Analysis of declarative and procedural knowledge in volleyball according to the level of practice and players' age.

The main objective of the research was to analyse the cognitive expertise of volleyball players, according to their level of practice and age, as well as to verify the existing difference in the knowledge of individuals of the same age but with different levels of practice. The study sample was comprised of 535 individuals ages 12 to 16 years. The independent variables were the level of practice, i.e., playing category in training and in competition (Under-14 and Under-16), and the age. The dependent variables were declarative knowledge and procedural knowledge. An analysis of variance was performed to examine the influence of the level of practice on the declarative knowledge and procedural knowledge of the volleyball players in training stages. There were significant differences both in declarative knowledge and in procedural knowledge according to level of practice. Significant differences were also observed between consecutive ages at different levels of practice. These results show that the level of practice in training and competition is a more relevant factor than the change of age in development of specific knowledge of the sport.