Use, Validity and Reliability of Inertial Movement Units in Volleyball: Systematic Review of the Scientific Literature

Abstract

The use of inertial devices in sport has become increasingly common. The aim of this study was to examine the validity and reliability of multiple devices for measuring jump height in volleyball. The search was carried out in four databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Sciences and SPORTDiscus) using keywords and Boolean operators. Twenty-one studies were selected that met the established selection criteria. The studies focused on determining the validity and reliability of IMUs (52.38%), on controlling and quantifying external load (28.57%) and on describing differences between playing positions (19.05%). Indoor volleyball was the modality in which IMUs have been used the most. The most evaluated population was elite, adult and senior athletes. The IMUs were used both in training and in competition, evaluating mainly the amount of jump, the height of the jumps and some biomechanical aspects. Criteria and good validity values for jump counting are established. The reliability of the devices and the evidence is contradictory. IMUs are devices used in volleyball to count and measure vertical displacements and/or compare these measurements with the playing position, training or to determine the external load of the athletes. It has good validity measures, although inter-measurement reliability needs to be improved. Further studies are suggested to position IMUs as measuring instruments to analyze jumping and sport performance of players and teams.

Postural Analysis Using Rasterstereography and Inertial Measurement Units in Volleyball Players: Different Roles as Indicators of Injury Predisposition

“…In our study, balance has been investigated through tasks performed with an IMU. The use of IMUs is nowadays common, mostly in élite players, as these units give access to data on kinematic, spatial, and physiological parameters, which can be used to improve physical performance and sport-specific skills [39].…”

The Retos journal is in the second quartile of Scopus: a bibliometric analysis from 2016 to 2023

“…The data sources and search strategy method (Figure 1) employed the PRISMA flow chart, which was derived from various prior studies (Anugerah et al, 2022;Díaz-Tejerina & Fernández-Río, 2023;Fithroni et al, 2024;Luarte-Rocha et al, 2023;Simbolon et al, 2023). According to previous studies (Gamonales et al, 2022;Lopez & Castro, 2021;Ramos Álvarez et al, 2021;Simbolon et al, 2023;Villarejo-García et al, 2023) use Boolean logic functions, such as "AND" "OR" in Scopus, the following was done for this study: SRCTITLE ( Retos ) AND PUBYEAR > 2015 AND PUBYEAR < 2024 AND ( LIMIT-TO ( EXACTSRC-TITLE , "Retos" ) ). This search on the Scopus database yielded 2334 documents.…”

Body fat of competitive volleyball players: a systematic review with meta-analysis

“…The sport is played by two teams on a playing court divided by a net (set at the height of 2.43 m for men and 2.24 m for women) and characterized by high-intensity and mainly explosive efforts, such as accelerations, decelerations, jumping, blocking, serving, ball-striking, and landing (from an average 3–9 s in 1991 to an average 6–9 s in 2008), interspersed with longer periods of recovery (from an average 10–20 s in 1991 to an average 20–27 s in 2008) [ 1–3 ]. Recently, both researchers and practitioners have paid increasing attention to physical and physiological attributes of competitive volleyball athletes to better inform their decision-making [ 4 ]. Jump performance, for example, has been identified to be highly indicative of athletes` performance level [ 5–8 ].…”