Small-sided games in volleyball: A systematic review of the state of the art.

Studies on small-sided games (SSG) in team sports have increased in recent decades. However, the literature concerning this training strategy in volleyball is sparse. This study aims to summarize and analyse the scientific evidence on SSG in volleyball. For this purpose, electronic searches were conducted in August 2021 in PubMed, Scielo, ScienceDirect, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science databases. As result, a total of 22 studies (3 cross-sectional, 7 quasi-experimental, and 12 randomized controlled trial) that used SSG in volleyball were included in the qualitative synthesis after applying the eligibility criteria. Despite the few studies available for each outcome, our results suggest that the SSG can be used as a methodological resource for volleyball teaching and training of educational, recreational, and high-performance character. In conclusion, the use of SSG in volleyball is a pedagogical and training alternative with positive effects on populations with different levels of training (school and university students, recreational adult players, and athletes) considering instructional approaches, sport knowledge, participation in Physical Education classes, health markers, physical fitness, and physiological, psychological, and tactical-technical variables. However, more studies need to be carried out using SSG in volleyball in different contexts, with different manipulations and variables.

The Effects of Agility Ladders on Performance: A Systematic Review.

The goal of this systematic review was to evaluate the effects of exercise programs using agility ladders and to assess the quality of available evidence. Search was conducted in October of 2019 using the following databases: Cochrane Library, PEDro, PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science. Study eligibility criteria included randomized trials or randomized controlled trials using agility ladders drills. Participants were healthy humans of any health status. The study appraisal and synthesis methods followed the revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials (RoB 2) and a qualitative synthesis of the main results of each study were applied. Only five studies met our criteria, lasting between 4 and 8 weeks. Only two studies evaluated the effects of ladder drills on more than one dimension. Lack of description of the specific exercises that were used limits reproducibility of current studies. With one exception, the articles had low risk of bias for most domains. Despite the widespread popularity of agility ladder drills, research is scarce and problematic, with poorly described protocols and mostly unidimensional performance measures. Claims that agility ladders improve agility and other physical skills is premature, given the nature and quality of existing research.

What We Do Not Know About Stretching in Healthy Athletes: A Scoping Review with Evidence Gap Map from 300 Trials.

BACKGROUND: Stretching has garnered significant attention in sports sciences, resulting in numerous studies. However, there is no comprehensive overview on investigation of stretching in healthy athletes. OBJECTIVES: To perform a systematic scoping review with an evidence gap map of stretching studies in healthy athletes, identify current gaps in the literature, and provide stakeholders with priorities for future research. METHODS: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 and PRISMA-ScR guidelines were followed. We included studies comprising healthy athletes exposed to acute and/or chronic stretching interventions. Six databases were searched (CINAHL, EMBASE, PubMed, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science) until 1 January 2023. The relevant data were narratively synthesized; quantitative data summaries were provided for key data items. An evidence gap map was developed to offer an overview of the existing research and relevant gaps. RESULTS: Of ~ 220,000 screened records, we included 300 trials involving 7080 athletes [mostly males (~ 65% versus ~ 20% female, and ~ 15% unreported) under 36 years of age; tiers 2 and 3 of the Participant Classification Framework] across 43 sports. Sports requiring extreme range of motion (e.g., gymnastics) were underrepresented. Most trials assessed the acute effects of stretching, with chronic effects being scrutinized in less than 20% of trials. Chronic interventions averaged 7.4 ± 5.1 weeks and never exceeded 6 months. Most trials (~ 85%) implemented stretching within the warm-up, with other application timings (e.g., post-exercise) being under-researched. Most trials examined static active stretching (62.3%), followed by dynamic stretching (38.3%) and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) stretching (12.0%), with scarce research on alternative methods (e.g., ballistic stretching). Comparators were mostly limited to passive controls, with ~ 25% of trials including active controls (e.g., strength training). The lower limbs were primarily targeted by interventions (~ 75%). Reporting of dose was heterogeneous in style (e.g., 10 repetitions versus 10 s for dynamic stretching) and completeness of information (i.e., with disparities in the comprehensiveness of the provided information). Most trials (~ 90%) reported performance-related outcomes (mainly strength/power and range of motion); sport-specific outcomes were collected in less than 15% of trials. Biomechanical, physiological, and neural/psychological outcomes were assessed sparsely and heterogeneously; only five trials investigated injury-related outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: There is room for improvement, with many areas of research on stretching being underexplored and others currently too heterogeneous for reliable comparisons between studies. There is limited representation of elite-level athletes (~ 5% tier 4 and no tier 5) and underpowered sample sizes (≤ 20 participants). Research was biased toward adult male athletes of sports not requiring extreme ranges of motion, and mostly assessed the acute effects of static active stretching and dynamic stretching during the warm-up. Dose-response relationships remain largely underexplored. Outcomes were mostly limited to general performance testing. Injury prevention and other effects of stretching remain poorly investigated. These relevant research gaps should be prioritized by funding policies. REGISTRATION: OSF project ( https://osf.io/6auyj/ ) and registration ( https://osf.io/gu8ya ).

