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Small-sided games (SSGs) are commonly employed to simulate game-specific scenarios, emphasizing the importance of incorporating numerical equality and imbalance to mirror real match dynamics. This study evaluated the physical, physiological, and tactical responses of U-15 and U-17 soccer players during SSGs with numerical balance and numerical superiority in the offensive phase. The sample included 28 male athletes, with 14 from each age group participating in official competitions based on the national schedule. The SSGs were organized in 5v5 and 5v5+2 configurations, with each session consisting of four 6-minute bouts interspersed with 3-minute recovery periods. The sessions alternated between formats, with the first 6-minute period conducted as 5v5, followed by 5v5+2, and so on. On the second day of data collection, the order was reversed. The results indicated differences in the factor age group for distances covered at speeds of 7.20 to 14.29 km/h [F(1,74)=4.965, p=0.029, η²=0.06] and 14.30 to 19.69 km/h [F(1,74)=13.323, p<0.0001, η²=0.15], average heart rate (HRavg) [F(1,74)=13.292, p<0.0001, η²=0.15], maximum heart rate (HRmax) [F(1,74)=4.844, p=0.031, η²=0.06], spatial exploration index (SEI) [F(1,74)=134.061, p<0.0001, η²=0.64], depth [F(1,74)=93.341, p<0.0001, η²=0.56], width [F(1,74)=7.830, p=0.007, η²=0.10], and length per width ratio [F(1,14)=46.095, p<0.001, η²=0.77]. Moreover, considering SEI, there was an interaction between the age group and SSG format [F(1,74)=4.736, p=0.033, η²=0.06], with U-17 players presenting higher SEI compared to U-15 (p<0.001). Additionally, SEI was higher in U-17 compared to U-15 in the 5v5+2 (p<0.001) and in 5v5 (p<0.001) SSGs. Thus, it is observed that numerically unbalanced games did not alter physical, physiological, and tactical responses. On the other hand, differences were noted based on the age group, with older athletes covering greater distances and exploring the game space more. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Retos: Nuevas Perspectivas de Educación Física, Deporte y Recreación is the property of Federacion Espanola de Asociaciones de Docentes de Educacion Fisica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Retos: Nuevas Perspectivas de Educación Física, Deporte y Recreación is the property of Federacion Espanola de Asociaciones de Docentes de Educacion Fisica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The present study verified the differences in the offensive construction from the reception of the priority receivers in volleyball (libero, outsider hitter near and away from setter) through the Social Networks Analysis. The sample consisted of 3053 reception actions and 2743 attack actions of the 2018 Men's Volleyball World Championship played between the eight best-ranked teams in this edition. The results showed that the attack organisation changed depending on the receiver condition, and the attack construction from the reception of the outside hitter near from setter when in zones 2, 3 and 4 presented an off-system characteristic. Thus, the ecological conditions, in which the offensive construction begins, specify the performance in high-level men's volleyball and that different offensive constructions will generate adaptations in the defensive system and in the attack–defence relationships. Therefore, it is necessary for teams to be trained to play in- and off-system, as well as to self-organise for critical performance scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stereotyped sequence of volleyball actions allows organising them into six game complexes (K), each with specific dynamics. The purpose of this study was to verify the game flow in high-level women's volleyball through the sequencing of game complexes, their relative importance within the game and their relationship to attack efficacy. Seven matches of the Women's Brazil Cup'2020, knockout competition played by the 8 best teams of the 2019/2020 Superliga, were analysed (31 sets, 1268 rallies). The matches were obtained through the online video platform www.youtube.com. Pearson's chi-squared test (χ2) with Monte Carlo correction was used to assess the association between the variables, and Social Network Analysis with Eigenvector Centrality for the understanding of the nodes interactions their relative importance in a global context. The highest frequencies occurred for K0 (28.75%), KI (25.54%), and KII (23.39%), followed by KIII (15.60%), KV (3.73%), and KIV (2.99%). Positive associations occurred between KI and error; K0 and first KIV and continuity; and between KI, KII, first KIII, second KIII, first KV or second KV and point. The highest Eigenvector Centrality values occurred in first KVE1 and first KIVE1, and the lowest in K0E0, K0E2 and seventh KIIIE0. The results showed that the game complexes unfold in sequences with different frequencies; the sequences K0E1-KIE2, K0E1-KIE1-KIIE2; K0E1-KIE0 and K0E1-KIE1-KIIE1-KIII(1)E2 are the most frequent, which is informative for approximating the regularities of the training sessions to those of the matches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined the effect of amount of muscle mass involved in moderate-intensity continuous physical exercise on executive function. To this end, fifty-five participants completed two acute physical exercise sessions on an airbike ergometer using the upper and lower limbs simultaneously and only the upper limbs, and a resting control session in a randomized order. The physical exercise session lasted 30 min and was performed at moderate intensity (between 64 %–76 % of maximal heart rate evaluated in graded maximal exercise testing). Participants took the Stroop test (congruent and incongruent trials) before and after the sessions to assess executive performance. For the congruent trial, both physical exercise interventions improved executive function performance (pre vs. post, p-value = 0.002 and 0.003 for physical exercise with upper limbs and physical exercise with upper and lower limbs, respectively). Furthermore, executive function performance was higher after the physical exercise interventions than after the control session (p-value = 0.002 and 0.004 for physical exercise with upper limbs and physical exercise with upper and lower limbs, respectively). For