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This present study aims to show the main offensive differences between handball teams that lead to a win or a loss. The samples were collected through quantitative analyses of the Champions League 2011-2012 handball games. This study relied on non-descriptive and non-parametric statistics. The Mann-Whitney U test was used as the statistical method. The variables that show the significant differences in favour of the winners were the goals obtained in positioned attacks, 9-meter goals and 7-meter penalties, which, in the semifinals and final decided who the winner would be. This study shows that the teams who reached the finals and came out victorious have a wide and well-defined range of offensive actions enabling them to involve all aspects of the game, in any situation. This tendency was particularly visible in positioned attacks, which was the main difference throughout the competition.

The purpose of this study was to analyse the performance of professional rink hockey goalkeepers and ascertain whether this is influenced by the opposition's offensive play. A sample of 40 matches, including 1713 shots on goal from the Portuguese First Division (2016/2017) was analysed using Chi-square and logistic regression analysis. The results suggest that goalkeepers are more effective in the first half versus the second half (odds ratio [OR] = 1.39; 95% CI: 1.06-1.82; p = 0.017) of matches. Goalkeeping performance was also lower in the direct free-hits (OR = 0.22; 95% CI: 0.13-0.38; p < 0.001) and penalties (OR = 0.12; 95% CI: 0.06-0.22; p < 0.001), when compared with indirect free-hits. The technique most used by rink hockey goalkeepers to save shots at goal is the "knee on the floor". Observations demonstrate that when attacks commence in the oppositions defensive area, teams are 55% more likely to score and shots at the upper zones of the goal have a higher probability of being successful. These findings could assist coaches and researchers in understanding current goalkeeping performance in relation to offensive patterns of play in rink hockey.

The main objective of this research is to focus on a systematic review of the literature on handball, to identify potential areas for future research in this specific area of specialization. The most common research topics were identified, their methodologies were described, and the evolutionary tendencies of this area of research were systematized. Within a systematic review of the Web of Science ™ Core Collection, PubMed, and SportDiscus databases, according to the PRISMA guidelines, the following keywords were used: "handball", each one associated with the terms: "match analysis", "performance analysis", "notational analysis", "game analysis", "tactical analysis", and "patterns of play". Of the 245 studies initially identified, 28 were fully reviewed, and their results were analysed. Studies that meet all the inclusion criteria were organized according to the research design as descriptive, comparative, or predictive. The results showed that most of the studies use the statistics available through the tournament organization; some researchers have attempted to find some association between cause and effect in different contexts. The studies focused their analysis on four main variables of performance: total shots and finals, end match outcome, Time Outs (TTos), and the relationship between home advantage. This systematic review can provide useful information on potential lines of research for performance analysts in the field of handball match analysis.

Peak oxygen uptake (V̇O2peak) is routinely expressed in litres per minute and by unit of body mass (mL·kg(-1)·min(-1)) despite the theoretical and statistical limitations of using ratios. Allometric modeling is an effective approach for partitioning body-size effects in a performance variable. The current study examined the relationships among chronological age (CA), skeletal age (SA), total body and appendicular size descriptors, and V̇O2peak in male adolescent roller hockey players. Seventy-three Portuguese, highly trained male athletes (CA, 15.4 ± 0.6 years; SA, 16.4 ± 1.5 years; stature, 169.9 ± 6.9 cm; body mass, 63.7 ± 10.7 kg; thigh volume, 4.8 ± 1.0 L) performed an incremental maximal test on a motorized treadmill. Exponents for body size descriptors were 2.15 for stature (R(2) = 0.30, p < 0.01) and 0.55 for thigh volume (R(2) = 0.46, p < 0.01). The combination of stature or thigh volume and CA or SA, and CA(2) or SA(2), increased the explained variance in V̇O2peak (R(2) ranged from 0.30 to 0.55). The findings of the allometric model combining more than 1 body size descriptor (i.e., stature and thigh volume) in addition to SA and CA(2) were not significant. Results suggest that thigh volume and SA are the main contributors to interindividual variability in aerobic fitness.

This study aimed to investigate the student-athletes' capability to face the academic, sport, and social challenges during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown and to disclose novel aspects of dual careers. A 32-item online survey encompassing demographic characteristics, sport and university engagement, support and dual-career benefits, physical activity, sitting time, and the time deemed necessary to recover the previous level of performance was developed. Four hundred sixty-seven student-athletes (males: 57%, females: 43%) from 11 countries, competing in 49 different sports (individual: 63.4%, team: 36.6%) at regional (17.5%), national (43.3%), and international (39.2%) levels, and enrolled at high school (21.9%) and university (78.1%) levels completed the survey. During the lockdown, the respondents decreased the time dedicated to sport and academics, although they maintained an active lifestyle. Student-athletes from countries under severe contagion were more likely to train at home, dedicate to academics, and receive support from the coach but less likely receive support from their teachers. With respect to their team sport counterparts, athletes competing in individual sports trained more and were more likely to receive support from their coaches. International athletes showed the highest training time and support from their coaches and as student-athletes. High school students received more support from their coaches and teachers, whereas university students were more likely considering dual careers useful to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. This study substantiates the relevant role of competitive sports participation in the maintenance of active lifestyles, with student-athletes considering home training and e-learning valuable resources during the lockdown. Furthermore, their sport and academic commitments helped student-athletes cope with the emergency of the COVID-19 pandemic.

When stature and FM are used for indexing LVM in a sample of adolescent athletes, biological maturity status should also be considered.

This study aimed to verify the network of interactions resulting from the collective behavior of professional football teams and the influence of ball possession. A dataset of 30 matches of one highly successful team from the Portuguese Premier League, season 2010/2011, was considered. From these 30 matches, 13,958 passes (e.g., 11,127 successfully passes and 2831 unsuccessfully passes) and 7583 collective offensive actions were analysed. The data were analysed using Node XL Template that allows to characterize networks and team activity profiles. The results showed that football players' interactions tended to occur, preferentially, during the offensive phase, wherein the network of contacts was mainly organised in the central and lateral areas of the field. We concluded that the ball possession during a football match endows the team with a larger domain in terms of game actions. Moreover, the results of this study also allow concluding that the ball possession does not significantly influence the final outcome of the game. This study has practical implications for coaches, since it provides a multidimensional analysis of the football match (e.g., networks and ball possession) and offers relevant insights on how creative and organizing individuals might act to orchestrate team strategies. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Complexity 21: 342–354, 2016