Is There a Relationship Between Birth Quartile and Vertical Jump Performance Among Young Male Elite Volleyball Athletes?

Vertical jump is an important skill that influences volleyball performance. In this study, we analyzed the relationship between vertical jump performance and birth quartile of Brazilian male youth volleyball players. We calculated chi-square goodness-of-fit tests to compare the athletes' birthdate distributions in quarters of their birth years (Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4) according to player age categories (U17, U18, U19, and U21). We calculated one-way ANOVAs to compare spike jump and block jump heights of players born in different quarters of the same year. Overall, we found a relative age effect (i.e., more players with birth dates early in the birth year) in U17 (p < .001), U18 (p < .001), U19 (p < .001), and U21 (p = .04). Regarding vertical jump performance, U18 athletes born in Q2 reached higher spike jump heights (p = .006) and block jump heights (p = .002) than athletes born in Q4, and U19 athletes born in Q1 reached higher block jump heights than athletes born in Q3 (p = .049). There were no significant differences in vertical jump performance across birth quartiles among U17 and U21 athletes. Thus, a relative age effect was present in all age categories but not always reflected in vertical jump performance. Volleyball coaches and policymakers are still advised to employ strategies to ensure fairer opportunities for players born later in the year of their eligibility dates, as we found RAE to be sometimes, but not always, related to higher spike or block jump heights even among these older adolescents and young adult athletes.

Comparison of Rally Length between Women and Men in High-Level Spanish Volleyball.

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the rally length in high-level Spanish volleyball was longer in women than in men. A total of 1,786 rallies were observed: 792 for women and 994 for men. The recorded variables were match (quarter-final 1, quarter-final 2, semi-final 1, semi-final 2, final), gender (men, women), rally length (seconds), pseudo-rally (no, yes), and terminal event (ball out of sight, ball in/out, fault). Different non-parametric statistical techniques were used to compare the rally length between groups or subsets of data, i.e., the Kruskal-Wallis H test, the Mann-Whitney U test, quantile regression, and survival analysis. The mean and median rally length was significantly and slightly longer in women than in men. The rally length difference between genders was barely 1 s in quantile 0.5 or median, while in quantile 0.95, it was just over 4 s. In women, the probability of ending the rally at 3.9, 5.1, 10.2, and 43.9 s (at 4.4, 6.3, 11.6, and 43.9 s without pseudo-rallies) was 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%, respectively. In men, the probability of ending the rally at 3.2, 4.3, 7.9, and 29.1 s (at 3.9, 4.8, 8.8, and 29.1 s without pseudo-rallies) was 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%, respectively. These temporal thresholds can help volleyball coaches to train their players in a coherent manner.

Upper and Lower Limbs Acute Fatigue Did Not Mitigate Male Trained Air Force Soldiers' Marksmanship.

