The Impact of Mechanical Feedback on Correcting Errors in Overhead Volleyball Serve Performance

Abstract

Background. It is challenging to master the overhead serve in volleyball because of the several ways of positioning the body correctly when hitting the ball and the toss. This skill is incredibly challenging for novices who experience problems positioning different body parts. Objectives. This work aims to apply mechanical feedback to analyze the mistakes likely to occur in overhead volleyball serves and compare it with the usual verbal and visual feedback. Methods. This study involved 45 male students from the University of Anbar's College of Physical Education, randomly divided into two groups: one with 25 participants receiving verbal and occasional visual feedback and another with 20 receiving both visual and mechanical feedback. The research measured the kinematic coherence of limb movements and the direction of the serving arm. Results. The experimental group demonstrated significantly higher gains in kinematic coherence and serving arm accuracy than the control group. Particular improvements were supported by specific p-values (e.g., p<0.001 for kinematic coherence, p=0.002 for serving arm accuracy), demonstrating the higher efficiency of mechanical feedback. Conclusion. Mechanical feedback improves learning and performance in volleyball overhead serves by enhancing the specificity and timing of feedback regarding player positioning and movement.