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The aim of this review is to summarize the current scientific knowledge about acceleration and deceleration demands during football training.A systematic search of three electronic databases (PubMed, SPORTDiscus, Web of Science) was performed to identify peer-reviewed relevant English-language articles, following PRISMA guidelines.All acceleration and deceleration data were analyzed and organized into four categories: i) training drills variables (i.e. manipulated drills variables such as number of players in small-sided games), ii) training exercises (i.e. different drills such small games or circuit training), iii) players' positions (i.e. demands for each playing position) and iv) training schedule (i.e. training sessions presented as microcycles, season sections or full season). Full-text articles of 42 studies were included in the final analysis. Players' level included: amateur, youth, semi-professional, professional and elite players. All playing positions were considered, including goalkeepers. Six different global position systems brands were used, with the majority measuring data at 10 Hz. Different thresholds and intensities were used in several papers. Lower acceleration and deceleration intensities occurred more often than higher intensities in all four categories.Different exercises elicit different demands and small-sided games presented higher acceleration and deceleration demands than circuit training and other running based drills. Furthermore, manipulating drills variables, as reducing or increasing number of players in small-sided games increase or decrease demands, respectively. Additionally, wide playing positions, such as fullbacks, are generally exposed to higher acceleration and deceleration demands. From a planning point of view, acceleration and deceleration demands decrease as match day approaches.

Fußball wird mit zwei Mannschaften gespielt, wobei die Spieler direkt, indirekt und gleichzeitig interagieren, um ein Ziel zu erreichen, das das Erzielen von Toren beinhaltet, während gleichzeitig verhindert wird, dass der Gegner ein Tor schießt (Gréhaigne et al., 1997; Zaccaro et al., 2001). In diesem Sinne setzt sich der Fußball aus Individuen zusammen, die ihre Bewegungen koordinieren und kooperative Beziehungen entwickeln, um dem Gegner überlegen zu sein (Duarte et al., 2012). published

Os testes de hipótese nula são amplamente empregados para análise de dados na área de ciência do esporte. Porém, a aplicação desse método tem sido amplamente questionada na comunidade científica. De fato, esse tipo de análise não permite uma interpretação prática das mudanças observadas ao longo do tempo. Por conta disso, o cálculo da “inferência baseada em magnitude” (IBM) vem sendo cada vez mais utilizado por pesquisadores e analistas de desempenho. Em uma perspectiva aplicada, a IBM permite avaliar a probabilidade de se encontrar diferenças relevantes (i.e., meaningful differences) nas variáveis investigadas. Da mesma forma, a IBM permite examinar com precisão as variações individuais e importantes no desempenho esportivo. O objetivo desse ponto de vista é apresentar a aplicação da IBM a partir das análises individuais. Para tanto o trabalho aborda os seguintes temas: 1) utilização da análise de dados no “mundo real”; 2) inferência baseada em magnitude: conceitos básicos; 3) aplicando a IBM no contexto do esporte; 4) classificações qualitativas com base nas mudanças observadas; 5) análise e interpretação dos dados. Esperamos que o conteúdo apresentado auxilie pesquisadores e profissionais do esporte na implementação desse novo método de análise em suas rotinas diárias e, ao mesmo tempo, lhes auxilie na interpretação dos dados provenientes das avaliações e testes de desempenho.

As investigações em ciências do esporte sustentam-se frequentemente em inferências baseadas na declaração de um valor estatisticamente significativo, ou não significativo, com base no valor de p que deriva dos testes de hipótese nula. Considerando que os estudos são iminentemente amostrais, o recurso aos testes de hipótese nula apenas possibilita estimar os valores verdadeiros (população) das estatísticas utilizadas. Contudo, tem crescido a evidência, em diversas áreas do conhecimento, de que esta abordagem origina frequentemente interpretações confusas e até erradas7. Para ultrapassar esta limitação têm surgido recentemente recomendações no sentido de sustentar as análises estatísticas com abordagens que recorram a interpretações mais intuitivas e mais práticas, baseadas sobretudo nas magnitudes (certezas/incertezas) dos valores verdadeiros encontrados. Com o intento de fornecer pistas alternativas aos desenhos metodológicos recorrentemente utilizados na investigação em ciências do esporte, neste trabalho procuraremos i) enunciar sucintamente algumas das fragilidades associadas aos testes de hipótese nula sustentados no valor de p; ii) refletir sobre as implicações da utilização da significância prática/clínica em oposição à significância estatística; iii) apresentar propostas de utilização das técnicas de inferências baseadas na magnitude, particularmente na visualização e interpretação dos resultados; iv) apresentar as principais limitações do uso das inferências baseadas em magnitudes. Assim, neste artigo de atualização desencoraja-se, de forma sustentada e fundamentada, o uso dos testes de significância baseados apenas no conceito de hipótese nula. Em alternativa, propõe-se a utilização de métodos de inferências baseados em magnitudes por possibilitarem interpretações dos efeitos práticos/clínicos dos resultados obtidos.

