Physical and Physiological Demands of Elite Team Handball

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze elite team handball physical and physiological demands during match play. Time-motion (N = 30) and heart rate (HR; N = 60) analyses were performed throughout 10 official matches. The defined locomotor categories were standing still, walking, jogging, fast running, sprinting, backwards movement, sideways medium-intensity movement, and sideways high-intensity movement, and playing actions studied were jumps, shots, stops when preceded by high-intensity activities, changes of direction and one-on-one situations. During matches, the mean distances covered were 4,370 ± 702.0 m. Around 80% of the total time was spent standing still (43.0 ± 9.27%) and walking (35.0 ± 6.94%) and only 0.4 ± 0.31% with sprinting. The most frequent high-intensity actions were stops, changes of direction, and one-on-one situations. Effective mean HR was 157 ± 18.0 b·min(-1) (82 ± 9.3% of HRmax), and total HR was 139 ± 31.9 b·min(-1) (72 ± 16.7% of HRmax). The HR, time spent in high-intensity activities, frequency of stops, changes of direction, one-on-one situations, and most intense periods of the game were higher during the first half than during the second half (p ≤ 0.05). The opposite was observed for the number of time outs and the time between each change of activity (p = 0.00). Handball is an intermittent exercise that primarily uses aerobic metabolism, interspersed by high-intensity actions that greatly tax anaerobic metabolism. Additionally, exercise intensity decreases from the first to the second half of the match, suggesting that neuromuscular fatigue may occur during the game. The training of elite handball players should comprise exercises targeting the ability to perform specific high-intensity actions throughout the game and to rapidly recover during the less intense periods.

Effects of a high-intensity interval training protocol based on functional exercises on performance and body composition in handball female players

“…Stops and changes in direction were the most repeated actions in the game. 80% of game time, players performed low-intensity aerobic actions (Povoas et al, 2012). This proved the intermittent profile of this sport, as in other collective sports, as well as how important it is to develop good aerobic and anaerobic systems to increase performance (Paludo et al, 2008).…”

“…It is a key element for performance in handball, given that players need to repeat intermittent sprints with multidirectional changes, interspersed with very short rest periods (Povoas et al, 2012). That is why training strategies on this ability may lead to improvements in players' performance in handball (Rey et al, 2017).…”

“…These are considered to be the most significant actions to develop high performance (Bilge, 2013;Michalsik et al, 2013;Karcher & Buchheit, 2014;Iacono et al, 2015b). In their study on professional handball players, Povoas et al (2012) showed how athletes performed very short 825 actions (2-6 seconds) in a 73-minute game, investing a lot of energy in acceleration and deceleration. Stops and changes in direction were the most repeated actions in the game.…”

Reproducibility of heart rate and perceptual demands of game-based training drills in handball players

“…Handball is characterized as an intermittent team-sport with high intensity technical skills and short sprints interspersed by low intensity activities including walking and standing still which represent approximately 70-80% of the total playing time 1,2 . Studies analysing the physiological demands of handball match play from heart rate (HR) response reported average values of 82% of the individual maximal HR (HR max ) in elite adult 2 and adolescent 1 players.…”

“…Studies analysing the physiological demands of handball match play from heart rate (HR) response reported average values of 82% of the individual maximal HR (HR max ) in elite adult 2 and adolescent 1 players.…”