Improving Volleyball Setting Accuracy Using Arm Strengthening Exercises and Eye–Hand Coordination Drills

Abstract

Young Physical Education learners often struggle to perform accurate, consistent sets in volleyball due to limited physical preparation and underdeveloped perceptual–motor coordination. This study investigated the effectiveness of arm strengthening exercises and eye–hand coordination drills in improving the volleyball setting accuracy of Grade 8 students. Using a quasi-experimental non-equivalent pretest–posttest design, participants from a public secondary school in Valencia City, Bukidnon, were assigned to two intervention groups. Group 1 underwent arm-strengthening exercises, while Group 2 engaged in eye–hand coordination drills over an 8-week intervention period, with sessions conducted once a week. A validated volleyball setting accuracy test was used to measure performance before and after the intervention. Descriptive statistics revealed that both groups initially demonstrated very low to low setting accuracy but improved to moderate levels for the arm strengthening group and high levels for the eye–hand coordination group after the interventions. Paired samples t-test results indicated statistically significant differences between pretest and posttest scores in both groups, indicating that both interventions produced meaningful improvements in setting accuracy. Furthermore, analysis of covariance revealed a significant difference in posttest scores between the two groups, indicating that the type of intervention influenced performance outcomes. The eye–hand coordination drills group obtained significantly higher posttest scores, demonstrating greater effectiveness than the arm strengthening group, suggesting that eye–hand coordination drills yield superior gains in setting accuracy. These results underscore the value of integrating eye–hand coordination drills into school-based Physical Education programs and offer evidence-based guidance for designing effective volleyball training strategies.