En este estudio se ha pretendido estudiar la ventaja en casa en el Voleibol de alto rendimiento, apoyándonos en las estadísticas de los partidos que más pueden explicar ese fenómeno. Se han analizado 65.949 acciones de juego seleccionadas de la Liga Mundial 2005. El instrumento de observación que se ha elaborado es una combinación de formato de campo con sistemas de categorías. Los datos se han obtenido mediante el "Volleyball Information System" y se han analizado mediante la prueba t de Student, y la prueba ji-cuadrado. Los resultados demuestran que hay ventaja en casa en Voleibol (57,5% de victorias jugando en casa). Las estadísticas del ataque (t= 2.49, p = 0.01), del servicio (t= -2.18, p= 0.03), de la recepción (t= 16.74, p

Performance in team sports is the result of a dynamic and interactive process between two opposing teams. The aim of this study was to examine the performance of volleyball players executing terminal actions (i.e. serve, attack, block and counter-attack) in terms of match quality. Three hundred and seven sets were selected randomly from U14s up to Olympic level and analysed according to type of match: balanced (strong vs. strong, and weak vs. weak teams) and unbalanced matches (strong vs. weak). The variables analysed were: competition category, frequency of use and coefficient of efficacy for each technical?tactical action, and way of execution in terms of match quality. A K-means cluster analysis was performed to divide teams into two groups according to quality (stronger or weaker teams). The change between the types of match was estimated by means of effect size at 90% confidence intervals. Few and small differences between balanced and unbalanced matches were found. Most changes were related to play style, and happened in balanced matches and in initial age categories. The findings may be useful for coaches, physical trainers and match analysts when evaluating team performance and designing plans according to competition demands and players? stages of development.

To prepare their teams for upcoming matches, analysts in professional soccer watch and manually annotate up to three matches a day. When annotating matches, domain experts try to identify and improve suboptimal movements based on intuition and professional experience. The high amount of matches needing to be analysed manually result in a tedious and time-consuming process, and results may be subjective. We propose an automatic approach for the realisation of effective region-based what-if analyses in soccer. Our system covers the automatic detection of region-based faulty movement behaviour, as well as the automatic suggestion of possible improved alternative movements. As we show, our approach effectively supports analysts and coaches investigating matches by speeding up previously time-consuming work. We enable domain experts to include their domain knowledge in the analysis process by allowing to interactively adjust suggested improved movement, as well as its implications on region control. We demonstrate the usefulness of our proposed approach via an expert study with three invited domain experts, one being head coach from the first Austrian soccer league. As our results show that experts most often agree with the suggested player movement (83%), our proposed approach enhances the analytical capabilities in soccer and supports a more efficient analysis. published

The present article aims to review the available literature on match analysis in adult male Volleyball. Specific key words "performance analysis", "match analysis", "game analysis", "notational analysis", "tactical analysis", "technical analysis", "outcome" and "skills" were used to search relevant databases (PubMed, Web of Science, SportDiscus, Academic Search Complete and the International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport). The research was conducted according to PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta analyses) guidelines. Of 3407 studies initially identified, only 34 were fully reviewed, and their outcome measures extracted and analyzed. Studies that fit all inclusion criteria were organized into two levels of analysis, according to their research design (comparative or predictive) and depending on the type of variables analyzed (skills and their relationship with success, play position and match phase). Results show that from a methodological point of view, comparative studies where currently complemented with some predictive studies. This predictive approach emerged with the aim to identify the relationship between variables, considering their possible interactions and consequently its effect on team performance, contributing to a better understanding of Volleyball game performance through match analysis. Taking into account the limitations of the reviewed studies, future research should provide comprehensive operational definitions for the studied variables, using more recent samples, and consider integrating the player positions and match phase contexts into the analysis of Volleyball.