the incongruent trial, both physical exercise interventions also improved executive function performance (pre vs. post, p-value < 0.001 for physical exercise with upper limbs and physical exercise with upper and lower limbs, respectively). However, there were no significant differences after both physical exercise interventions and resting control session (p-value = 0.175). Executive function (congruent trial) was positively impacted by acute aerobic physical exercise regardless of the amount of muscle mass involved (upper limbs or upper plus lower limbs). Therefore, we recommend aerobic physical exercise with less or more muscle mass involved to improve cognitive function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To compare the tactical-technical behavior of volleyball players according to the manipulation of court size in small-sided games. Method: We analyzed the tactical-technical behaviors of 16 male players (12.2 ± 0.5 years and 1.2 ± 0.8 years of practice) using the components of the GPAI instrument (Adjustment, efficiency, decision-making and effectiveness) validated for volleyball. To this end, we examined 1614 transition actions (defense, setting and attack) from games played in four court dimensions (3.0 × 3.0m, 4.0 × 4.0m, 4.6 × 4.6m and 5.2 × 5.2m). Altogether 96 Volleyball games were analyzed. Results: The smaller area per player favored technical skills development, specifically defensive and offensive ones. On the other hand, a larger area per player promoted higher scores in decision-making and effectiveness. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that the players' behaviors in small-sided games depend on the game configurations, since modifications in the tactical-technical behavior emanate from the game ecology. Thus, the court size manipulation is a powerful pedagogical tool that deeply relates to learning outcomes. Coaches must consider such constraints in the teaching-learning process, since small-sided games manipulations should be linked with clear learning goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to verify the influence of applying the Pendular Model of Tactical-Technical Training (Pendular Model) on decision-making and tactical-technical performance of U18 male volleyball athletes. A total of 44 U18 volleyball athletes participated in the study, divided into two groups: experimental group (n = 23) and control group (n = 21). The Declarative Tactical Knowledge Test in Volleyball was used for the decision-making analysis, while the Instrument for Technical-Tactical Performance Assessment in Volleyball was used for the specific tactical-technical performance components level analysis in the game. Experimental group athletes performed 24 training sessions using the Pendular Model, and control group athletes maintained 24 sessions of regular training. There was a significant difference in decision-making in the extremity attack and setting situations, being better in the experimental group than the control group in the pre and postintervention moments. There were significant differences in the adjustment, decision-making, and effectiveness components in athletes' tactical-technical performance in game situations, being greater in the experimental group compared to the control group in the moments after 12 sessions and postintervention. It is concluded that the Pendular Model proved to be effective for improving decision-making in extremity attack and setting video situations and in the tactical-technical performance in the game in the adjustment, decision-making, and effectiveness components for male U18 volleyball athletes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Physical Education (24482455) is the property of Universidade Estadual de Maringa and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Physical Education (24482455) is the property of Universidade Estadual de Maringa and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The Relative Age Effect is a well established phenomenon in a wide range of elite team sports. However, the prevalence of this effect was not investigated in beach handball so far. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate whether RAEs are present in elite beach handball athletes and to analyze its relation with team competitive success in World Championships. Data from 777 elite beach handball athletes (391 males and 386 females) from 32 countries who participated in the IHF Beach Handball World Championships (2012 to 2018) were analyzed. Athlete's birth dates were organized according to quarters, based on their month of birth, as follows; Q1 (from January to March), Q2 (from April to June), Q3 (from July to September), and Q4 (from October to December). Athletes' birthdates were compared according to sex and the rankings achieved in Beach Handball World Championships. We performed Chi-squared tests to examine whether sex and final placements modulated RAEs in beach handball sports system. An over representation of athletes born in the first semester was found for both sexes (p < 0.05). An over representation of athletes born in Q1 was found, compared to athletes born in Q3 (p < 0.007) and Q4 (p < 0.001) in male athletes. In females, athletes born in Q1 and in Q2 were more prevalent than athletes born in Q4 (p < 0.05). The athletes' birthdates distribution was different from expected (p < 0.001) for intermediate classification teams, but not for top-4 (p = 0.139) and bottom-4 (p = 0.103) ranked teams. In conclusion, RAEs were found in both male and female elite beach handball athletes in senior category. However, RAEs were not associated with competitive success, determined by the final ranking achieved by the national teams in the World Championships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Motivation and decision-making are important variables of sports performance. In this perspective, identifying whether motivation is associated with decisions made by athletes is essential to provide environments that facilitate the achievement of better performances. Aim of Study. The objective was (a) to analyze the decision-making and levels of motivation among male under-18 volleyball athletes with different levels of experience; and (b) associating motivation and decision-making in different game situations (attack from central and court