Physical actions and work-rest time in men's beach volleyball

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the ball contacts, jumps, hits, work time, and rest ratio in male beach volleyball players in relation to their tactical roles. The sample of this study included 6970 rallies played by 91 beach volleyball players, which corresponded to 179 sets of the 2008 Men's Beach Volleyball World Tour (FIVB). We analyzed: ball contacts, jumps, hits, work time, rest time, set (first, second or third), and player's tactical role (e.g., defense specialist, blocker, or no specialization). A significantly higher number of jumps were executed by blockers. No differences were found in the third set for any of the physical variables studied. This paper provides references about the physical demands (e.g., contacts, jumps, and hits for blockers and defense specialists) and temporal patterns of the beach volleyball game (i.e., work and rest time) for two-set matches and three-set matches.