The purpose of this study was to examine the epistemological insights for using volleyball as a prototype of a net-type game in physical education classes. From the perspective of game structure theory, the objectives of the game were identified, the tasks that needed to be solved to achieve the objectives were extracted, and the solutions adapted to these tasks were explored.
In a net-type game, it is forbidden to cross the boundary that geographically separates the two teams and enter the opponent's territory, so a series of attempts to possess the ball and then progress it towards the target direction are alternately performed in a cyclical manner on both sides of the boundary. This cyclical situation is commonly called a "rally", and it is a cultural value that underlies many of the net-type games and gives them their uniqueness. Net-type games are determined by purposely interrupting the rally, that is, by preventing the opponent from possession or progression. There are two ways to accomplish this task: (1) by "hitting back" to possess and progress the ball integrally and independently, or (2) by "dividing" the tasks and "collaborating" with other players in the process from possession to progression.
The teaching of net-type games should start from the understanding and practice of the "basic form of circulation", which are the foundations of games. Each of the many existing games is just a "variation" derived by adding various options to the basic form. Therefore, it is important to recognize that the current game is a variation of a net-type game, and it is not as an individual sport event, but is a competition derived from the requirements (concepts of possession, progression, circulation, etc.) necessary to identify it as a net-type game.

View full abstract

This study investigated the relationship between performance and height, body composition, reaction time, and executive ability (Design fluency test: DFT) in elite female players of 9-player volleyball. Furthermore, we compared the aforementioned elements among different player positions (i.e., attackers, setters, and receivers). A total of sixteen female volleyball players (with an average age of 24.2±1.97 years) from the V9 Champ League 2023 participated in this study. We measured the height, body composition (weight, body fat, and muscle score), reaction time, and DFT of each player. We calculated the Individual ratio (IR) as a performance score based on their performance during scrimmages. Our results revealed a negative relationship between individual ratio and body fat. A comparison between the positions revealed that attackers and setters were significantly taller than receivers, attackers were significantly heavier than setters and receivers, the muscle score in receivers was significantly higher than that in setters, and the IR in setters was significantly higher than that in receivers. Although the difference was not significant, we observed a marked effect size in body fat-related differences. Setters had lower body fat content than attackers and receivers, and the DFT-T score, which is the total number of correct answers across all three tests of the DFT, was lower in attackers than in setters and receivers. In conclusion, body fat should be monitored to maintain high performance, particularly in setters. Finally, higher muscle quality would be beneficial for improving the performance of receivers.

View full abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between technical unforced errors (UE) and psychological competitive ability in volleyball games among university female athletes, and to present a basic and practical method to reduce UE. A questionnaire on UE in volleyball games and Diagnostic Inventory for Psychological Competitive Ability (DIPCA.3) were conducted on 116 university female volleyball players, and 102 were analyzed. UE in volleyball games had a three-factor structure: “low frequency of UE”, “high frequency of UE” and “UE when passing the ball to the setter”. The “high frequency of UE” scale showed a low negative correlation with the “prediction” (r=-.331, n=102, p<.001) and “judgment” (r=-.291, n=102, p<.01) of the psychological competitive ability. frequent UE in volleyball may be reduced through training “prediction” and “judgment”. The “UE when passing the ball to the setter” scale revealed a low negative correlation with the “perseverance” (r=-.218, n=102, p<.05) and “confidence” (r=-.197, n=102, p<.05) of the psychological competitive ability. UE when passing the ball to the setter may be reduced by developing perseverance and confidence. The “low frequency of UE” scale displayed no significant correlation with the psychological competitive ability. The low frequency of UE when passing the ball to the setter in volleyball may be related to individual personalities.

View full abstract

The purpose of this study is to obtain a useful and highly objective index as a basic data for predicting the outcome of a game, and to examine the relationship between the side-out rate and each skill, as well as the relationship between the win and the loss, through a longitudinal game performance analysis of the top level men's and women's collegiate teams. The results obtained are as follows.
1. It is suggested that the evaluation range table created from the side-out rate may serve as a guide for understanding trends in predicting wins of the set.
2. The correlation coefficients of the skills other than the evaluation of attacks for college men and women were not more than ±0.4, but the superior correlation coefficients were found in the serve point rate and block effectiveness rate for men and serve-receive A+B rate for women.
3. The evaluation range table was made for the evaluation related to attacks, which showed a significant correlation with the side-out rate, indicating that the obtained values are useful in predicting the outcome of a match. These indices will be useful in team-building exercises, such as setting values in game-like practices in the preparation period for games and setting numerical goals in practice games.

View full abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate domestic and international trends related to snow volleyball, which has been on the rise in recent years in many countries and is expected to become an event in the Winter Olympics, and to clarify the potential and development possibilities of this sport. As a result of the survey, the following three points became clear.
First, in light of the world trend of holding international competitions on a large scale and the development of rules, it became clear that snowball racing has great potential to be adopted as an official sport of the Winter Olympics. Secondly, the results of on-site observations of actual international competitions and interviews with players and staff indicated that expectations for snow volleyball are growing at the field level, and that the sport is full of enthusiasm for the Olympics. Third, we surveyed domestic efforts to promote snow volleyball. As a result, it was confirmed that efforts such as the establishment of snow volleyball associations, sponsorships, and marketing through participation in events by famous athletes are steadily underway to keep up with the global trend.
In light of these domestic and international trends, it can be said that snow volleyball is an attractive sport with more than enough potential to be adopted as a Winter Olympic sport and to be popularized as a new winter sport in Japan.

View full abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the physical fitness characteristics of setters in volleyball in relation to their performance level. The participants were 34 female volleyball players who were specialized setters. All participants performed fitness test of 9 items (counter movement jump (CMJ), counter movement jump with arm swing (ACMJ), repeated rebound jump (RJ), standing long jump, both legs triple-jump, medicine ball front throw, medicine ball back throw, repetitive side jump, 9m dash) considered relevant to setter performance. Measured items were compared between categories (high school, college, and adult) and between performance level (regular and non-regular).
The main results are as follows.
(1) Medicine ball front and back throws were significantly higher for adult and college than for high school.
(2) Repetitive side jump was significantly higher for adult than for high school.
(3) ACMJ, RJ-index, standing long jump, and both legs triple-jump were higher for high school than for college.
(4) No significant differences were found in any of the items in the comparison between the setter’s performance level. The above results suggest that the physical fitness measured in this study is not a variable that directly explains setters' performance level. In addition, it was suggested that the background of these results had more to do with the change in training associated with the change in categories than with the superiority of the setter's performance level.

View full abstract