The Effect of Virtual Reality-Based Applications on the Agility and Balance Performance of Female Volleyball Players

Abstract

Virtual reality (VR)-supported applications may provide an alternative context for motor-skill practice in sports science. This study examined the immediate effects of a single VR session on agility and balance in 51 female volleyball players aged 11-14 years. Participants were allocated sequentially to an agility experimental group (n=19), a balance experimental group (n=15), or a control group (n=17). Each participant completed one VR session lasting approximately four minutes and no longer than five minutes. The illinois agility test, T-test, Y-Balance test, and flamingo balance test were administered before and after the session. Because parametric assumptions were not met, within-group changes were examined with the Wilcoxon signed-rank test and change scores were compared across groups with the Kruskal-Wallis H test; effect sizes were also reported. Within-group improvements were found in the T-test and illinois agility test for the agility group, in the illinois agility and Y-Balance tests for the balance group, and in the illinois agility test for the control group. The between-group difference was significant only for the T-test (H=12.26, p=.002, ε²=.214). Pairwise comparisons showed that the agility group differed from the balance group, but neither experimental group demonstrated superiority over the control group. No between-group differences were found for illinois agility, Y-Balance, or flamingo change scores. These findings indicate test-specific, short-term changes after a single VR exposure; they do not establish that the experimental VR applications were superior to the control application.