Jump performance in Asian male volleyball players: match demands across player positions in Taiwan’s top-tier competition

Background: Jump performance is crucial in volleyball, but the match demands and positional requirements have received limited research attention in Asia. This study aims to investigate the jump demands of various playing positions in 3-, 4- and 5-set matches, expressed as the number of jumps per point, throughout an entire competitive season in Asian semi-professional male volleyball players. Additionally, this study examines the differences in jump height among sets in 4- and 5-set matches. Methods: Nine athletes, including five outside hitters, three middle blockers and one setter, participated in the study. Among the five outside hitters, one also played as an opposite. The participants had an average age of 25.4 ± 3.1 years, a height of 1.87 ± 0.05 m, and a body mass of 81.0 ± 5.6 kg. Jump height and count in matches were recorded by wearable devices. Data from 20 matches, totaling 9180 jumps, were analyzed. Results: Mean jump count per match ranged from 19.7 to 80.0 for hitters, 52.5 to 77.2 for middle blockers and 104.5 for setters. Hitters averaged 0.20 to 0.55 jumps per point, while middle blockers averaged 0.36 to 0.51 jumps per point. The setter averaged 0.60 to 0.70 jumps per point. Linear mixed models revealed that mean jump height remained consistent across all sets for all player positions in both 4-set and 5-set matches. The proportion of jumps exceeding 80% of maximal jump height was also similar across sets. Conclusions: This study showed that the jump count per point remained consistent regardless of the number of sets in a match. Asian male semi-professional players were able to maintain jump height levels throughout 4- and 5-set matches over a competitive season. Coaches can integrate high-intensity jump loads similar to those experienced in matches into training to prepare players for the demands of competition.

Jump count; Jump height; Wearable device; Match load; Playing position

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