Relationships between motor abilities and volleyball performance skills in 15-year-old talent-identified volleyball players

Abstract

The aim of this study is to determine synergistic motor outcomes understood as sets of mutually dependent players’ motor abilities affecting the efficacy of performance skills of young volleyball players. The study was carried out during a national volleyball tournament for 150 boys aged 14-15 years. The matches were recorded with two cameras placed 10 m behind the end line, 1.6 m above the floor. The following parameters were assessed: attack efficacy, block efficacy, serve efficacy. The first dependent variables were players' actions that most significantly affected the set outcome, i.e. serves, blocks and attacks. The greatest differences were found among players' serve results, where – with the exception of ineffective serves – the index of variability ranged from v = 67.14 (counter-effective serve) to v = 80.23 (effective serve). The study showed that serving and attacking effectiveness is directly determined by standing jumping ability, while blocking efficacy is affected by the height of the running vertical jump.