Relationship Between Change of Direction, Speed, and Power in Male and Female National Olympic Team Handball Athletes

Abstract

Pereira, LA, Nimphius, S, Kobal, R, Kitamura, K, Turisco, LAL, Orsi, RC, Cal Abad, CC, and Loturco, I. Relationship between change of direction, speed, and power in male and female National Olympic Team handball athletes. J Strength Cond Res 32(10): 2987-2994, 2018-The aims of this study were to (a) assess the relationship between selected speed- and power-related abilities (determined by 20-m sprint, unloaded countermovement jump [CMJ] and squat jump [SJ], and loaded jump squat [JS]) and performance in 2 distinct change of direction (COD) protocols (Zigzag test and T-test) and (b) determine the magnitude of difference between female and male Brazilian National Olympic Team handball athletes. Fifteen male and 23 female elite handball athletes volunteered to perform the following assessments: SJ and CMJ; Zigzag test and T-test; 20-m sprint with 5-, 10-, and 20-m splits; and mean propulsive power in JS. Pearson's product-moment correlation (p ≤ 0.05) was performed to determine the relationship between the COD tests (Zigzag test and T-test) and speed-power measures (sprint, SJ, CMJ, and JS). The differences between male and female performances were determined using the magnitude-based inference. Moderate to very large significant correlations were observed between both COD tests and the speed-power abilities. Furthermore, male athletes demonstrated likely to almost certainly higher performances than female athletes in all assessed variables. The results of the current study suggest that different speed-power qualities are strongly correlated to the performance obtained in various COD assessments (r values varying from 0.38 to 0.84 and from 0.34 to 0.84 for correlations between speed and power tests with Zigzag test and T-test, respectively). However, the level of these associations can vary greatly, according to the mechanical demands of each respective COD task. Although COD tests may be difficult to implement during competitive seasons, because of the strong correlations presented herein, the regular use of vertical jump tests with these athletes seems to be an effective and applied alternative. Furthermore, it might be inferred that the proper development of loaded and unloaded jump abilities has potential for improving the physical qualities related to COD performance in handball athletes.

Prediction of Handball Players' Performance on the Basis of Kinanthropometric Variables, Conditioning Abilities, and Handball Skills

“…With regard to the differences according to sex, our results are consistent with a study of elite adult handball players which found differences between the sexes (adult elite men and women players) in 15 m and 30 m sprints, the CMJ, and throwing speed (Wagner et al, 2018). The results of a study of the Brazilian Olympic teams (Pereira et al, 2018) were in the same line, finding differences in 10 m and 20 m sprints, the CMJ, and the zig-zag and T tests. For the U14 teams, however, fewer variables differentiated the sexes.…”

“…Not surprisingly, another recent study found that, compared with adult female players, male players were heavier, taller, faster, stronger, jumped higher, and had greater aerobic capacity, evaluated by general conditioning tests (Wagner et al, 2018). Another recent study (Pereira et al, 2018) conducted with the Brazilian national Olympic team found that men performed better than women in jumps (SJ, CMJ), sprints (10 and 20 m), and agility (the zig-zag and Ttests); yet for younger handball players, differences by sex in anthropometric and conditioning variables do not seem at all clear. Thus, a study of conditioning abilities (Ingebrigtsen et al, 2013) only found better results in male than in female players (U16 and U18) in the SJ and sprints, while a study of younger players (14 years old) found differences between the sexes in body height and mass, a horizontal jump, a sit-and-reach test, and the number of abdominals performed in one minute abdominals (Dellagrana et al, 2010).…”

High-Performance Handball Player’s Time-Motion Analysis by Playing Positions

“…The players’ position data were collected through a Local Positioning System (LPS) (Kinexon Precision Technologies, Munich, Germany), which has been recently validated [ 7 ] and used in studies on team sports [ 8 , 9 ], showing adequate between-device reliability (coefficient of variation around 5%) when compared to well-known systems such as GPS. Firmware versions and application software versions corresponded to the latest releases on the testing date (August 2019).…”

“…The very nature of the game implies that players must be physically trained to maintain the game’s speed and intensity throughout a match [ 4 , 6 , 7 , 8 ], whether they play in offense or defense. Therefore, knowing and understanding the sport’s physical demands (distances, speeds, intensities) [ 1 ], as well as technical–tactical actions [ 4 , 7 ] (passes, throws, jumps, marking, change of direction, etc.) is essential to correctly plan players’ training.…”

“…To the best of our knowledge, no study has been conducted considering in detail the two phases of the game, offense and defense, and analyzing all the playing positions by using a technology that allows load individualization and automation, a local positioning system (LPS). Better knowledge of on-court demands of handball players at the highest level is necessary to improve the individualization of physical preparation [ 3 , 6 , 7 , 17 , 18 ].…”