Background/Purpose
This research aimed to investigate the effects of Play Practice instruction on volleyball offensive strategies in a college physical education setting. Play Practice focuses on maximizing the learning achievement of game strategies and movement competency of sports and games by providing a variety of purposefully designed playful practices (Launder, 2001). There is little literature associated with the effects of Play Practice on teaching sports (Holt, Ward, & Wallhead, 2006).
Method
Participants were thirteen undergraduates enrolled in the Tactical Approach to Games course at a mid-sized university in northeast Pennsylvania in summer 2010. Dependent variables included the successful trials for a pass-set-spike sequence and total contacts per serve in 6-on-6 volleyball games (Buck & Harrison, 1990). The intervention was seven two-hour instructions in which a list of Play Practice activities was selected to enhance the “set to attack” strategies in volleyball. The investigators videotaped and tallied all trials throughout the intervention. Independent t-tests and descriptive analysis were used to examine the effects by comparing the pretest to posttest performance.
Analysis/Results
A significant difference existed for the successful trials for the pass-set-spike sequence (t[172] = -3.184, p < .01). Participants improved their successful trials in game play from 21% to 44%. No significant difference existed for total contacts per serve (t[91] = -0.617, p >.05).
Conclusions
The offensive strategy performance improved. Participants were able to play the game more strategically through the intervention. There was no relationship, however between Play Practice and improving the proficiency of keeping the ball in play.