Validity of the standing and jump spike tests for monitoring female volleyball players of different levels of competition

The purpose of this paper was to study whether the standing spike test and the jump spike test are valid ways to measure the spike speed for players of different ages. The sample included 27 players from the under-18 Spanish national team and the senior Spanish national team. The variables that were studied include the ball speeds of the standing spike and jump spike tests and the level or age group of the players. The results show that players from the senior national team had significantly higher average and peak speeds for the standing spike and jump spike than players from the under-18 national team (p<0.001). For national team under-18 and senior players, significant correlations were found between average and peak ball speeds for both the standing spike test and the jump spike test (p<0.001). The results show that the standing spike test and the jump spike test are valid tests for monitoring the performance of female volleyball players in development. This article provides values which can be used as references to guide the training process in young players.