Relationships between anthropometric parameters and overarm throw in elite beach handball

Abstract

Purpose. beach handball is a physically demanding sport. the aim of the study was to establish the relationships between anthropometric characteristics and overarm ball speed, a key performance factor. Methods. Overall, 11 male players from the Spanish beach handball national team were recruited. throw speed was assessed in 3 throw types: standing throw (St), standing throw after two steps (rSt), and jump throw with a run-up and self-spin (rSSt). Pearson correlation was used to determine the correlation between variables. Magnitudes were evaluated qualitatively with magnitude-based inference, and the effects of anthropometric variables on the throw tests were analysed with stepwise multiple regression. Results. Maximal throw speed was 25.64 ± 4.14 m • s-1 for St, 23.71 ± 4.24 m • s-1 for rSt, and 24.83 ± 5.49 m • s-1 for rSSt. Large positive correlations were found between throw speed and middle, ring, and little finger lengths (P4 polygon) (r = 0.66 and 0.61 for St and rSSt, respectively). Very large (r = 0.77) and large (r = 0.68) correlations were observed between St and rSt, respectively, and elbow breadth. these results were likely positive for St: P4 (76/24/0), elbow epicondyle distance (EED) (91/9/0); and for rSt: EED (79/21/0); and possibly positive for rSt: P4 (68/32/0). St and rSt were predicted by P4 in 44% and by combining P4 and finger span FS1 in 68%. Conclusions. St and rSt ball speed in beach handball was related to specific hand/elbow anthropometric characteristics which can be easily measured.

Relationship between Anthropometric Parameters and Throwing Speed in Amateur Male Handball Players at Different Ages

“…Hand size and fingers length, influence the most on throwing in handball [ 14 , 15 , 16 ]. The latter allows a greater and better mastery of the ball [ 17 ] and seems to be the best indicator of throwing accuracy and shot due to its positive correlation with the maximum grip strength [ 18 ].…”

Usefulness of Linear Mixed-Effects Models to Assess the Relationship between Objective and Subjective Internal Load in Team Sports

“…In line with studies investigating the indoor handball characteristics [ 8 , 31 , 32 , 33 ], many aspects of beach handball, such as physiological parameters [ 22 , 34 ], individual and team performance [ 35 , 36 ], and shooting actions [ 37 , 38 , 39 ], have been investigated. However, no previous study has investigated the relationship between the objective (SHRZ) and subjective (sRPE) methods used for assessing the players’ internal load.…”

Notational analysis of beach handball

“…Secondly, in the present study it was not possible to collect players' anthropometrical data. As anthropometrics could affect the throwing performance [9,15,18], further research should investigate also the possible impact of players' anthropometrical characteristics on their shooting efficiencies. Finally, as technical and tactical indicators are regularly affected by the margin of victory (i.e., difference between teams according to score) [38], further research should also control for the score between opposite teams.…”

“…Reflecting the studies on indoor handball [6][7][8][9], researches on beach handball focused on physiological and kinematic aspects [10][11][12][13][14], individual and team performance [3,15] and shooting analysis [4,16,17]. Several moderate-to-high intensity activities distributed intermittently throughout the match characterizes beach handball, with males performing more moderate and high intensity accelerations than females [10] and kinematics variables (i.e.…”

“…Jimenez-Olmedo et al [15] showed that specific anthropometric characteristics (i.e., elbow perimeters and dimension of hand polygons) are positively correlated with throwing performance in beach handball players, in particular for the specialist. However, because overarm throw is a multi-joint movement with many potential degrees of freedom, basic anthropometric parameters proved to be more important than hand dimensions [15]. In addition to individual's throwing capacity, the cooperation among players is crucial for a successful shooting performance [3].…”