extremities, setting, and blocking). Material and Methods. In the study, 92 high-performance male volleyball athletes from the under-18 category were divided into two groups: more experienced group (G1) and less experienced group (G2). The motivation level was analyzed by the Sport Motivation Scale-II, and the Declarative Tactical Knowledge Test in Volleyball was used to analyze the decision-making. Results. The results revealed a positive, but weak and significant correlation between the attack from the extremity and integrated motivation, and among intrinsic and introjected and external motivation. There was also a positive, moderate, and significant correlation between introjected and external motivation. Besides, G1 showed less intrinsic, introjected, and external motivation when compared to G2. Regarding decision-making, G1 showed higher values for central attack and lower values for setting and blocking, when compared to G2. Conclusions. It is concluded that better decisions of under-18 volleyball athletes in situations of attack from extremity are associated with a higher occurrence of integrated (extrinsic) motivation and more experienced volleyball athletes have a prevalence of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation when compared to less experienced athletes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effectiveness of the reception seems to be associated with the effect of the attack in the same way that factors such as gender, level of the opponent, and phases of the competitions can also influence the effectiveness in the side-out. The present study aimed to analyse the effects of reception and playoff phase on the attack outcome on men's and women's volleyball teams during the Rio 2016 Olympics. The convenience sample consisted of 1456 receiving actions (703 from men and 753 from women) and 1409 attacking actions (674 from men and 735 from women). We selected 11matches played in Rio 2016 Olympics and analysed the reception effect, the attack effect, and the final stages of the competition. The reliability of the data was established through Spearman's correlation between evaluators. We stratified the data by sex and described absolute frequencies and number of occurrences. Multinomial logistic regression was performed with the purpose of verifying the predictive power of effect of reception and playoff phase on the effect of the attack. For both men and women, the reception outcome showed predictive power for the attack outcome and the receptions that allowed organized attacks increased the chance of scoring through attack. The playoff phase showed no predictive power for the outcome of the attack. Overall, the effectiveness of the reception seems to be a predictive factor for successful offensive actions. It seems that top-level volleyball players can maintain the performance of the attack in the different playoff phases of a top level competition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aimed to analyze the association between the position of the attacker, the place of the finish and the direction of the finalization with the effectiveness of the finalization, as well as the predictive factors of this. A total of 6146 attack actions of 66 matches were analyzed by the 24 teams participating in the 2015 Women's World Handball Championship. For the association between the variables studied, we used the Chi-Square test and for predictive analysis of the data, we used the multinomial regression. The significance level of p≤0.05 was adopted and the software SPSS version 20.0 for Windows was used. The results showed an association between the finalization effect and the attacker's position (χ² = 107.39, p = 0.0001, φ = 0.13), association between the finishing effect and the finishing direction (χ² = 715, (χ² = 587.25, p = 0.0001, φ = 0.34), and that the predictive factors of the finalization effect was statistically significant (χ² = 854.666; p <0.0001). Thus, from the results, it is possible to concluded that the effect of the finalization and the direction of the finalization, suggesting that the position of the player does not influence in obtaining the goal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of RICYDE. Revista Internacional de Ciencias del Deporte is the property of Revista Internacional de Ciencias del Deporte and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Brazilian Journal of Kineanthropometry & Human Performance is the property of Brazilian Journal of Kineanthropometry & Human Performance and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Brazilian Journal of Kineanthropometry & Human Performance is the property of Brazilian Journal of Kineanthropometry & Human Performance and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Brazilian Journal of Kineanthropometry & Human Performance is the property of Brazilian Journal of Kineanthropometry & Human Performance and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Brazilian Journal of Kineanthropometry & Human Performance is the property of Brazilian Journal of Kineanthropometry & Human Performance and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Brazilian Journal of Kineanthropometry & Human Performance is the property of Brazilian Journal of Kineanthropometry & Human Performance and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The purpose of this study was to analyse the influence of the quality of reception, attack tempo, and block type on attack efficacy and attack type in high-level women's volleyball. Eighteen matches from the Brazilian Women's Superleague 2011/2012 were analysed (n=2,348 attack actions). Multinomial logistic regression was applied to construct models predicting the influence of explanatory variables on the attack efficacy and attack type. The results showed that attack errors were associated to double block (OR=1.48), while attacks resulting in action continuity were associated with double block (OR=1.40) and triple block (OR=1.97). Receptions affording all attack options (OR=0.54) and powerful attacks (OR=0.34) reduced game continuity. In conclusion, attack tempo was negatively correlated with the quality of settings, suggesting that slower attack tempos afford the attacker more time to prepare and to create momentum for performing the action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]