Performance of Male and Female Top-level Outside Hitters Regarding the Spatiotemporal Characteristics of the Volleyball Spike

Abstract

The present study aimed to analyze the attack effectiveness of top-level outside hitters regarding spatiotemporal parameters, such as the volleyball complex, the position of the setter, the type of opponent block, the tempo and the zone of attack. A three-member team of experienced coaches recorded and assessed 1968 attacks of male (N=800) and female (N=1168) outside hitters from 20 volleyball matches (M=10; W=10) of the six top-ranked teams in Men and Women 2018 World Championships. The assessment was based on a five-level ordinal tactical scale. The test of independence for categorical variables was carried out using χ2 test and Fisher’s exact test. A follow-up correspondence analysis was applied to visualize the entries in the table of relative frequencies. The analysis revealed that male outside hitters were more effective than female in a) the complexes I and II, b) the offensive actions from zones 4 and 6, c) the 2nd fast attack tempo, d) either the setter was in the offensive or defensive line, e) when facing single or double block. Nevertheless, female outside hitters performed fewer unforced errors than male in a) the complex I, b) spikes from zone 4, c) 3rd attack tempo, d) when the setter was on the defensive line and d) the offensive actions facing double block. Finally, the male outside hitters who played according to line-up positions either near the setter (OH1), neither the away from the setter (OH2) were more effective than the female outside hitters but OH1 performed more frequent unforced errors. These findings can lead volleyball coaches to develop specified training plans to improve the performance of outside hitters of both genders.