in the efficacy of side-out phases. The balance between serve and reception increased reception efficacy, the occurrence of attacks and blocks, game continuity, and players' effort. players' effort.

Discussion: Scaling the net and court and adapting the serve rules (Experimental Tournament 2) resulted in game dynamics for these U-12 teams that were more similar to those of posterior stages of player through the balance between serve and reception and the adaptation of the net height and court size.

Keywords: competition rules; constraints; development; scaling; team sport; youth.

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This study was financed by Agencia Estatal de Investigación of the Spanish Government (PID2019-105897GB-I00/AEI/10.13039/501100011033).