In this study, we aimed to investigate the impact of acute fatigue on pistol shooting performance among Air Force marksmen. We compared the accuracy, precision, speed-accuracy trade-off, shooting cycle time, and hits on a silhouette target among 12 Brazilian Air Force servicemen (M age = 21.5, SD - 1.6 years) under both fatigue and non-fatigue conditions in a crossover design. In the fatigued condition, the participants performed a fatigue protocol composed of side runs, vertical jumps, push-ups, running, and burpees exercises before shooting. Participants performed the countermovement jump and the plyometric push-ups tests on a contact mat before and immediately after the fatigue protocol to compare the heights achieved pre- and post-fatigue. Paired t-tests showed a significant performance reduction of 34.36% and 40.02% for the countermovement jump and plyometric push-ups, respectively, indicating that participants were fatigued in their lower and upper limbs. In the non-fatigued condition, no exercise was performed before shooting. Results indicated no significant differences between conditions on shooting precision (p = .125; ES: .54), speed-accuracy trade-off (p = .261; ES = .33), hits within the silhouette (p = .167; ES = .41), or shooting cycle times (p = .868; ES = .05); but accuracy was greater (p = .025; ES: .54) when fatigued. We concluded that overall shooting performance was not impaired by physical fatigue, and shooting accuracy appeared to be improved. Perhaps physical fatigue was not enough to impair shooting accuracy in this young adult group, as accuracy decline is expected instead when shooters are in an exhausted state. Further research is needed to confirm these findings and test this presumption.

The Relative Age Effect in Male and Female Brazilian Elite Volleyball Athletes of Varied Competitive Levels.

Volleyball is a popular sport in Brazil, and the relative age effect (RAE) is known to occur within it; but less is known of how RAE relates to elite Brazilian volleyball players' age, sex, and competitive levels. We aimed to investigate RAE prevalence with data from two seasons of play among players in the Superliga A (2020/2021 and 2021/2022 seasons), and Superliga B (2021 and 2022 seasons) made available from the Brazilian Volleyball Confederation (CBV), the club's official website, or direct consultation with the CBV. After removing duplicate data, we grouped these 1,063 athletes by their dates of birth, sex, and competition level (Superliga A or B). We divided players' birth dates into quarters (Q1: January-March, Q2: April-June, Q3: July-September and Q4: October-December) and into semesters, and we performed chi-square (χ2) tests to investigate RAE prevalence according to the players' sex and competitive level. RAE was prevalent overall (χ2 = 33.198; p < .001), among males (χ2 = 24.48; p < .001) and females (χ2 = 11.23; p < .011). Regarding competition level, RAE was evident among males in both Superliga A (χ2 = 14.581; p = 0.002), and B (χ2 = 13.985; p = 0.003), and among females in Superliga B (χ2 = 9.204; p = 0.027), but not Superliga A (χ2 = 4.012; p = 0.26). Thus, the RAE phenomenon operated differently for male and female Brazilian volleyball players according to their competitive level. We discuss the implications of these findings.

The Decision-Making of High-Level Volleyball Setters in the 2021-2022 Volleyball Men's Superliga: Does the Opponent Matter?

Our primary objective in this study was to investigate the offensive strategies employed in the attack phase of men's volleyball, specifically focusing on side-out as stratified by the type of confrontation that was determined by the opponent's team performance. We analyzed 5524 attacking actions during 22 games of the 12 teams that participated in the Volleyball Men's Superliga (season 2021-2022). Based on their final rankings in the championship, we classified these teams into three tiers: high-performance, intermediate-performance, and low-performance. Subsequently, we examined the dynamics of these matches using Social Network Analysis. We found that the opponent teams' performance levels did not influence the game dynamics. Notably, the eigenvector values were prominently higher for Attack Zones 2 and 4, wherein the middle-blocker jumped to attack close to the setter across all networks. Thus, setters opted for traditional and low-risk strategies to minimize errors, disregarding available information about the skill level of the opposing team, making their offensive tactics predictable.

