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Volleyball Statistics
Definitions and Resources What are the definitions of the terms attack, block,
assist, dig, pass, ace, and so forth? General Usability: Speed, # Operators, Output Features, Stats How do you keep up with the pace of the game? Technical: Computer Compatibility, Memory, Battery, Resetting What handheld computers are compatible with Volleyball
Ace? Tips and Techniques: Blocks, One-Tap Statting, Opponent How are blocks (and block assists) recorded? Business Issues: Ordering, Availability, Warranty, Support Where can I order Volleyball Ace? Features: Stats, Ratings, Charts, Game Snapshot, Platforms What are the features of Volleyball Ace? Volleyball Ace Versus Desktop and Other Handheld Software Why use handhelds for volleyball stats? Other Frequently-Asked Questions: Can Volleyball Ace be used for stats in practice? Return to Volleyball Ace Home The main web site General Usability: Speed, # Operators, Output Features, Stats How do you keep up with the pace of the game? Volleyball is a fast-paced sport and it is a challenge to record stats and keep up with the game. Volleyball Ace is designed to record stats quickly - quickly enough to keep up with the game. One feature which makes this possible is the volleyball knowledge built into the software. Volleyball Ace knows, for instance, that after the opponent serves, the next hit on the coach side of the net will be a pass. It also knows that the next touch will most likely be a set and that the following touch will be an attack. This means that all you have to do to record a standard pass, set, attack sequence using "One Tap Stats" is to tap on each of the players in sequence (and the point button if the rally ends) and Volleyball Ace records the proper stat. Of course there are override buttons which can be used if the last hit is a freeball and not an attack and so forth. There is also a recording technique which is very helpful. The trick is to watch an entire sequence of hits - what the opponent does (freeball, middle attack, etc.) and the sequence of hits on the coach side of the net (player numbers) - then record this data on the handheld. By the time this information has been recorded, the opponent is ready to send the ball over the net, and you are ready to watch the next sequence. It is also essential to make sure you are ready at the beginning of a match or the next game in a match. Volleyball Ace includes features such as saved lineups and substitution reminders which help you have the right players in the game at the right time with a minimum of effort. Some coaches do stats with Volleyball Ace from videotape instead of in real-time, but most of our users do the stats during the game. Note that we do not recommend that the head coach record the stats - but some of our customers do anyway! How many stat people are needed to collect stats? When you begin using Volleyball Ace it is helpful to have a spotter, so you might initially use two people. After about two matches most users feel comfortable enough not to need a spotter. This is especially true if you watch an entire sequence (hit by opponent and all hits on your side of the net) and then record the data. This is the main trick to keeping up with the game using Volleyball Ace. I personally find it more relaxing and I enjoy the match more if I have a spotter but it isn't really necessary. If you are using every stat feature in Volleyball Ace, including ratings, charts and all stats (in One Tap mode), you may find it easier (if you have more than one handheld) to do the charting on one handheld and ratings and stats on the other. Note that under these circumstances we do permit Volleyball Ace to be used on more than one handheld without purchase of an extra license. What kinds of volleyball stats does Volleyball Ace collect? Volleyball Ace can be used to collect all of the standard types of volleyball stat counts for hitting, blocking, serving, digging, passing and setting, including number of attempts and number of errors. It displays % and efficiency (defined as winners minus errors divided by total attempts for a stat such as attacks) on various reports. Volleyball Ace also keeps track of number of games played by each player so accurate per-game statistics are available. In addition to stat counts, you can optionally rate serves on a scale of 0 to 4 and passes on a scale of 0 to 3. Volleyball Ace can display numbers of serves and passes in each category and also calculates serve and pass rating averages (total rating divided by number rated). You can also optionally chart serves and attacks with Volleyball Ace. Consolidated serve charts and attack charts can be displayed on both the handheld and the desktop. Note that Volleyball Ace can do stats in either of two modes, "Automatic One Tap Stats" and "Selective Two Tap Stats". Most Volleyball Ace users do stats with One Tap Stats because the software understands the sequence of hits in volleyball and you only need to tap on the player to record a stat. Two Tap Stats are typically used when you want to track only a single stat or you want to only chart serves and/or attacks. How do you print, output to Excel, output to web pages? You can print and output to other tools using the Volleyball Ace Desktop Analyzer which runs on the desktop PC and Macintosh. Output to the printer using the Print button and output to other