Play and practice in sport development of volleyball elite athletes

The aim of this study was to analyze the weekly practice time in the participation in deliberate play and deliberate practice activities during the stages of sports development of elite players of Brazilian volleyball. Participating in the study 121 players from the Brazilian volleyball national teams of the training and adult categories, as well as players who had already finished their sporting career. The data related to the weekly hours of participation in the activities in each stage of sports training were obtained through a questionnaire. The data analysis was performed from the GLM-ANOVA two-factor. The results indicated a balance in the weekly duration of participation in deliberate play and deliberate practice activities in the sampling years, while there was a significant difference (p<0.05) in the duration of each type of activity between the specialization and investment years. A gradual increase of the development was observed with the deliberate practice and, consequently, the decrease of the participation in deliberate play in the evolution of the stages. It is concluded that these players were involved in activities of deliberate practice since the beginning of sports development, a fact that may have influenced their performance as a volleyball player, from experiences with systematized sport.