Inter e intra-variability of the best ranked teams: A network analysis in male high-level volleyball.

The present research objective was to analyze the offensive phase from Complex I in high-level male volleyball teams in a macro- and micro-level view, through the inter e intra-team variability analysis of eight best teams of the 2018 Men's Volleyball World Championship over the social network analysis and eigenvector centrality. The sample consisted of 22 matches and 2,743 offensive actions, resulting in 8 sub-networks with 368 nodes and 6221 edges. The results showed from macro view the variables that presented highest centrality values were Attack Zone 4 (range 0.56-0.90), Attack Tempo 2 (0.65-0.87), Power Attack (0.62-0.94), No Touch Block (0.61-1), Attack Effect Continuity (0.59-0.94), and Middle Blocker Centralized (0.60-0.95). In a micro view, Reception Effect, Play Position, Reception Zone, and Block Composition showed high variability in each sub-network. The intra- and inter-team variability presented the importance of to respect each team idiosyncrasies and to consider the different approaches to the game and success.

Within-Week Variations and Relationships between Internal and External Intensities Occurring in Male Professional Volleyball Training Sessions.

The purpose of the study was to test the within-week variations of the internal and external training intensity outcomes organized by days of the week. An 8-month observational period was conducted during the 2020-2021 season. The training sessions and matches of an elite volleyball team were monitored daily. The data comes from 14 players (two setters, five middle blockers, five outside hitters, and two opposites) of an elite team from the Portuguese 1st League (age: 21.7 ± 4.19 years of age; experience: 6.2 ± 3.8 years; body mass: 85.7 ± 8.69 kg; height: 192.4 ± 6.25 cm; BMI: 23.1 ± 1.40 kg/m2). The CR10 Borg scale was applied daily to measure the training intensity. The rate of perceived exertion (RPE) and the session-RPE were extracted as the internal outcomes. The external intensity was measured using an inertial measurement unit (IMU). The number of jumps, height average of jumps (JHA), minimum jump (MJ), maximal jump (MXJ), range jump (RJ), number of jumps (NJ), and training session density (D) were extracted as external intensity outcomes. The results showed that there was a difference between RPE and S-RPE (F (1.98) = 6.31, p = 0.01, η2 = 0.36, and F (1.73) = 28.30, p = 0.001, η2 = 0.72), as well as JHA and NJ (F (2.14) = 4.76, p = 0.02, η2 = 0.30, and F (1.77) = 4.77, p = 0.02, η2 = 0.30) within the microcycle. When analyzing the correlations between internal and external intensity, it was observed that there was a negative correlation between the Maximum Jump (4, 3, and 1 days before the Match day) (r2 = 0.34, r2 = 0.40, r2 = 0.41, respectively) and the Range Jump (3 and 1 days before the Match day (r2 = 0.33, r2 = 0.38, respectively) with the RPE (4 days before the Match day) and Maximum Jump (5, 4, 3, and 1 days before the Match day (r2 = 0.35, r2 = 0.39, r2 = 0.44, r2 = 0.34, respectively) and Range Jump (5, 4, 3, and 1 days before the Match day) (r2 = 0.34, r2 = 0.35, r2 = 0.40 and r2 = 0.36, respectively) with S_RPE (4 days before the Match day). Such findings show that higher internal intensities are correlated with lower external intensities in sessions further away from the game day. Such results could be an important tool for coaches to reflect, plan, monitor, and execute the training unit according to the temporal distance to the competition.

