An analysis of fitness and time-motion characteristics of handball

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine some fitness parameters of two elite handball players, including the current world champion, and also to determine some of the time-motion characteristics of the game of hand-ball. The VO2 max values of the two players were found to be similar (53.1 and 55.2 ml/kg/min), while the world champion was substantially higher on the anaerobic power test and in peak ventilation scores. The results of heart rate monitoring of these players indicated that the mean game heart rate was dependent on several external factors, such as the skill level of each player, the fitness level of each player, the length of the rallies, and the player in control of the rally. The mean heart rate for the world champion was 149 beats per minute (bpm) during each game, while that for the other skilled player was 163.6 bpm, which represented 80% and 88% of maximum, respectively. The average length of each rally was 9 seconds, and the mean pause time (between rallies) was 10 seconds, producing a work-to-test ratio of approximately 1:1. The ball was found to be in play for an average of 47.3% of the total mean game time of 17 minutes. Each player was found to take approximately 350 strokes per match, with the world champion, and eventually the winner, taking a greater number of serves. Handball training should consist of interval training at an intensity of at least 80% of maximum heart rate, with a work-to-rest ratio of 1:1 and an emphasis on 10 second intervals.

Differences in Physical Fitness and Throwing Velocity Among Elite and Amateur Female Handball Players

“…These results agree with previous studies measuring maximal aerobic power (V O 2max ), showing that: 1) V O 2max in female handball players is 20 -30 % higher than in sedentary young females, although substantially lower than in long distance female runners [4,9,19,27], and 2) average V O 2max values in elite female handball players (54 ml • kg -1 • min -1 ) are around 10% higher than in amateur female handball players [14]. Taken together, these results suggest that, as has been observed in elite male handball players [2,8,11,13,22,23], female handball players do not need high aerobic capacities to excel in their sport. However, the differences observed in maximal oxygen consumption and in V 3 between elite and amateur female players suggest that aerobic capacity and maximal aerobic power can distinguish between female handball players of different standards and that a minimum level of endurance running must be reached to succeed in female handball.…”

Differences in Physical Fitness and Throwing Velocity Among Elite and Amateur Male Handball Players

“…Based on studies measuring heart rate and blood lactate levels during 30-to 60-min handball games, it has been estimated that handball level performance demands a high aerobic capacity [6,15,16]. However, elite and lower level male handball players do not present high aerobic capacities because their average values of maximal oxygen consumption [1,6,10,16], percent of type I fibres [16], and succinate dehydrogenase activity in the vastus lateralis muscle [16] are 20 ± 30% higher than in sedentary males, although similar to schoolchildren and much lower than long distance runners [16]. Moreover, player changes are particularly frequent in handball; during an official handball match they play an average of 25 ± 30 minutes and only cover distances between 1.1 to 3.0 km [1,23], with a low average glycogen depletion in mixed muscle fibres (39 % of the initial levels) [16], and low energy expenditure (from 500 to 800 Kcal [3]).…”

Differences in physical fitness among indoor and outdoor elite male soccer players

“…This is an unexpected Wnding because, at Wrst, lower aerobic capacity should be expected in IS than in OS players, bearing in mind that: (1) during an oYcial game, compared to top-class OS players, IS players play on average less time (70 min vs. 80 min) (Bangsbo et al 1991;Barbero-Alvarez et al 2008), and cover less total distance (4-6 km vs. 10-13 km) ( Barbero-Alvarez et al 2008;Mohr et al 2003) on a lower surface area (800 m 2 vs. 8,000 m 2 ) with lower absolute energy expenditure, and (2) basketball and handball players, who compete in relatively similar playing areas, with similar total times, distances covered (McInnes et al 1995;Pers et al 2002) and free changes to IS players, have lower aerobic capacity than OS soccer players (Gorostiaga et al 2005). However, it has been shown that the percentage of the total distance covered at high and maximum speed (Alexander and Boreskie 1989;Bangsbo 1994;McInnes et al 1995) as well as the mean heart rates and percentages of maximum heart rate values (Alexander and Boreskie 1989;McInnes et al 1995) recorded in IS players during plays and games (Castagna et al 2008) are greater than in basketball, handball and OS. These higher physical and cardiorespiratory demands made by training and competition could explain the higher endurance capacity values observed in IS players compared to elite basketball or handball players.…”