Characterization of the opposite player’s attack according to the Rally Phase, Attack-tempo and Effect of attack: study applied in top level female volleyball

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to characterize the opposite player’s attack in Elite Volleyball Female, according to Rally Phase, Attack-Tempo and Effect of attack and to distinguish this player’s action in relation to the Attack zone (Zone 1, back -row attack and Zone 2, front-court attack). Six games of the 2004 Olympics Games (female, senior teams) were analyzed, which corresponds to 437 attack actions. In order to test the association between variables, descriptive and inferential statistics were used namely the Chi-Square and Monte Carlo test. The present study showed that the opposite player in the elite female Volleyball participates in quick offensive actions, when applying the second-tempo of attack (70%). However, they score more in the fast attack integrated in the side-out, contrarily to the transition, where it develops a slower attack, being the continuity effect the dominant. The two attack zones, where the opposite acts, have clearly distinctive functions, since, while the zone 2 is used to give the attack power (larger request in the side-out, 60,4%, faster attack, 71,2% of second-tempo and 17,6% of first-tempo and larger point effect, 46%), the zone 1 constitutes a resort solution (larger incidence in the transition, 60,3%, slower attack, 34,6% of third-tempo and 0% of first-tempo, larger continuity effect, 57,7%). It is showed in this study that the attack efficacy of the opposite player is related with the rally phase and the velocity of the attack set. Furthermore, zone 1 is not fully used, as it should be, in the attack of the opposite player in female elite Volleyball.