Optimizing collective behaviour helps to increase performance in mutual tasks. In team sports settings, the small-sided games (SSG) have been used as key context tools to stress out the players' awareness about their in-game required behaviours. Research has mostly described these behaviours when confronting teams have the same number of players, disregarding the frequent situations of low and high inequality. This study compared the players' positioning dynamics when manipulating the number of opponents and teammates during professional and amateur football SSG. The participants played 4v3, 4v5 and 4v7 games, where one team was confronted with low-superiority, low- and high-inferiority situations, and their opponents with low-, medium- and high-cooperation situations. Positional data were used to calculate effective playing space and distances from each player to team centroid, opponent team centroid and nearest opponent. Outcomes suggested that increasing the number of opponents in professional teams resulted in moderate/large decrease in approximate entropy (ApEn) values to both distance to team and opponent team centroid (i.e., the variables present higher regularity/predictability pattern). In low-cooperation game scenarios, the ApEn in amateurs' tactical variables presented a moderate/large increase. The professional teams presented an increase in the distance to nearest opponent with the increase of the cooperation level. Increasing the number of opponents was effective to overemphasise the need to use local information in the positioning decision-making process from professionals. Conversely, amateur still rely on external informational feedback. Increasing the cooperation promoted more regularity in spatial organisation in amateurs and emphasise their players' local perceptions.

Collective behavior is a hallmark of every living system and utilizing methods from statistical physics (such as correlation functions) could aid in our understanding of their underlying rules. We analyzed five football (soccer) matches as this game provides a unique but yet mostly unexplored example to study a system of collective cooperation and competition. The aim of our study was to analyze the collective motion patterns exhibited by football players to unfold the underlying coordination among them in order to understand collective strategies associated with team performance. By analyzing pairwise relationships among all the players using spatio-temporal correlation functions we reveal that there exist identifiable collective dynamics that characterize winning and losing teams. Using our metric we find clear and robust differences between the players, indicating a difference in their behavior and their interactions. And this enables us to assign a unique behavioral pattern - a ‘fingerprint’ - for each individual and for each team. Furthermore, we reveal there exists a relationship between the market value of the players and the metrics introduced here, suggesting that these metrics could potentially serve as valuable performance indicators in the future, with applications ranging from talent identification to player scouting. In a broader context team sports could open up new directions for quantitative analyses of human collective behavior.

The purpose of this study was to identify and classify the distribution of rally length in high-level men’s volleyball, considering the set’s characteristics (set number, set type, set status on th...

The aim of the present study was to analyse the Japanese National Women’s Volleyball Team and to identify items differentiating it from other teams. All fifteen matches between the six National Teams (i.e., Japan, Brazil, China, Belgium, Turkey and Russia) competing at the Women’s Volleyball World Grand Prix Finals of 2014 were analyzed, in a total of 56 sets and 7,176 situations of ball possession. Data suggested the existence of differences between Japan’s and the other five teams’ gameplay, namely the likelihood of more gameplay with utilization of the float jump serve (20.42; ± 3.79%, very large magnitude) and attack tempo 2 (61.89; ± 29.67%, large magnitude), while exhibiting less gameplay with zero blockers opposing the attack (-42.06; ± 21.28%, large magnitude). Based on these findings, it was concluded that sports success could be achieved even when a core feature of mainstream performance models (e.g., height in volleyball) was lacking.

Success in soccer is much dependent on how players and teams create and restrict space and time. In match situations, players constitute small sub-groups to improve their collective synchronization and achievement of specific goals. This study aimed to identify changes in the effective playing space (EPS, defined as the smallest polygonal area delimited by the peripheral outfield players) when considering sub-groups of 3 to 10 players. Twenty outfield professional players participated in this study. The EPS, its regularity pattern (measured by the approximate entropy), coefficient of variation and players’ mean speed were calculated for sub-groups of 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 players, considering the smallest inter-player distance as the criterion. The EPS presented a most likely increase with a higher number of players, especially considering the transition from 3 to 4 players (~440% of variation, very large). As the EPS increased with the number of players, the correspondent regularity presented a trend of a most likely increase (from EPS3 vs. EPS4: ~25%, very large; to EPS9 vs. EPS10: ~11%, moderate). The mean speed results suggest that players may achieve different states of collective coordination, mainly between ~6 to 8 km.h-1. Overall, three different match scenarios should require additional attention when aiming to design more match transferable tasks: i) transition from EPS3 to EPS4; ii) transition from EPS4 up to EPS8; and iii) transition from EPS8 to EPS9. These results help to understand match self-organized behaviours and, consequently, allow to optimize task characteristics in practice sessions.

