Global Position Analysis during Official Elite Female Beach Volleyball Competition: A Pilot Study

Paulo Vicente João,Maria Paula Mota,Henrique Ortigão,Mike Lee,Alexandre Medeiros

doi:10.3390/app11209382

Abstract

The aim of this study was to quantify the physical demands of female beach volleyball competition with reference to player position, set, and match outcome. Twelve professional players were equipped with a 10 Hz GPS device (Minimax S4, Catapult Sports, Australia). Data collection occurred over 30 official matches, with a total of 50 sets. GPS output variables were related to position (e.g., Defenders and Blockers). Differences between players’ positions were found in Peak Player Load, the distance covered at different intensities, and acceleration and deceleration. Variations during the match were more pronounced for Defenders than for Blockers, with the former increasing the intensity of acceleration and deceleration, and decreasing the velocity of displacements and lower jumps. For Blockers, main variations occurred between the first and second set, with a reduction in velocity displacements and an increase in the intensity of jumps. Defender variables that contributed to victory were high deceleration, velocity, acceleration, and Peak Player Load. The characteristics of Blockers that contributed to victory were maximum velocity and high jumps. Female beach volleyball players seem to have different physiological requirements according to their position. The analysis of these variations throughout the game suggests that a specific player’s position output may be determined by proper and/or opponent tactical schemes.

Highlights

Most of the findings revealed that beach volleyball (BV) is performed intermittently, with brief bouts of high-intensity exercise interspersed by low-intensity periods [10]
In relation to Effect Size (ES) values, the comparisons were small in almost all variables, which mean that the difference is negligible, even if it is statistically significant
Our results support the idea that medium and high acceleration, and high deceleration, are the Blocker variables that most likely lead to defeat, while maximal velocity and high jumps contribute to victory

Summary

Introduction

Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. The popularity of beach volleyball (BV) has increased. Researchers have been conducting research on the factors that affect athletes’ performance and match outcomes. Some important studies have contributed to the increase in the knowledge of the physiological response [1,2], technical and tactical aspects [3], training load [4,5,6], and match analysis of BV [7,8,9]. Most of the findings revealed that BV is performed intermittently, with brief bouts of high-intensity exercise interspersed by low-intensity periods [10]

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Methods

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Discussion

Conclusion