The Defense System Optimizer (DSO) model: a new data-analysis technique to support volleyball coaches’ decision-making

Since the emergence of DataVolley, the use of new technologies giving support to coaches and scouters has gained sympathy among volleyball decision-makers, becoming an essential tool to analyse the performance of a team. In this work, we construct a maximal coverage model to understand how a volleyball defensive system works, in terms of the optimal configuration of blockers and defenders to play and their location on the court under an opponent attack. With this in mind, we call it the “Defense System Optimizer (DSO) model.” In order to simulate feasibly the studied scenario, the DSO model involves parameters about the coach strategy, players’ performance and skills, and physical measures. We tested the model mixing simulated parameters and real data from high-level male-professional players of the Mexico’s national team. The results of 100 instances analysed in different scenarios confirm the model convergence, and permit to identify optimal formations and patterns of selected players in dependence of both the input parameters and the efficiency of the players, in reasonable computational times (<5 s). This positions the DSO model as a multi-purpose tool able to reproduce realistic defense systems, which motivates to explore specific scenarios in real-time games, training and scouting of players.