The aim of the present study was to assess effects of technique of execution, age and player’s role on serve and attack efficacy. A total of 1.100 serves and 1.165 attacks from under-19, 927 serves and 1.015 attacks from under-21, and 1.564 serves and 1.854 attacks from senior were assessed through video match analysis. Techniques considered for serve were standing serve (SS), jump serve (JS) and float jump serve (FJS); and for attacks were spike and shot. All players were analysed according to their role (defenders or blockers). Results showed that defenders in under-19 and under-21 had better efficacy using SS and FJS, while in senior category the best efficacy was obtained through JS and FJS. Blockers had better efficacy using SS and FJS in all categories. The attack efficacy seems to be independent of player role, although it is related to technique and age. While in senior category attack efficacy was similar using spike and shot, in younger categories it was slightly higher when using spike. This st...

This study aimed to assess the effects of age groups and players’ role (blocker vs. defender specialist) in beach volleyball in relation to physical and temporal variables, considering quality of opposition. 1101 rallies from Under 19 (U19), 933 rallies from Under 21 (U21), and 1480 rallies from senior (senior) (Men’s Swatch World Championships, 2010-2011) were observed using video match analysis. Cluster analysis was used to set teams’ competitive levels and establish quality of opposition as “balanced”, “moderate balanced” and “unbalanced” games. The analyzed variables were: temporal (duration of set, total rest time, total work time, duration of rallies, rest time between rallies) and physical (number of jumps and number of hits done by defenders and blockers) characteristics. A one-way ANOVA, independent samples t-test and multinomial logistic regression were performed to analyze the variables studied. The analysis of temporal and physical characteristics showed differences considering age group, player’s role and quality of opposition. The duration of set, total rest time, and number of jumps done by defenders significantly increased from the U19 to senior category. Multinomial logistic regression showed that in: a) balanced games, rest time between rallies was higher in seniors than in U19 or U21; number of jumps done by defenders was higher in seniors than in U19) and U21; b) moderate balanced games, number of jumps done by defenders was higher in seniors than in U21 and number of jumps done by blockers was smaller in U19 than U21 or seniors; c) unbalanced games, no significant findings were shown. This study suggests differences in players’ performances according to age group and players’ role in different qualities of opposition. The article provides reference values that can be useful to guide training and create scenarios that resemble a competition, taking into account physical and temporal characteristics.

This study aimed to compare beach volleyball performance indicators between winning and losing teams in different age groups. Game actions from the 2010 to 2011 Men’s World Championships were observed using video match analysis (6095 from under-19, 5138 from under-21 and 8705 from senior matches). Variables assessed were: number of points won in each complex of the game, number of points and errors by game action (serve, attack in side-out, attack in counterattack, block and other errors); and performance coefficient of game actions (serve, reception, set in side-out, set in counterattack, attack in side-out, attack in counterattack, block and dig). Practical significance of data was analysed using magnitude-based inferences. Results have showed similar patterns in the three age groups. There were differences in the game profile according to the game result and age group. Winning teams scored more points in counterattack: points from the opponent’s attack errors, counterattack points, block points and points from other errors. The article provides new insights to beach volleyball coaches and performance analysts, emphasising the need to consider the interaction between different performance indicators, both in training process and match analysis in beach volleyball.

The aim of this study was to assess the effects of quality of opposition and match status on technical and tactical volleyball performances, as measured by block, attack, serve, and set actions related to the tasks, space, players, and efficacy of selected game actions. Twenty-five matches from the men's World Cup 2007 were notated and through cluster analysis were classified as "high" (HIGH), "intermediate" (INT) or "low" (LOW) quality. The difference between points scored and points allowed was used to define match status. Multinomial logistic regression identified an association of match status with: set direction (likelihood ratio test [LRT] = 15.5, P = 0.017) and block typology (LRT = 9.6, P = 0.047) in HIGH vs. HIGH matches; attack player (LRT = 17.4, P = 0.026) and block typology (LRT = 9.2, P = 0.010) in LOW vs. LOW matches; and serve type (LRT = 17.4, P = 0.002), block strategy (LRT = 53.7, P 0.001), and serve efficacy (LRT = 26.0, P = 0.001) in HIGH vs. LOW matches. Results suggest that volleyball teams took more risky decisions in unbalanced situations. They also carried less risk through technical and tactical decisions in balanced and moderate situations whether they had the advantage or not. Therefore, strategic behaviour was affected by the interaction of quality of opposition and match status, providing a better understanding of volleyball game performance and new insights for practice, competition, and research.

