Developing evidence informed game modifications for junior volleyball

It is well established that scaling equipment, playing environment, and playing conditions (e.g., number of players) according to youth body dimensions and physical capacities promotes greater engagement, enjoyment and consequently, retention, compared with unscaled or ‘adult’ conditions (Buszard et al., 2016). Despite this, most Australian sports require children and youth to compete in oversized conditions, particularly in the under 9 to under 12 age groups (Broadbent et al., 2021). A central issue in body-scaling approaches to junior sport pathways, is determining the most optimal scaling ratio for game modifications according to physical maturation and athletic development in children and youth. To date, Pellet et al. (1994) is the single study to investigate body-scaling in junior volleyball. They reported higher level of set and serve success in year 7 female players when they played with a ball that was 25% lighter than the standard weight (Pellet, 1994). Further research is needed to delineate evidence-based body-scaling guidelines for junior volleyball across a wider range of equipment, game conditions, and age and gender groups to better support participation and performance development.