Within-week differences in external training load demands in elite volleyball players.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to analyze the within-week differences in external training intensity in different microcycles considering different playing positions in women elite volleyball players. METHODS: The training and match data were collected during the 2020-2021 season, which included 10 friendly matches, 41 league matches and 11 champions league matches. The players' position, training/match duration, training/match load, local positioning system (LPS) total distance, LPS jumps, accelerations, decelerations, high metabolic load distance (HMLD), acute and chronic (AC) mean and AC ratio calculated with the rolling average (RA) method and the exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) method, monotony and strain values were analyzed. RESULTS: All the variables except strain, Acc/Dec ratio and acute mean (RA) showed significant differences among distance to match days. Regarding the players' positions, the only difference was found in the AC ratio (EWMA); in all microcycles, the middle blocker player showed workload values when compared with the left hitter, setter and libero. CONCLUSION: Overall, the analysis revealed that the intensity of all performance indicators, except for strain, acc/dec and acute mean load (RA), showed significant differences among distance to match day with moderate to large effect sizes. When comparing players' positions, the middle blocker accumulated the lowest loads. There were no significant differences among other positions.

Prevalence of the Relative Age Effect in Elite Brazilian Volleyball: An Analysis Based on Gender, the Playing Position, and Performance Indicators.

Athletes born closer to an arbitrary cut-off date are more likely to reach an elite level in sport, which is supported by a phenomenon called the relative age effect (RAE). It is important to determine whether this phenomenon is present in a sport to minimize this selection bias. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of RAE in elite volleyball athletes, considering the influence of gender, the playing position (Setter, Middle, Libero, Opposite, and Outside Hitter) and the performance level (attack points, aces, and block points). The sample comprised 203 male and 193 female athletes competing in the Superliga A in the 2020/2021 season, which was equivalent to all of the teams of the championship. The data collection was performed during May and June, 2021. Athletes were organized according to gender, the playing position, and performance in the Superliga. For performance variables, athletes were separated based on the median value (90.0), and classified as high- or low-performance. Chi-squared tests were performed to verify differences between birth date distributions in relation to the aforementioned variables. Results indicated overrepresentation of relatively older male athletes (Q1 = 35.96%; Q2 = 27.59%; Q3 = 19.21%; Q4 = 17.24%), especially in Middles, Opposites, and Outside Hitters, regardless of their performance level. Considering females, no differences were found. Our findings suggest that RAE operates differently for men and women in elite Brazilian volleyball. The characteristics of the games played by male and female elite athletes may lead to different talent selection processes, affecting the likelihood of RAE prevalence.

Coexistence of Distinct Performance Models in High-Level Women's Volleyball.

In performance analysis, and most notably in match analysis, generalizing game patterns in a sport or competition may result in formulating generic models and neglecting relevant variability in benefit of average or central values. Here, we aimed to understand how different game models can coexist at the same competitive level using social network analysis with degree centrality to obtain systemic mappings for six volleyball matches, one for each of the six national teams playing in the 2014 World Grand Prix Finals, guaranteeing a homogeneous game level and balanced matches. Although the sample was not recent, this was not relevant for our purposes, since we aimed to merely expose a proof of concept. A total of 56 sets and 7,176 ball possessions were analysed through Gephi Software, considering game actions as nodes and the interaction between them as edges. Results supported the coexistence of different performance models at the highest levels of practice, with each of the six teams presenting a very distinct game model. For example, important differences in eigenvector centrality in attack zones (ranging from 0 to 34) and tempos (20 to 38) were found between the six teams, as well as in defensive lines (20 to 39) and block opposition (22 to 37). This further suggests that there may be multiple pathways towards expert performance within any given sport, inviting a re-conceptualization of monolithic talent identification, detection and selection models. Future studies could benefit from standardizing the metrics in function of the number of ball possessions.

Interaction network analysis of the six game complexes in high-level volleyball through the use of Eigenvector Centrality.

Social Network Analysis establishes a network system and provides information about the relationships (edges) between system components (nodes). Although nodes usually correspond to actors within the network (e.g., the players), it is possible to stipulate game actions as nodes, thus creating a network of the flow of game actions. In this study, Eigenvector Centrality (a form of weighted centrality that considers n-order connections) was used to identify differences in the centrality of distinct game actions within each of the six game complexes of volleyball. Thirteen matches (46 sets, 2,049 rallies) of the final round of the 2015 FIVB's World Grand Prix (Women) were analyzed. Results showed that analyzing actions as actors (i.e., nodes) offers a clear and comprehensive understanding of game flow and poses an interesting alternative to mainstream research where players are considered nodes. Functional differences between the six game complexes were highlighted, denoting the validity of such division. Out-of-system playing (i.e., having to set the attack under non-ideal conditions, e.g., in KI, KII, KIII and KIV), emerged as a regularity of the game and should be translated into the training process.