The purpose of this study was to analyze some block constraints in Elite Male Volleyball. So, were established the relationship between: (i) blocking system and block effectiveness; (ii) blocking system and block opposition; (iii) block effectiveness and set outcome. There were analyzed 4351 sequences, corresponding to 97 sets, of twelve men’s national teams participating in Final Phase of World Cup 2007. The chi-square with adjusted residual to test the association between the variables was applied. For reliability, results showed percentages of agreement above 80%. The results showed a significant relationship between block effectiveness and blocking system. The man-to-man blocking system increase the occurrence of block-out and block continuity 2 and reduce the occurrence of block continuity 3 and block point; the zone-blocking system increases the occurrence of block point and reduces the occurrences of block-out. Moreover a significant relationship between blocking system and the numbers of blockers ...

The purpose of this paper was to study performance levels in scoring skills in the Volleyball World League 2005, and to relate the results to the teams’ final ranking in the tournament. The sample consisted in 33745 actions, distributed by serve (n=12434), block (n=7200), and spike (n=14111), having been recorded during 72 World League 2005 matches. Both absolute (number of successful and unsuccessful executions) and relative (coefficient of performance, percentage of successful executions and percentage of unsuccessful executions) variables have been considered for the three dimensions (spike, serve, and block). Team ranking has been calculated for each variable. Also, each team’s final ranking in the tournament has been considered. The results permit us to conclude that the spike is the best indicator of success in high level volleyball, but only when considering relative measures. Simultaneously, the number of block points per game proved to be a good indicator of success in volleyball. Finally, the nu...

This study evaluated tendencies towards flexibility/stability of coordinated behaviours in international futsal teams, considered as complex collective systems, according to changes in opposition defensive formations. Six games of two international futsal teams (Spain and Portugal) were selected for Social Network Analysis to capture the coordination tendencies that emerge in the tactical behaviours of players when performing against different defensive formations. Ball trajectories in each offensive pattern of play were notated in an adjacency matrix where each entry accounted for the linkages between 12 spatial field areas. Each offensive play was coded according to the defensive formation of an opposing team (i.e. conservative or risky formation). Results revealed similar network properties between teams when competing against more risky defensive formations, while notable differences were observed against conservative defences. Effect of defensive formation of opponents on macro network properties was observed in both the Portuguese and Spanish teams. At a meso-level, only the Spanish national team exhibited notable changes, suggesting a greater level of adaptability to unfolding performance events. The observed flexibility in tactical behaviours of the Spanish team appeared to express their greater expertise levels.

The purpose of this study was to determine the internal (heart rate) and external load (body load, distance covered, and exertion index) during different types of unbalanced soccer small-sided games (SSGs) in professional (PRO) and amateur (AMA) players. In 2 separated sessions (PRO and AMA), participants played 3 SSG formats (4vs3, 4vs5, and 4v7). Data were analyzed from the fixed team's perspective (4vsX) according to the number of opponents (3, 5 and 7) and from the variable team (3 + Xvs4) according to the teammates (without teammates, 2 and 4 teammates). The time-motion and body impact data were collected using a nondifferential global positioning system with integrated heart rate measurement. Differences in internal and external workload between the game formats were compared using Cohen's dunb effect sizes with 95% confidence intervals. Results reveal that the higher the number of players involved in the task, the lower the internal and external workload. The analysis also showed different teammates and opposition-related trends that need to be considered when planning and monitoring training performance. Playing in low-inferiority (4vs3 and 4vs5) had higher physiologic impact to players than the other higher unbalanced situations. This evidence was similar to both PRO and AMA players; however, the PRO presented higher physical and lower physiological responses across games. Our results suggest that coaches should consider the usage of unbalanced SSG formats to simultaneously facilitate the emergence of defensive and offensive proficient scenarios also representing opportunities to increase the practice workload.