mechanisms using the Output button. You can output to the clipboard (so you can paste into Excel), to HTML files (to post on the web), to delimited data files and to a standardized "XML" volleyball match stat file for uploading to other stat tools. Note that XML output is scheduled for release in version 6. We do not currently output directly from the handheld (such as to a SiPix printer) although it remains a possible future enhancement. Technical: Computer Compatibility, Memory, Battery, Resetting What handheld computers are compatible with Volleyball Ace? Volleyball Ace runs on Palm and Pocket PC handheld computers. Any Palm OS device running Palm OS 3.1 or later (any made in the last 6-7years) can run Volleyball Ace. This includes all Palm Zire, Palm Tungsten, Palm V, Palm VII, and some versions of the Palm III, plus all Sony Clie and Handspring Visor computers. We have tested Volleyball Ace on Palm-based telephones (such as the Treo 650) and it works just fine with version 6 of Volleyball Ace. We have not tested Volleyball Ace on the "Handera" Palm-based handheld (if you have, please let us know!). There is a known problem on the Palm Treo 'W' Pocket PC based phone (see the following paragraphs). Any Pocket PC running the Microsoft Windows CE operating system version 3 or later can run Volleyball Ace. This includes HP iPAQ, Dell Axim, Toshiba Genio and many others. This includes most Pocket PC devices built in the last 5 to 6 years running "Pocket PC", "Pocket PC 2000, 2002 or 2003" and the "Windows Mobile Operating System", all of which are versions of Windows CE. Older Windows CE devices, some of which are called "Palm PCs", are not compatible. Typical Pocket PC devices include the HP iPAQ, the Dell Axim, the Toshiba Genio and many others. Note: Because of a screen size problem, Volleyball Ace does NOT work properly on the Pocket PC-based Treo phones (denoted by a 'W' in their product names). What desktop computers are compatible with Volleyball Ace? The desktop components of Volleyball Ace, including the Volleyball Ace Desktop Analyzer and the handheld synchronization, run on all Windows-based PCs running Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Vista. Note: If you are running Windows Vista, make certain that your Palm desktop software is the most up-to-date version. To do this, go to "www.palm.com/us/support/downloads", select the appropriate handheld device, then click on the download for "Palm Desktop and HotSync Manager". Older versions of the Palm software were not compatible with Windows Vista, but the newer versions are. The desktop components of Volleyball Ace do run on the Macintosh and are compatible with both the classic Mac operating systems (9 and earlier) and Mac OS X. You must, however, download updated Palm Desktop software if your version is older than version 4. We do not recommend using a Pocket PC with the Macintosh, but we know of users who have done so successfully using third party software. Note: We strongly recommend against trying to run anything on Windows Me. How much memory is required? Volleyball Ace does not require a lot of memory (it was originally tested on a Palm device with only 2 MB of memory). The handheld applications take about .5 MB and each saved game takes between 4 and 8 KB, so a typical season of saved stats takes up about .8 MB. We usually keep the current season's matches on the handheld and clear them out at the end of the season. (We keep the stats which have been uploaded to the desktop indefinitely). How long will my handheld battery last? In our experience, a fully-charged handheld (or one with new replaceable batteries) should be capable of recording stats for a team playing in a tournament for an entire day of 6 matches. We try to make sure that our handhelds are completely charged before a tournament begins. As a backup we usually bring an extra (old) handheld. We also take a recharging unit with us and sometimes use it to recharge the batteries during lunch break. The most useful charger we have is one which works off a cigarette lighter (the outlet in our van is "on" even when the key is off). Black-and-white handheld batteries last much longer than color units because they do not have "backlighting." However, we prefer the backlit displays because they are easier to see in dark gyms. Note that the backlighting can be turned off on color units (you hold the on/off switch down for a little extra time) and this really extends battery life. We have done stats for two entire matches after getting a battery warning by turning off the backlighting. Note: As a rechargeable battery gets older it holds less charge. If you are using a unit which is several years old it may not last as long as we have described. It is always a good idea to try to keep your batteries charged. Important note: Never let your rechargeable (or replaceable)
battery run out. If the battery goes completely dead, all data stored
on the handheld will be erased. We make a practice of recharging our handhelds
immediately after a match at the same time that we do a HotSync or ActiveSync
