Transition play in team performance of volleyball: a log-linear analysis

The purpose of this study was to develop and test a method to analyze and evaluate sequential skill performances in a team sport. An on-line computerized system was developed to record and summarize the sequential skill performances in volleyball. Seventy-two sample games from the third Federation of International Volleyball Cup men's competition were videotaped and grouped into two categories according to the final team standing and game outcome. Log-linear procedures were used to investigate the nature and degree of the relationship in the first-order (pass-to-set, set-to-spike) and second-order (pass-to-spike) transition plays. Results showed that there was a significant dependency in both the first-order and second-order transition plays, indicating that the outcome of a skill performance is highly influenced by the quality of a preceding skill performance. In addition, the pattern of the transition plays was stable and consistent, regardless of the classification status: Game Outcome, Team Standing, or Transition Process. The methodology and subsequent results provide valuable aids for a thorough understanding of the characteristics of transition plays in volleyball. In addition, the concept of sequential performance analysis may serve as an example for sport scientists in investigating probabilistic patterns of motor performance.