This study aims to describe the time-motion and physiological performance profiles of footballers whose ages are under 15 (U15), under 17 (U17), and under 19 (U19) during a typical week of a competitive season. A total of 151 elite Portuguese players U15 (age 14.0 ± 0.2; n = 56), U17 (age 15.8 ± 0.4; n = 66), and U19 (age 17.8 ± 0.6; n = 19) were monitored during 33 training sessions (TSs) (U15 n = 12; U17 n = 11; and U19 n = 10 TSs). The TS data were captured at 15 Hz by global positioning systems devices and divided into post-match (session after the match), prematch (session before the match), and middle week (average of remaining sessions). The U15 middle week showed a higher number of sprints, distance covered in intermediate speed zones, and time spent above 90% HRmax, while the prematch presented a higher distance covered above 18 km · h(-1) and time spent below 75% HRmax. In U17, both prematch and post-match data presented lower values than middle-week data in most of the variables. The post-match data in U19 presented higher values of distance covered above 13 km · h(-1), body impacts above 10 G, and time spent above 85% HRmax, while middle week showed higher values in body impacts in most of the zones. In addition, the prematch data presented 35% to 100% less values than the middle-week data. Understanding the weekly workload variations according to the competition and the developmental ages of the players can contribute to optimising short- and mid-term planning.

Research on performance analysis in volleyball arose systematically in the literature in the 1990s. This chapter will present the different conceptual perspectives used to study indoor volleyball and beach volleyball performance using notational analysis, taking into account technical and tactical indicators. In this field, chronological analyses have evolved from studies applying descriptive designs to ones with an emphasis on correlation analysis. Recent research in the field of notational analysis tends to follow Thelen’s (2005) recommendations, and instead of establishing simple cause-and-effect relationships, it embraces the possibility of profuse non-linear interactions. This supports the need for an ecological approach, considering the match as a complex dynamical system. Studies on indoor volleyball have been progressing in this direction and assessing sequences of events and their timeline, as well as the context of their use. However, beach volleyball is still in the initial stages that indoor volleyball has already gone through. Likewise, studies are becoming more sophisticated in order to contribute to performance modelling, attending to the dynamics and complexity of the game. Moreover, a synthetic description of the characteristics, advantages, and limitations of some available systems that have been specifically designed for performance analysis in indoor volleyball and beach volleyball will be presented, as well as trends for future research in this field.

The main focus of this paper was to review the available literature on match analysis in adult male football. The most common research topics were identified, their methodologies described and the evolutionary tendencies of this research area systematised. A systematic review of Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) Web of Knowledge database was performed according to PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-analyses) guidelines. The following keywords were used: football and soccer, each one associated with the terms: match analysis, performance analysis, notational analysis, game analysis, tactical analysis and patterns of play. Of 2732 studies initially identified, only 53 were fully reviewed, and their outcome measures abstracted and analysed. Studies that fit all inclusion criteria were organised according to their research design as descriptive, comparative or predictive. Results showed that 10 studies focused predominantly on a description of technical, tactical and physical performance variables. From all comparative studies, the dependent variables more frequently used were "playing position" and "competitive level". Even though the literature stresses the importance of developing predictive models of sports performance, only few studies (n = 8) have focused on modelling football performance. Situational variables like game location, quality of opposing teams, match status and match half have been progressively included as object of research, since they seem to work as effective covariables of football performance. Taking into account the limitations of the reviewed studies, future research should provide comprehensive operational definitions for the studied variables, use standardised categories and description of activities and participants, and consider integrating the situational and interactional contexts into the analysis of football performance.

This study aimed to measure how the change on targets information modifies teams’ tactical behavior during football small-sided games. 20 male senior professional players divided in 4 teams of 5 players participated in the study. Each team played two small-sided games, one with 2 official targets with goalkeeper and one with 6 small targets. Positional data of each player were recorded using a 15 Hz portable GPS. The distance between the centers of gravity (CG) of both team, the stretch index and the relative stretch index were measured and differences accessed via standardized differences, coefficient intervals and meta-analysis procedures. A moderate increase on the distance between the CG of each team and a small decrease on the stretch index and on the relative stretch index from 2 targets to the 6 targets games was observed. It was also identified that pitch location affected the interaction between teams. When the game was played in lateral corridors or defensive sectors, the differences between game conditions increased. Emphasizing the information for attacking team to shoot at goal, by manipulating the number of targets constrained tactical behavior of teams. The amplification of specific information on small-sided games can help coaches to promote players and teams’ emergent adapted behaviors.