Rethinking Monolithic Pathways to Success and Talent Identification: The Case of the Women's Japanese Volleyball Team and Why Height is not Everything.

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.

A formação inicial em Educação Física: análise do ensino do voleibol através dos jogos reduzidos a partir das ementas de universidades federais / The initial formation in Physical Education: analysis of the teaching of volleyball through Small-sided Games from the itinerary of federal universities / La formación inicial en Educación Física: análisis de la enseñanza del Volleyball a través de juegos reducidos y condicionados a partir de los menús de las universidad federales

Os jogos reduzidos e condicionados são uma estratégia eficaz no ensino e aprendizagem de competências tático-técnicas no voleibol. O objetivo deste estudo foi verificar se os jogos reduzidos e condicionados no voleibol fazem parte do ementário dos cursos de Educação Física das universidades federais brasileiras. Utilizamos a investigação documental com a coleta de dados nas universidades federais cadastradas na base de dados do e-MEC. Os resultados mostram que há indicação de utilização dos jogos reduzidos e condicionados em duas disciplinas de voleibol analisadas. Concluímos que deve haver mudanças no ensino dos jogos reduzidos e condicionados para que as universidades federais possam atualizar suas ementas no intuito de formar recursos humanos cada vez mais qualificados.

The Small-sided Games are an effective strategy in the teaching and learning of tactical and technical skills in volleyball. The objective of this study was to verify if the Small-sided Games in volleyball are part of the itinerary of Physical Education courses in Brazilian federal universities. A documental investigation was used with data collection from federal uni-versities registered in the e-MEC database. The results show there is an indication of the use of reduced and conditioned games in two volleyball disciplines analyzed. The conclusion is that there must be changes in the teaching of Small-sided Games so that the federal universities can update their curriculum in order to form more qualified human resources.

Los juegos reducidos y condicionados son una estrategia efi-caz en la enseñanza y el aprendizaje de habilidades tácticas y técnicas en el Volleyball. El objetivo de este estudio fue verificar si los juegos reduci-dos y condicionados en Volleyball hacen parte del plan de estudios de los cursos de Educación Física de las universidades federales brasileñas. Se utilizó una investigación documental con recolección de datos de universidades federales registradas en la base de datos e-MEC. Los resultados muestran que hay indicios del uso de juegos reducidos y condicionados en dos disciplinas de voleibol analizadas. La conclusión es que debe ha-ber cambios en la enseñanza de los juegos reducidos y condicionados para que las universidades federales puedan actualizar sus pan de es-tudios con el fin de formar cada vez más recursos humanos calificados.

A formação inicial em Educação Física: análise do ensino do voleibol através dos jogos reduzidos a partir das ementas de universidades federais / The initial formation in Physical Education: analysis of the teaching of volleyball through Small-sided Games from the itinerary of federal universities / La formación inicial en Educación Física: análisis de la enseñanza del Volleyball a través de juegos reducidos y condicionados a partir de los menús de las universidad federales

Os jogos reduzidos e condicionados são uma estratégia eficaz no ensino e aprendizagem de competências tático-técnicas no voleibol. O objetivo deste estudo foi verificar se os jogos reduzidos e condicionados no voleibol fazem parte do ementário dos cursos de Educação Física das universidades federais brasileiras. Utilizamos a investigação documental com a coleta de dados nas universidades federais cadastradas na base de dados do e-MEC. Os resultados mostram que há indicação de utilização dos jogos reduzidos e condicionados em duas disciplinas de voleibol analisadas. Concluímos que deve haver mudanças no ensino dos jogos reduzidos e condicionados para que as universidades federais possam atualizar suas ementas no intuito de formar recursos humanos cada vez mais qualificados (AU)

