Anthropometric, reach jump, medicine-ball throw and lateral movement differences among elite female volleyball players: a field-based assessment

Position-specific physical and physiological characteristics differ considerably among elite female volleyball players. This study aimed to compare anthropometric, explosive power, and movement ability differences across playing positions using field-based tests. Eighty professional female players from the Chinese Volleyball League were divided into four positional groups: outside hitter/opposite (OH/OPP), middle blocker (MB), setter (S), and libero (L). Assessments included height, arm span, medicine ball throw (OH/OPP and MB only), running vertical jump reach, and lateral movement test. Data were analyzed using one‑way ANOVA or Kruskal–Wallis test with post hoc comparisons; significance was set at P < 0.05. Significant inter‑positional differences were observed in anthropometry, jump reach, and lateral movement (all P < 0.05). MBs were tallest with the longest arm span and fastest lateral movement. OH/OPPs showed greater upper‑body explosive power than MBs in the medicine ball throw. Discriminant analysis further supported the position‑specific nature of the physical profiles with an overall classification accuracy of 80.0%. These findings describe group‑level differences in selected field‑based measures, which may assist in position‑specific training design for Chinese elite female volleyball players.