The aim of this investigation was to establish the criteria of service, reception and set that determine setting efficacy in world-class top-level volleyball. The study sample consisted of 4.113 gaming actions (1.371 serve actions, 1.371 reception actions, and 1.371 set actions), corresponding to the observation of four matches for each of the 12 best ranked teams in the Volleyball World Championship - a total of 23 matches. The criteria were: in-game role of the server, serve zone, type of serve, striking technique and serve direction; receiver player, reception zone, and reception efficacy; setting zone, type of set, setting technique, setting efficacy, a set’s area, and set tempo. Multinomial logistic regression showed that criteria related to reception (reception efficacy) and to set (setting zone, type of set, a set’s area, and set tempo) determined set efficacy. Specifically, positive and negative receptions and settings from acceptable and non-acceptable zones reduced perfect setting. In contrast, the jump set toward zones three and six and the first and second tempo increased perfect setting. Serve criteria did not determine set efficacy. This study can guide trainers and players in the training process.

Over the past few decades there has been great interest in the study of cognitive processes, and specifically decision-making, from a cognitive perspective. The aim of the present study was to systematically review the scientific literature on the effect of decision training interventions/programs, from a cognitive perspective, on the decision-making of volleyball players. The systematic search was carried out in five scientific electronic databases according to PRISMA guidelines Web of Science (WOS), Pubmed (Medline), Scopus, SportDiscus and Google Scholar. A total of eight studies met the inclusion criteria. The main finding of the meta-analysis was that the use of decision-making training programs/interventions led to significant improvements in volleyball players’ decision-making (Standardized mean difference = 0.94 with 95% confidence interval from 0.63 to 1.25), compared to normal active volleyball training. In addition, the heterogeneity of the interventions was low (I² = 0%). From the results of the studies analyzed, we recommend using decisional interventions or training, both as part of normal active training or complementary to it, to improve the decision-making of the players, thus optimizing their ability to perceive and process relevant stimuli, and then generate quick and effective responses. These findings can be useful in the process of sports training.

Match analysis is a topic of current interest in sports science. It is widely used across a range of different sports and has, in the process, demonstrated a number of different performance indicators. For sports coaches, match analysis is perhaps one of the most important tools for analysing games and extracting valuable information about their own and opposing teams. However, despite the usability of this tool, little is known about how information obtained from game analyses affects the planning of training, the setting of goals and the choice of strategic approach by coaches. It is therefore necessary to conduct case studies which evaluate the usefulness of match analysis in an applied context such as high-level sport. This review has two main goals: (1) To provide an overview of empirical studies of match analysis in Volleyball; and (2) to attempt to demonstrate the benefits of using match analysis as a support tool for sports training, and the need to develop studies which analyse the use of this tool and its influence on high-level training processes.

The main objective of this study was to analyse the variables that predicted setting efficacy in complex I (KI) in volleyball, in formative categories and depending on gender. The study sample was comprised of 5842 game actions carried out by the 16 male category and the 18 female category teams that participated in the Under-16 Spanish Championship. The dependent variable was setting efficacy. The independent variables were grouped into: serve variables (a serve zone, the type of serve, striking technique, an in-game role of the server and serve direction), reception variables (a reception zone, a receiver player and reception efficacy) and setting variables (a setter‘s position, a setting zone, the type of a set, setting technique, a set’s area and tempo of a set). Multinomial logistic regression showed that the best predictive variables of setting efficacy, both in female and male categories, were reception efficacy, setting technique and tempo of a set. In the male category, the jump serve was the greatest predictor of setting efficacy, while in the female category, it was the set’s area. Therefore, in the male category, it was not only the preceding action that affected setting efficacy, but also the serve. On the contrary, in the female category, only variables of the action itself and of the previous action, reception, affected setting efficacy. The results obtained in the present study should be taken into account in the training process of both male and female volleyball players in formative stages.

The main objective of this research study was to analyse, in volleyball, the prediction level of different serve variables on its efficacy. The sample was comprised of 2038 serve actions, corresponding to 36 female teams participating in the Spanish Championship female in 2010 in the Under-14 and Under-16 categories. The independent variables were: serve zone, serve type, striking technique, in-game role of the server, reception zone, receiver player and serve direction. The dependent variable was serve efficacy. The multinomial logistic regression applied showed that all the variables considered in the study, except for serve direction and striking technique, predicted the efficacy of serve. The probability of increasing serve efficacy was achieved through: executing standing serves, serving to the space between players and serve reception by players other than the libero. These results can guide coaches in volleyball player training processes, with respect to the serve action.

The objective of this study was to determine the variables that predicted serve efficacy in elite men’s volleyball, in sets with different quality of opposition. 3292 serve actions were analysed, of which 2254 were carried out in high quality of opposition sets and 1038 actions were in low quality of opposition sets, corresponding to a total of 24 matches played during the Men’s European Volleyball Championships held in 2011. The independent variables considered in this study were the serve zone, serve type, serving player, serve direction, reception zone, receiving player and reception type; the dependent variable was serve efficacy and the situational variable was quality of opposition sets. The variables that acted as predictors in both high and low quality of opposition sets were the serving player, reception zone and reception type. The serve type variable only acted as a predictor in high quality of opposition sets, while the serve zone variable only acted as a predictor in low quality of opposition sets. These results may provide important guidance in men’s volleyball training processes.