The purpose of the master's thesis was to create norms for evaluating the physical fitness of Slovenian volleyball male and female cadets between the ages of 15 and 17. The objective of the master's thesis was also to ascertain whether there are statistically significant differences between different time periods and what the trends in the development of measurement results are. The sample included 291 volleyball male players and 180 volleyball female players who qualified for the broader list of the Slovenian national teams between 1994 and 2022. The sample of variables was represented by the results of three morphological tests and sixteen motor tests which were supplemented over the years. Norms for the evaluation of the results were expressed by centiles. To determine the differences between different periods we used a one-factor analysis of variance (ANOVA). By comparing different time periods (the 1st period 1994–2000, the 2nd period 2003–2008, the 3rd period 2010–2016, and the 4th period 2017–2022), we ascertained that there are statistically significant differences between the time periods. Among the male cadets, there were statistically significant differences in the tests of body height, body mass index, spike reach jump, stand and reach test, vertical jump with a turn, leg raises lying, push-ups on the floor, running with changes of direction, and squat jump. Among female cadets, there were statistically significant differences in the body height, body weight, Sargent jump test, spike reach jump, block reach jump, stand and reach test, vertical jump with a turn, throw of a 3 kg heavy medicine ball with both hands in a seated position, leg raises lying, and push-ups on the floor. When identifying trends, we ascertained that male and female cadets are growing higher and higher in height, which represents a good starting point for the further development of Slovenian volleyball. More worrying is the fact that we ascertained negative trends in most of the results of the motor abilities measurements. Positive trends appear in the block reach jump and spike reach jump. The result of these two tests is slightly affected by body height. Positive trends were ascertained in male cadets only in two tests that are independent of body height. In female cadets, we ascertained a positive trend in only one test and an unchanged trend in two tests. The norms that we have created allow volleyball coaches to compare the results of their players in comparison with the best players in this age category.
|
