The purpose of the study was to assess assumed differences in some physiological parameters, obtained by an incremental intermittent running field test 30–15IFT, among elite handball players to get an insight into the specifics of aerobic capacity profiles of players in different playing positions. Twenty-four elite male handball players were tested using the Cosmed K4 portable telemetry system. The following parameters were analysed: running velocity, heart rate, oxygen uptake, relative oxygen uptake, pulmonary ventilation breath-by-breath, at the three points—lactate threshold (LT), onset of blood lactate accumulation (OBLA), and at the peak velocity achieved on the test (v30–15IFT). Additionally, blood lactate concentration was analysed at v30–15IFT. The players were divided in three groups based on their playing positions: eight backcourt players, eight wing players and eight pivot players. In terms of both the statistically significant and non-significant differences, the wings achieved slightly different results in comparison to the backcourt players and pivots. The wings reached a statistically significant higher velocity at the LT than the players of the other two groups and a significantly higher velocity than the pivots at the OBLA. At all the three points, wings presented the highest HR values, meaning they can operate at higher intensities still within the aerobic work zone. This would probably allow wing players to longer persist in handball game.

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the physiological parameters indicative of cardiorespiratory fitness obtained during the 30-15 intermittent fitness (30-15IFT) test and the multistage laboratory treadmill endurance (TR) test differ. Nineteen elite handball players were recruited for the current study and assigned in a cross-over manner to one of two tests to be performed 48 h apart at each visit to the testing facility. The results showed that VO2max (percentage difference [PC] = 6.1%; p = 0.004) and maximal running velocity (V) (PC = 19.4%; p < 0.001) were significantly higher for the 30-15IFT test than that obtained during the TR test. Furthermore, the onset of blood lactate accumulation was shown to be significantly higher for all measures considered to predict it during 30-15IFT compared to TR as follows: VO2max (PC = 12.6%; p = 0.001), running speed (PC = 33.9%; p < 0.001), and maximal heart rate (PC = 7.5%; p < 0.001). The current study highlights the importance of sport-specific testing, particularly for measuring individual cardiorespiratory fitness in elite handball players, as TR may underestimate crucial variables used for both diagnostics and training prescription.

The aim of the present study was to describe the morphological and performance characteristics of elite handball players using data collected over the last two decades within the talent evaluation program of the Slovenian Handball Federation. A total of 1066 elite male handball players selected for one of the Slovenian national teams (U17, U19, U21 or senior) were recruited. The data were collected from 2007/8 to the 2021/22 season. The main effects were observed for: body height, body weight, and body mass index (BMI). The muscle mass percentage differed only between different age categories (p = 0.003; η2 = 0.015), while the fat mass percentage (FM%) differed between playing positions (p < 0.001; η2 = 0.107). Post-hoc comparisons showed that, within senior handball players, pivot players were 6.46 cm (p = 0.009) taller than wing players and heavier than goalkeepers (12.43 kg, p = 0.004), backcourts (13.30 kg, p < 0.001) and wings (17.83 kg, p < 0.001). Moreover, pivots had a greater BMI than goalkeepers (2.3 kg/m2, p = 0.003), backcourts (2.62 kg/m2, p < 0.001), and wings (3.07 kg/m2, p < 0.001), while FM% was significantly higher in pivots compared to wings (4.32%, p = 0.010). Taking into consideration playing positions and age, the main effects were also observed for squat jump height, countermovement jump height, end-running speed, and VO2max (all p < 0.001; η2 = 0.017 to 0.091). Both morphological and performance characteristics clearly differ across playing positions and age categories, which should be a valuable guide for coaches to develop position-specific talent identification programs and training plans.