The Influence of drill and command teaching methods on volleyball overhead service skills among vocational high school students

Abstract

Background and Study Aim. The overhand serve is a fundamental skill in volleyball and requires high levels of precision, coordination, energy, and consistency during execution. Mastering this skill can be difficult. The drill and command methods are commonly used to develop overhand serve skills. This study aimed to analyze the impact of the drill and command methods on the acquisition of overhand serve skills in vocational high school students. Materials and Methods. Participants in this study consisted of 42 extracurricular volleyball students from vocational high schools in Kendari City, who were randomly divided into drill (n = 21) and command (n = 21) groups. Each group participated in 90-minute training sessions for 6 weeks. Overhand serve skills were assessed before and after the intervention using a valid and reliable service skill test (accuracy, power, and consistency) with r = 0.89. Using the provided test, a series of statistical tests, including descriptive statistics, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov normality test, Levene's homogeneity test, the paired t-test, and the independent t-test, were used to analyze improvement scores, with Cohen's d used to measure effect size. Results. There was a significant increase in the drill group from 5.81 ± 1.21 to 8.57 ± 0.68 (t(20) = 11.60; p < 0.001; d = 2.53) and in the command group from 6.19 ± 1.08 to 7.14 ± 1.15 (t(20) = 5.42; p < 0.001; d = 1.18). The difference in mean improvement scores between the drill group (2.76) and the command group (0.95) was significant (t(40) = 6.12; p < 0.001; d = 1.89). Conclusions. Each approach demonstrated improvement in the overhand serve skill, with the drill method showing greater and more consistent improvement. Learning fundamental skills in volleyball should focus on repeated, structured practice.