THE EFFECTIVENESS OF FASCIA TRAINING IN IMPROVING SERVE ACCURACY AND SPIKE VELOCITY AMONG FEMALE VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS AT PALESTINE TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY – KADOORIE

Abstract

This study investigated whether an eight-week fascia-based training program improves serve accuracy and spike velocity in female volleyball players at Palestine Technical University – Kadoorie. Twenty-eight athletes were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n=14) that performed fascia training three times per week (45 minutes per session) or to a control group (n=14) that continued routine practice. A quasi-experimental pretest–posttest control-group design was used. Outcomes were serve accuracy to five court zones and spike velocity in three conditions (Standing A, Above Net, General Position C). Groups were equivalent at baseline. Within the experimental group, paired samples t-tests showed significant pre–post gains (α≤0.05) in all skill variables, with particularly large improvements in serve accuracy (Zone 1: 324.05%, Zone 2: 134.27%, Zone 3: 100.58%, Zone 4: 163.16%, Zone 5: 68.82%) and smaller but reliable increases in spike velocity (Standing A: 0.96%, Above Net: 1.28%, General Position C: 1.67%). Between groups, ANCOVA controlling for pretest scores indicated that the experimental group outperformed the control in every serve-accuracy zone (F values significant at α≤0.05; η²=0.25–0.48) and in all spike-velocity tests (F significant; η²≈0.20–0.21). These effects reflect moderate-to-large practical magnitudes. The findings suggest that fascia-oriented conditioning—which emphasizes elastic loading, recoil, and kinetic-chain coordination—can enhance the precision and speed components underpinning volleyball’s decisive technical actions. Implementing such training alongside technical practice may offer coaches a feasible, evidence-supported strategy to improve performance quality among university-level female players.