@article{3220519,
    title = "The effect of a proprioception and balance training program on balance and technical skills in youth female volleyball players",
    author = "Achilleopoulos, I. and Sotiropoulos, K. and Tsakiri, M. and Drikos, S. and Zacharakis, E. and Barzouka, K.",
    journal = "Journal of Physical Education and Sport (JPES)",
    year = "2022",
    volume = "22",
    number = "4",
    pages = "840-847",
    publisher = "Editura Universitatii din Pitesti",
    issn = "2247-8051, 2247-806X",
    doi = "10.7752/jpes.2022.04106",
    abstract = "A skilled control of postural stability is fundamental in many of the actions performed by volleyball athletes. The effectiveness in serving, forearm passing or setting the ball is affected by the athlete’s ability to control their dynamic balance. When referring to team sports, earlier studies have shown that balance and proprioception training have the potential to induce performance enhancement in selected components of physical fitness and some technical skills but only few of them focus on the field of volleyball. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of a balance and proprioception training program on dynamic balance and volleyball skills of female volleyball players aged 13-15 years. The sample is consisted by 18 participants who were divided into an experimental group (EG, N=10) and a control group (CG, N=8). In addition to volleyball training, the EG followed an 8-week proprioception and balance training program (3 times/week). Dynamic balance test results were obtained, and participants were rated for the movement outcome (performance score: PS) and movement form (Technique score: TS) of their motor tasks in volleyball skills. Two-factor ANOVA with repeated measurements on the second factor was used to examine the effects of groups and measurements and their interactions. The dynamic balance of the EG showed a significant improvement (p = 0.009). There was an increase in PS for serve (p = 0.022) and TS in forearm-passing (p = 0.001) for the EG, but not for the setting skill (p > 0.05). The study reveals that a targeted proprioception and balance training program can improve the dynamic balance of youth female volleyball players and contribute to the improvement of the movement form of the forearm passing and the movement outcome of the serve skill. © JPES."
}