Materials and Methods: The research method was semi-experimental. 40 female volleyball players (aged 20.55 ± 2.44 years, weight 47.60 ± 28.4 kilograms, height 163 ± 057.0 centimeters) were randomly assigned to four groups of combined exercises. They participated in an 8-week training protocol, attending three sessions per week. All groups shared rope-jumping exercises, but in the second part of the training, they respectively performed plyometric, ballistic, and resistance exercises. Physical fitness indicators (weight, body fat percentage, body mass index), physical readiness including speed tests, aerobic and anaerobic power, upper and lower body explosive power, endurance, upper and lower body muscular strength, agility, and skill indicators such as serve, spike, and functional test were evaluated. To examine the normality of the data distribution, differences between groups and within-group variations were respectively tested using the Shapiro-Wilk, ANCOVA, post-hoc Bonferroni test and paired t-tests. A significance level of 0.05 was considered for data interpretation.
Finding: Statistical analysis showed significant differences between groups in all evaluated indices, except for body fat percentage and weight. According to the results obtained, the plyometric exercise group demonstrated significant improvement in upper and lower body endurance, upper and lower body strength, lower body explosive power. The resistance group excelled in upper body explosive power, while the ballistic group showed improvement in aerobic power. The resistance group also showed improvement in anaerobic power, speed, and agility. The plyometric group showed improvement in functional tests, and the ballistic and volleyball training groups showed improvement in spike and service skills. The volleyball training group showed significant improvement compared to other groups.
Conclusion: Female volleyball players probably can enhance their performance by incorporating a combination of specific volleyball drills alongside plyometric exercises and ballistic training to improve speed, agility, and anaerobic power. Additionally, they can benefit from resistance training to enhance endurance, strength, and maximal oxygen consumption.