to upload the stats to our desktop. What do I do if my handheld computer "hangs"? Occasionally a handheld computer will malfunction and need to be reset. This can be the result of a software malfunction, static electricity or even a hard knock on the handheld (we like to drop ours on concrete sidewalks). Before you do anything, double-check to make sure that the handheld is, in fact, turned on. (Handhelds turn themselves off after a period of inactivity to conserve the battery. For first-time users this can be a little unnerving until you get used to it.) Push the on switch to make sure. If it still does not do anything then it might be "hung." If a Palm handheld computer "hangs" it usually displays a blinking black line in the upper left corner of the screen. If a Pocket PC "hangs" it usually just freezes up and will not react to a tap or any buttons. On a Palm there are three kinds of resets, a soft reset, a harder soft reset and a hard reset. The hard reset erases everything on the handheld except built-in applications. This means that all saved files and all installed applications are erased by a hard reset. A hard reset should be used only as a last resort. Unfortunately some handheld computer support people immediately suggest doing a hard reset. What you should do is to try the soft reset, then the slightly harder reset, then the hard reset only if all else fails. To do a soft reset on either a Palm or a Pocket PC, locate the reset hold on the back side of the handheld. Bend a paperclip and push one end into the reset hole. The handheld should come back to life. I have never done a hard reset on a Pocket PC because the soft reset has always worked to bring my devices back to life. If the soft reset doesn't work on the Palm, do a slightly harder reset. Click the rocker switch up and hold it there while clicking on the reset. After releasing the reset, release the rocker switch. This is the harder soft reset. It resets some extra stuff on the Palm and often is enough to resurrect it. If this still doesn't work, do a hard reset by holding the power switch down and clicking on the reset. Note that the hard reset has the same effect as letting the batteries run completely out. After a hard reset you will have to reinstall your applications. The good news is that the Palm will automatically restore any applications which were on the Palm the last time you did a HotSync. The ActiveSync synchronization performs a similar restore for the Pocket PC. Tips and Techniques: Blocks, One-Tap Statting, Opponent How are blocks (and block assists) recorded? The first tap on the coach team side of the net is by default considered to be either a pass or a dig, depending on what the opponent did on their side of the net. If instead you need to record a block (or a block attempt or a block error), just tap on the same player a second time and Volleyball Ace will make the stat a block. If this touch terminates the point then the player will be given a solo block if the coach team wins the point or a blocking error if the opponent wins the point. Note that it is not considered a blocking error if an opponent attacks the ball into a block and makes a successful kill (the blocker was "tooled"). Blocking errors should only be recorded for violations such as going into the net. To record a block assist, tap twice on a second player. If the ball remains in play tap on the player who passes the ball off the block attempt and so forth just as in a rally where no block occurred. How do you get the opponent lineup? It is not essential to enter the lineup for the opposing team because Volleyball Ace only records the opposing team stats by type and not by player. If, however, you want to keep track of the opponent's lineup and rotation (we always do) we have several tips on how best to do this. First, we get the opponent's roster by recording the player numbers during warmups. (It is a bit more of a challenge when they wear warmups without player numbers!). Second, there is a "golden moment" when the players line up before the game starts so the ref can check their positions against the lineup card. At this instant we record the opponent's lineup. If we don't get the complete lineup at that point it is not a big deal. As the players go back to serve we do a "quick sub" by tapping on their rotation position and pick the proper player number. By the end of 6 rotations we usually have their lineup under control. (We don't always get all of the opponent's substitutions, but we do get most of them). Business Issues: Ordering, Availability, Warranty, Support Where can I order Volleyball Ace? Volleyball Ace can be ordered directly from us on this web site, over the phone at (877) 223-8225 or from our distributors. Volleyball Ace is currently available from Midwest Volleyball Warehouse, Spike Nashbar, 1st Place Volleyball and VolleyHut. What do I get when I buy Volleyball Ace? Volleyball Ace includes the handheld applications for recording and reporting stats, the Volleyball Ace Desktop Analyzer for analyzing and reporting stats on the desktop and the Volleyball Ace Data Entry Worksheet, which allows you to manually enter stats for games not statted using Volleyball Ace. The license includes a year of technical support, a printed users guide and installation instructions. All software is installed from the installation CD and handheld applications are automatically moved to the handheld by the HotSync (Palm) and ActiveSync (Pocket PC) utilities. Is there a demo version available? We do not provide a "demo" version of Volleyball Ace. Instead we provide a 30-day money-back guarantee. Purchase Volleyball Ace, and if you don't like it, return it to us and we will give you a full refund. We have been shipping