Systematic review and meta-analysis of volleyball interventions for physical fitness in healthy individuals
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Key Takeaway
Consider volleyball interventions for physical fitness improvement in healthy populations based on this meta-analysis.
This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the impact of volleyball interventions on physical fitness components among healthy individuals. The scope included seven specific outcomes: muscular endurance, cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, flexibility, agility, speed, and balance. The study utilized data from randomized controlled trials and other controlled studies to assess these effects.
The analysis reported significant improvements across all measured domains. Muscular endurance showed the largest effect size with a standardized mean difference of 1.16 and a 95% CI of 0.44 to 1.89. Cardiovascular endurance improved with an SMD of 0.72 and a 95% CI of 0.40 to 1.05. Muscular strength, flexibility, agility, speed, and balance also demonstrated significant improvement with SMDs of 0.20, 0.37, -0.75, -0.32, and -0.98 respectively. All confidence intervals indicated improvement direction.
Important limitations include the absence of reported follow-up duration and lack of data on adverse events or tolerability. The authors did not report funding sources or conflicts of interest. While the practice relevance suggests volleyball interventions are effective for improving physical fitness and performance in healthy populations, the lack of long-term safety data and follow-up information limits broader clinical application.
View Original Abstract ↓
Volleyball, which combines aerobic and anaerobic activities, has been suggested to improve various Physical Fitness (PF) components. However, the specific effects of volleyball-based interventions on fitness among healthy individuals and across different durations have yet to be fully summarised.
This study aimed to compile and analyse data from randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and other controlled studies to assess the effects of volleyball interventions on PF.
A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, EBSCOhost (SPORTDiscus), Web of Science, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library to identify RCTs and controlled studies examining the effects of volleyball interventions on PF. Eligible studies reported at least one PF outcome. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. Heterogeneity was evaluated using the I² statistic.
Twelve RCTs, including 656 participants, were incorporated into this meta-analysis, which showed that volleyball interventions significantly improved muscular endurance (SMD = 1.16, 95% CI: 0.44–1.89), cardiovascular endurance (SMD = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.40–1.05), muscular strength (SMD = 0.20, 95% CI: 0.04–0.36), flexibility (SMD = 0.37, 95% CI: 0.17–0.57), agility (SMD = −0.75, 95% CI: −0.99 to −0.51), speed (SMD = −0.32, 95% CI: −0.55 to −0.10), and balance (SMD = −0.98, 95% CI: −1.90 to −0.05).
This study demonstrates that volleyball interventions lead to statistically significant improvements in multiple components of PF. These findings support the use of volleyball interventions as an effective movement-training modality for improving PF and performance in healthy populations.
https://crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD42024537624, PROSPERO CRD42024537624.
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