Evolution of match performance parameters in elite men's handball 2012–2022

Abstract

The aim of this study was to quantify longitudinal changes in the games of the 6 Men’s European Handball Championship (EHC) celebrated between 2012 and 2022. A total of 563 match observations were examined. Specifically, the study contained the Number of Goals, Number of Attacks, Number of Shots, Number of Saves, Offensive Efficacy (Number of Goals/Number of Attacks × 100) and Defensive Efficacy (100 − Offensive Efficacy of the Opponent). Data were examined using the Kruskal–Wallis test and linear regression analysis. Results suggest that the number of goals remained relatively constant from 2012 to 2022. However, the number of attacks, shots, saves and defensive efficacy decreased, while offensive efficacy increased. These findings can contribute to a better understanding of how handball is evolving from a structural or tactical viewpoint.

Home advantage in matches of the top Polish men’s handball league in the seasons before, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Previous research indicates that such a phenomenon occurred in pre-COVID seasons in football [16,28,29]. The Th% results indicating higher throwing efficiency in the post-COVID-19 season are consistent with data in the literature, which show increasing throwing efficiency over two years [27], as well as the last decade [22].…”

“…The constraints of the COVID-19 pandemic greatly hampered both technical and tactical preparation, which may have been one of the reasons for the differences shown. Previous studies also indicate a tendency for defensive play to become less effective, which could also be one of the reasons for the differences shown [22,27]. It should also be noted that no differences were shown in the second round of games, which may indicate the adaptation of players to the conditions.…”

Performance analysis in top handball matches in the seasons before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic

“…This is supported by the results of previous studies indicating that throws from the 6th meter are more effective than those from the 9th (Pueo et al, 2022;Smolarczyk, 2023). Longitudinal studies also indicate a trend toward increased offensive efficiency including throwing (Pascual et al, 2023). Thus, it can be conjectured that the latest handball game is becoming more dynamic and relies on the skills of passing and penetrating the defensive zone to bring about a throw-in from close to the goal, which is more effective (Smolarczyk, 2023).…”

Development and Validation of an Observational Game Analysis Tool with Artificial Intelligence for Handball: Handball.ai

“…Research has been carried out in different sport contexts, such as the Olympic Games [ 44 , 45 , 46 ], World Championships [ 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 ], European Championships [ 52 ], Pan-American Championships [ 53 ], European Champions League [ 54 , 55 ], national leagues [ 56 , 57 ], semi-professional or amateur contexts [ 58 , 59 ] and youth competitions [ 60 ]. Other investigations based on game-related statistics focused on the role played by the goalkeeper [ 61 ], the impact of the ‘empty goal’ rule of substitution of the goalkeeper by a court player [ 62 ], the influence of variables associated with sport experience [ 63 ], the establishment of an individual performance index rating—’Play Score’ [ 64 ]—the defence-attack relationship [ 65 ], the relevance of contextual variables [ 66 ] or coaching decisions (e.g., time-outs) [ 67 ].…”