title: Motor structures in female volleyball players aged 14-17 according to technique quality and performance.
abstract: The aim of the study was to identify motor structures in elite female volleyball players aged 14-17, and to assess the effect of these motor structures on their technical and situation efficiency. For this purpose, a battery of 12 motor tests as predictor variables, and a set of six technical elements and evaluation of performance quality as criterion variables were applied in a sample of 147 female volleyballers aged 14-15 and a sample of 50 female volleyballers aged 16-17. Analysis of variance between subgroups within the groups of volleyballers aged 14-15 and those aged 16-17 showed the results on all motor tests to improve with the increase in situation performance, which was especially pronounced in the tests assessing explosive strength and agility. The same held true for the results on all tests assessing volleyball techniques, spike and block in particular. In both samples, factor analysis of motor tests isolated two factors underlain by the generation and regulation of strength, and the mechanism of speed regulation. Canonical correlation analysis between the motor regulatory mechanisms and technical elements revealed determination of the mechanisms of strength and technical efficiency in both samples. Regression correlation analysis showed the mechanisms of strength regulation and speed to be good predictors of game performance in female volleyballers aged 14-15 and 16-17, whereby the mechanism of strength regulation had greater effect on the game performance than the mechanism of speed regulation. Regression correlation analysis also revealed the set of 6 techniques evaluated to be a good predictor of situation efficiency in both groups of female volleyballers aged 14-15 and 16-17. The block and spike techniques were found to be the best predictors of game performance quality in the former, and the techniques of spike and block in the latter. Based on the results obtained, a possible model of selection for supreme score achievement in female volleyball is described.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Kinesiology, University of Split, Split, Croatia. katic@pmfst.hr
authors.forename: Ratko
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Katić
authors.forename: Zoran
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Grgantov
authors.forename: Damir
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jurko
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017523:Croatia; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009048:Motor Skills; D010809:Physical Fitness; D013177:Sports