The present article aimed to perform a systematic review of the available literature in relation to the analysis of sports performance in beach volleyball from match analysis. Web of Science, SportDiscus(, PubMed, Scopus and Academic Search Complete databases were used to identify peer-reviewed published articles. The authors conducted a content analysis according to goals, variables of analysis and methods used in studies. In general, three research lines were determined: analysis of the functional dependence of the game actions and their relation with success, performance according to gender, and the effect of changing the rules on the game performance. In relation to methodology, an evolution from descriptive studies to studies of comparative nature can be seen and, more recently, there has been a focus on predictive nature. This new trend breaks with the research based on simple cause and effect relations , and focuses on the analysis of the game events, namely related to tactical-technical performance indicators, in a non-linear and interactive way, considering the game as a complex and dynamic system. The limitations of the studies analyzed show the need for further studies to in vestigate the identification of game patterns for the different game levels; integration of situational variables in the study of the performance of teams (such as match status and the quality of opposition). O objetivo deste estudo consistiu numa revisão sistemática da investigação empírica realizada sobre a performance desportiva no voleibol de praia a partir da análise do Jogo. As bases de dados Web of Science, SportDiscus(, PubMed, Scopus e AcademicSearch Complete foram utilizadas para identificar os artigos empíricos com revisão de pares publicados. Procedeu-se a uma análise de conteúdo em função dos objetivos, variáveis de análise e métodos utilizados nos estudos. Em termos gerais, emergem três linhas de investigação: a análise da dependência funcional das ações de jogo e a sua relação com o sucesso, a performance em função do sexo e o efeito da mudança das regras na performance do jogo. Ao nível metodológico, destaca-se uma evolução de estudos descritivos para comparativos e mais recentemente, um enfoque de natureza preditivo. Esta nova tendência rompe com a análise do jogo baseada em relações simples de causa e efeito e aponta para a análise dos eventos do jogo, nomeadamente, ao nível dos indicadores tático-técnicos da performance, de forma não linear e interativa, considerando o jogo como um sistema complexo e dinâmico. As limitações patentes nos estudos analisados projetaram a necessidade de se investigar no futuro: a identificação de padrões de jogo para os diferentes níveis de jogo; a integração de variáveis situacionais no estudo da performance das equipes (isto é, o resultado no momento e a qualidade de oposição).

This study aimed to assess the effects of age groups and players' role (blocker vs. defender specialist) in beach volleyball in relation to physical and temporal variables, considering quality of opposition. 1101 rallies from Under 19 (U19), 933 rallies from Under 21 (U21), and 1480 rallies from senior (senior) (Men's Swatch World Championships, 2010-2011) were observed using video match analysis. Cluster analysis was used to set teams' competitive levels and establish quality of opposition as "balanced", "moderate balanced" and "unbalanced" games. The analyzed variables were: temporal (duration of set, total rest time, total work time, duration of rallies, rest time between rallies) and physical (number of jumps and number of hits done by defenders and blockers) characteristics. A one-way ANOVA, independent samples t-test and multinomial logistic regression were performed to analyze the variables studied. The analysis of temporal and physical characteristics showed differences considering age group, player's role and quality of opposition. The duration of set, total rest time, and number of jumps done by defenders significantly increased from the U19 to senior category. Multinomial logistic regression showed that in: a) balanced games, rest time between rallies was higher in seniors than in U19 or U21; number of jumps done by defenders was higher in seniors than in U19) and U21; b) moderate balanced games, number of jumps done by defenders was higher in seniors than in U21 and number of jumps done by blockers was smaller in U19 than U21 or seniors; c) unbalanced games, no significant findings were shown. This study suggests differences in players' performances according to age group and players' role in different qualities of opposition. The article provides reference values that can be useful to guide training and create scenarios that resemble a competition, taking into account physical and temporal characteristics. Key PointsPlayer roles, quality of opposition, and competitive level of the teams influence physical and temporal characteristics, and they may be taken into consideration during the training by strength and conditioning coaches and coaches.More experienced players adopt strategies to better manage their effort and rest time between rallies.The game strategy affects the physical actions done by players (e.g. tendency to serve more to one player of the team affects the number of jumps performed by this player).

