What Is a Good Science Fair Project on Volleyball?

Many variables can affect the game of volleyball.

Science experiments are all about identifying the variables that cause certain results, and volleyball works as well as any natural phenomenon. When creating a science experiment, the key is to look at the game in terms of the factors you can manipulate to see how it changes the performance of a player or team. With a keen eye, you can spot many potential experiments based on the game of volleyball. Then you can turn your experiment into a project that can be displayed at a science fair.

Practice Makes Perfect

Manipulate the training schedules of different teams to see whether their performance is affected. Ensure that the teams' total practice times remain the same, but change the scheduling of practices to see whether it improves or worsens each team's performance. For example, try one team in the morning, another in the evening or see whether two shorter practices throughout the day are as good as one longer practice.

Sand vs. Wood

Train or find two teams, one that has primarily played on sand courts, the other in gyms. Take note of the skills each team seems to excel at or whether there is a noticeable difference in their play styles. Have the teams trade courts and practice. How quickly do they adapt to the new environment? Have their skills carried over? Could it be more effective to practice certain skills on different court types?

Teamwork

Experiment with the team itself by training one group as individuals and another as a unit. Make sure both teams spend equal time training and are practicing the same skill sets or fundamentals. Compare the progress each team makes both as a unit and as individuals. See whether there are any skills where players did considerably better in one training regimen. Your results might even demonstrate superior ways to train players as a whole.

Team-building

Since volleyball is a team sport, the ability of a team to work to function as a unit is of the utmost importance. Experiment on the ability of a team to work together by seeing whether team morale outside practice and competition makes a difference. Have one team spend time not only practicing together, but also socializing. Have a second team kept separate except for practice and matches. Observe how well the team members work and communicate with one another.

Making a Project

Once your experiment is done, you will need to find a way to display your data and results as a project. To do this, it helps to have documentation of your experiment so the effects can be observed. If your experiment focuses on training and practice regimens, for example, videotaping the team every day would be helpful so you can show their improvement day by day. When it is time to present your project, there are several options. You can do it visually on poster board or with presentation software, or a simple report will also work. Regardless of the message, a science project needs to convey certain information. Your audience will need to see your summarized research notes, your hypothesis, methodology (how you performed the experiment), your experimental data and, finally, your results.

References

• Science Fair Project: The Scientific Method