Determination of player potential in volleyball: coaches' rating versus game performance

The purpose of this study was to determine if the factors which coaches feel indicated superior player potential were the same as those factors which contribute to successful competition outcome. Players from two colleges were evaluated for general and specific performance variables prior to a regular season match between the teams. A player's ability rating was the total of four coaches' ranking on a 1-to-10 scale. Multiple regression analysis to predict player ability rating selected age, vertical jump, total body movement time, and agility (R = 0.87). However, step-wise discriminant analysis to differentiate winning and losing team members selected shoulder flexibility, agility, forearm bump, and sit-and-reach flexibility. The canonical correlation between the winning-losing dichotomy and these skills was 0.74 and resulted in proper classification of 84.6% of the correct team members. It was concluded that the skills coaches consider indicative of superior ability are not necessarily the factors which dictate winning performance.