COMPARATIVE STUDY ON THE EFFECT OF PLYOMETRIC TRAINING WITH AND WITHOUT SANDBAG TRAINING ON VO₂ MAX AMONG SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL ATHLETES

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of plyometric training, both with and without sandbag integration, on the improvement of VO₂ max among volleyball players. A pre- and post-test randomized group design was adopted, involving forty-five volleyball players who were randomly divided into three groups of fifteen each. Group I served as the Plyometric Training with Sandbag Training Group (PTWSBTG, n = 15), Group II functioned as the Plyometric Training without Sandbag Training Group (PTWOSBTG, n = 15), and Group III acted as the Control Group (CG, n = 15).VO₂ max was assessed before and after a twelve-week training period. The data were analyzed using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA), and Scheffé’s post-hoc test was employed to determine differences between paired means. A significance level of 0.05 was set as the criterion for statistical acceptance. The findings revealed that plyometric training combined with sandbag exercises produced greater improvements in VO₂ max compared to plyometric training alone and the control group.