Volleyball Ace for over 3 years and have had very few copies returned to us for refunds. Is there a product warranty? Volleyball Ace has the "standard" warranty that comes with all software which is that the CD will be replaced if it is found to be defective (whoopee!). What is more important, however, is that we care about the quality and reliability of our software. If you report a problem to us, we will make a concerted effort to reproduce it, fix it and return a fixed copy to you. On occasion, if we find a serious problem we ship updates to all of our customers. What is the support policy? We provide telephone and email support to our customers. Officially, purchasing a copy of Volleyball Ace gets you technical support for one year or until the next upgrade is available. Purchasing an upgrade to an existing license extends that support. Unofficially, we have never refused to answer a customer's call or email because they are using an older version of the product. (We do encourage them, however, to upgrade if they can afford it!) Note that we provide technical support using people who are volleyball coaches themselves. Also note that support is provided to customers who purchase directly from us and to customers who purchase Volleyball Ace from our licensed distributors. What is the upgrade policy? We produce upgrades to Volleyball Ace at about one to one and one-half year intervals. Product upgrades are available to currently licensed customers at a price somewhat less than half of the original license price. We are currently shipping version 5 and plan to product version 6 some time this Spring. Upgrades are currently $60 plus s/h. Features: Stats, Ratings, Charts, Game Snapshot, Platforms What are the features of Volleyball Ace? Stats collected: Volleyball Ace collects hitting, passing,
digging, serving, setting and blocking stats. It can also collect serve
and pass ratings and chart serves and attacks. See "What kinds of
volleyball stats does Volleyball Ace collect?" in the Usability
section of these notes for more details. Platforms: Runs on Palm and Pocket PC handhelds to record
and report stats. Desktop components run on Windows PCs and Macintoshes. Desktop features: Automatically uploads game stats from handheld. Has many built-in reports including box scores, points per rotation, per-game stats, individual stats and more. Reports can be customized to include what you want to see. Flexible output to web pages (creates HTML), output to Excel (via clipboard) and to printer. Includes utility to correct player numbers in statted games. Also includes utility to adjust stats and enter manually-collected stats via Excel worksheet. Volleyball Ace Versus Desktop and Other Handheld Software Why use handhelds for volleyball stats? Handheld computers such as the Palm and Pocket PC, are ideal for collecting volleyball stats during a game. They are compact (fit in your hand or pocket), durable and affordable. Combined with Volleyball Ace, stats can be collected right on the bench without using a large crew of people or needing a statkeeper's table. Some of our coaches even take their handheld into the huddle during timeouts to talk about the game! And at about one tenth the cost of laptops, handheld computers are affordable. Furthermore, you don't have to worry about destroying a $1000 (or $2000) laptop with an errant shot or serve! How does Volleyball Ace compare to other handheld stat software? Usability: Volleyball Ace's unique "One Tap Stats"
is a better way to record stats and keep up with the pace of the game,
making it possible to record stats during a match. Because Volleyball
Ace "understands" volleyball and the stats associated with the
sequence of touches on the ball, you only need to tap on the player and
Volleyball Ace knows what the stat is! Support: We created Volleyball Ace because we wanted a
usable tool to collect stats (way back in 2000). We did not farm out the
software development to a third party, and we worked with it ourselves
for over a year before we introduced it. Our support staff understands
the product because they are volleyball coaches and they were actively
involved in the original design of the product. Other Frequently-Asked Questions: Practice Stats Can Volleyball Ace be used for stats in practice? Volleyball Ace can be used to stat scrimmages during practice
and stat some kinds of drills. However, because the software keeps track
of players in rotation and you can only record a stat for a player who
is in the "game", it is not effective for many drills which
involve the entire team. Should I buy the TapRecorder or Volleyball Ace? Of course we believe that you should buy both products,
but if budget constraints force you to make a choice, here are some guidelines:
Volleyball Ace is ideal for recording stats during volleyball matches
because it "understands" how volleyball stats and scoring work.
It keeps track of players in the game, the current score, charts serves
and attacks and has many built-in consolidation features. The TapRecorder
is much more open-ended, allowing you to record data for as many "players"
as you want and as many kinds of stats as you want, but it does not keep
track of the score, who is in the game in what rotation and it does not
feature the many desktop reports available with Volleyball Ace. Return to Volleyball Ace Home The main site
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