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the opponent block, i.e. the blockers starting points and the number of blockers, compared to the hitter chosen by the setter to attack in elite male volleyball competition. 4531 sequences were analyzed, corresponding to 97 sets, of 12 national male teams participating in the 2007 World Cup. In order to test the association between variables, descriptive and inferential statistics the chi-square test with analysis of the adjusted residual were used. Intra- and inter-observer reliability was assessed via the percentage error method. Results showed that the pinched block starting point and the double block final blocking action were the most recurrent ones and the opposite player (right side) was the most requested hitter. This study showed a significant association between the blockers starting points and the hitter chosen by the setter to finalize the play set. There was a downward trend in the attack from the middle hitter with pinched block and an upward trend in the attack of the opposite (right side) with mixed block (pinched zone 2). A significant association between hitter and number of blockers was also verified: middle hitters show a high tendency to attack facing individual block, opposite players (right side) usually attack vs. double block and left-side hitters usually face double and triple block. These results suggest that blockers starting points are taken in consideration by the opponent setter to create the best conditions for the hitters. Hence, the setter takes advantages of the specific features (skills and ability to score) of its hitters and the space where they perform the attack in order to create difficulties to the opponent block (i.e. middle hitters has a high trend to attack with individual block, opposite player with double block and left-side hitters with double and triple block). The present study shows that the volleyball game at the elite male level is characterized by a constant adaptation between setters options and the opponent block tactics and strategies. These trends must be considered in the training process to prepare hitters and blockers for the most common situations occurring in the competition and, therefore, to create better and more appropriated and effective solutions to the game problems.

Performance analysis is of fundamental importance to understand the factors underlying participation in top-level sports. Recently, an increased importance has been given to the preservation of the situation’s ecology, thus attempting the comprehension of game patterns through the establishment of relationships between variables of several orders. The purpose of this study was to analyse some match variables that could constraint the setter’s tactical action in high-performance women’s volleyball, as well as its outcomes. Six matches of the Women’s World Champhionships 2006 were analysed following a category system, recurring to observational methodology, namely the technique of sequential lag analysis. Attack tempo has emerged as the crucial variable of the setter’s tactical action. Patterns with closed blocks from the opponent, setting in the ideal zone with a jump set, attack simulation by the middle attacker and block anticipation, through committing strategies, tended to culminate in quick attacks. These, in turn, stimulate a debilitated block opposition. Open block formations, receptions in zones 4 and 1, setting in non-ideal zones, no simulation by the middle attacker and a non-anticipative block (read-and-react strategy) stimulated slow attacks, which, in turn, stimulated cohesive block opposition. Attack efficacy emerged as independent of the setter’s action, although the latter largely influenced the type of block opposition. Hence, match analysis provides a window into aspects involving the tactical actions in high-level athletes., Analiza izvedbe ima temeljnu ulogu u razumijevanju čimbenika koji utječu na realizaciju akcija u vrhunskom sportu. U posljednje se vrijeme sve veća važnost daje očuvanju situacijske prirode igre, te se u tu svrhu do boljeg razumijevanja obrazaca igre pokušava doći utvrđivanjem odnosa između različitih vrsta varijabla. Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je analizirati neke od varijabla koje opisuju odbojkaški susret, a koje bi mogle ograničiti taktičke akcije dizačica u ženskoj odbojci te utjecati na njihove ishode za vrijeme susreta. Šest susreta Svjetskog prvenstva za odbojkašice 2006 bilo je analizirano prema sistemu kategorija koristeći ponavljajuću opservacijsku metodologiju, odnosno tehniku sekvencionalne usporene analize. Tempo napada pokazao se kao ključna varijabla taktičkih akcija kod dizačica. Akcije sa zatvorenim blokovima prema protivničkim ekipama, dizanje lopte u idealnu zonu kroz skok, simulacija napada srednjeg napadača i predviđanje bloka, izvedeno uz maksimalnu koncentraciju na definiranu strategiju igre, najviše su dolazili do izražaja kod brzih napada. To posljedično dovodi do slabljenja protivničkog bloka. Otvorene formacije bloka, primanja u zoni 4 i 1, dizanje u neidealnim zonama, izostajanje simulacije napada od strane srednjeg napadača te nepredviđanje bloka (strategija pročitaj-i-reagiraj) poticali su spore napade, koji su, pak, poticali vezani blok kod protivničkih ekipa. Učinkovitost napada pokazala se nezavisna od akcija dizačica, iako je ona uvelike utjecala na tip bloka kod protivničkih ekipa. Stoga se može zaključiti da analiza susreta pruža uvid u aspekte igre uključujući taktičke varijante kod vrhunskih sportaša.