Development of a Repeated-Effort Test for Elite Men’s Volleyball
in International Journal of Sports Physiology and PerformanceClick name to view affiliation
Purpose:
The authors conducted a study to develop a repeated-effort test for international men’s volleyball. The test involved jumping and movement activity that was specific to volleyball, using durations and rest periods that replicated the demands of a match.
Methods:
A time–motion analysis was performed on a national team and development national team during international matches to determine the demands of competition and thereby form the basis of the rationale in designing the repeated-effort test. An evaluation of the test for reliability and validity in discriminating between elite and sub-elite players was performed.
Results:
The test jump height and movement-speed test parameters were highly reliable, with findings of high intraclass correlations (ICCs) and low typical errors of measurement (TE; ICC .93 to .95 and %TE 0.54 to 2.44). The national team’s ideal and actual jump height and ideal and actual speeds, mean ± SD, were 336.88 ± 8.31 cm, 329.91 ± 6.70 cm, 6.83 ± 0.34 s, and 7.14 ± 0.34 s, respectively. The development national team’s ideal and actual jump heights and ideal and actual speeds were 330.88 ± 9.09 cm, 323.80 ± 7.74 cm, 7.41 ± 0.56 s, and 7.66 ± 0.56 s, respectively. Probabilities of differences between groups for ideal jump, actual jump, ideal time, and actual time were 82%, 95%, 92%, and 96%, respectively, with a Cohen effect-size statistic supporting large magnitudes (0.69, 0.84, 1.34, and 1.13, respectively).
Conclusion:
The results of this study demonstrate that the developed test offers a reliable and valid method of assessing repeated-effort ability in volleyball players.
Sheppard, Taylor, Dorman, Libidew, and Borgeaud are with the Australian Institute of Sport, PO Box 176, Belconnen, ACT 2616 Australia. Gabbett is with Queensland Academy of Sport, Sunnybank, QLD 4109, Australia.
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