Manner of Execution and Efficacy of Reception in Men’s Beach Volleyball

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the way the reception was executed on the efficacy of the reception in men’s beach volleyball. The sample of this study was composed of 5,161 receptions, corresponding to 84 matches (179 sets) of the Men’s Beach Volleyball World Tour organized by the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB). The sample included only confrontations between the first 30 teams of the World Tour (FIVB ranking). The variables studied were: a) manner of serve execution: standing, power jump serve, and floating jump serve; b) reception technique (bump, overhead, and other); c) zone of reception: the court was divided into 10 equal zones; d) reception efficacy; e) spike efficacy; and f) rally result: win, continuity, or loss. The bump reception involved the highest efficacy coefficient, the number of receptions that allowed all options, and it was the most used reception. The power jump serve was the type of serve that most limited the receivers. This limitation was found when the serve required the receivers to move. The same tendency was found in the reception of the floating jump serve and standing serve, although not in the interference zone. Reception efficacy has a direct relationship with spike efficacy and winning the rally. The reception is the foundation for building a team’s attack. The data found in the present study can be used as a reference to guide match analysis and practices in men’s performance-level beach volleyball.