The Small-sided Games are an effective strategy in the teaching and learning of tactical and technical skills in volleyball. The objective of this study was to verify if the Small-sided Games in volleyball are part of the itinerary of Physical Education courses in Brazilian federal universities. A documental investigation was used with data collection from federal uni-versities registered in the e-MEC database. The results show there is an indication of the use of reduced and conditioned games in two volleyball disciplines analyzed. The conclusion is that there must be changes in the teaching of Small-sided Games so that the federal universities can update their curriculum in order to form more qualified human resources (AU).

Los juegos reducidos y condicionados son una estrategia efi-caz en la enseñanza y el aprendizaje de habilidades tácticas y técnicas en el Volleyball. El objetivo de este estudio fue verificar si los juegos reduci-dos y condicionados en Volleyball hacen parte del plan de estudios de los cursos de Educación Física de las universidades federales brasileñas. Se utilizó una investigación documental con recolección de datos de univer-sidades federales registradas en la base de datos e-MEC. Los resultados muestran que hay indicios del uso de juegos reducidos y condicionados en dos disciplinas de voleibol analizadas. La conclusión es que debe ha-ber cambios en la enseñanza de los juegos reducidos y condicionados para que las universidades federales puedan actualizar sus pan de es-tudios con el fin de formar cada vez más recursos humanos calificados (AU).

Realização do approach de tenistas infantojuvenis em situações de treino: análise da tomada de decisão em cenários críticos de jogo / Achievement of the approach of juvenile's tennis players in training situations: analysis of decision making in critical scenarios / Consecución del approach de los tenistas infantiles en situaciones de entrenamiento: análisis de la toma de decisiones en escenarios críticos

O presente estudo objetivou analisar a realização das ações de approach, subida à rede e voleio, em um cenário crítico durante situação de treino. Dezessete atletas infantojuvenis foram analisados durante jogos tie-break de até 10 pontos, totalizando 696 trocas de bola, das quais 137 possibilitaram o approach. Foram avaliadas quatro variáveis relacionadas ao ajuste técnico, uma à tomada de decisão e uma à eficácia do voleio por meio do Game Performance Assessment Instrument. Nossos resultados evidenciam que os jovens tenistas analisados usaram o approach em 9,5% das situações favoráveis, conseguindo em 53,8% dos casos efetivar a ação tática. Sugere-se que os treinadores enfatizem cenários críticos em seus treinos para estimular a leitura da situação de jogo de seus atletas

The present study aimed to analyze the performance of the actions of approach, the ascent to the net and volley in a critical scenario during training situation. Seventeen juveniles' athletes were analyzed during tie-break games of up to 10 points, totaling 696 ball changes, of which 137 allowed the approach. Four variables related to technical adjustment were analyzed, one to decision making and one to volley effectiveness through Game Performance Assessment Instrument. Our results show that the young tennis players analyzed used the approach in 9.5% of the favorable situations, achieving in 53.8% of the cases to effect the tactical action. It is suggested that coaches emphasize critical scenarios in their training to stimulate the reading of the game situation of their athletes

El presente estudio tuvo como objetivo analizar el desempeño de las acciones de approach, ascenso a la red y volea en un escenario crítico durante la situación de entrenamiento. Diecisiete atletas fueron analizados durante los juegos de tie-breakde hasta 10 puntos, totalizando 696 cambios de balón, de los cuales 137 permitieron el approach. Se analizaron cuatro variables relacionadas con el ajuste técnico, una a la toma de decisiones y otra con la efectividad de la volea através del Game Performance Assessment Instrument. Nuestros resultados muestran que los jóvenes tenistas analizados utilizaron el approach en el 9,5% de las situaciones favorables, obteniendo realizar la acción táctica em el 53,8% de los casos en su entrenamiento para incentivar la lectura de la situación de juego de sus atletas