On-court throwing activity of male handball players during the European Championship 2020

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the on-court throwing activity in regards to playing positions, throwing zones on the court and throwing velocity category during the male European Championship 2020. A local positioning system with microsensors placed both in the shirts of the players and inside the ball itself was used. In total, 6568 throws were retrieved for analysis from the entire tournament. Results showed that first-line players (wings and line players) used their natural zone more to throw (65% left wing, 60% right wing, and 97% line player), showing higher effectiveness from there (p < 0.05). Second lines players distributed more of their throws (45% left back, 50% right back and 32% center back in their natural zones) giving priority to the throws in 6 m, where they showed higher effectiveness (p < 0.05), or between the lines. Considering all players, shots from nearby and intermediate areas corresponded to 83% of the shots showing higher efficiency (p < 0.05) than shots performed from the areas furthest from the goal (14.9%. from zones 6-7-8). Back players mainly performed the highest velocity throws (Category 4 > ~100 km/h) from these furthest areas. Throwing velocity and effectiveness by throwing zones and positions was not significantly modified over the three rounds of the tournament (p > 0.05), indicating no effect of possible fatigue. A higher team ranking was associated with higher throwing efficiency but only for wing players. The results of this research could help handball coaches to better adjust training programs for the improvement of throwing velocity and its transfer to the competition.

Performance analysis in top handball matches in the seasons before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic

“…In the official statistics of the PGNiGSuperleague Ltd. regarding shots taken and goals scored, it is not recorded from which positions they were taken and from which zones of the court. Previous research results indicate differences in the number and effectiveness of throw-ins in relation to the position and location from which the throw-in is made (Pueo et al, 2022(Pueo et al, , 2023. Therefore, it should be concluded that the lack of these data is one of the limitations of the results presented in this publication.…”

“…They lack reference regarding the location and tactical situation of throws in the context of the position and sector of the field. Previous research indicates that these are factors that differentiate the number and effectiveness of throws (Pueo et al, 2022(Pueo et al, , 2023. A specific limitation of the present study is also the lack of information on the implemented training content, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.…”

Analysis of Movement and Actions of Wingers as Second-Line Players in Organized Attack in Handball

“…Similarly, there is a higher tendency for second-line players to finish the play, with the final goal percentage being above 58% ( Table 4 ). However, a higher team ranking was associated with higher throwing efficiency, but only for wingers ( Pueo et al, 2023 ).…”

Home advantage in matches of the top Polish men’s handball league in the seasons before, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic

“…The obtained results correspond with recent reports [27], which indicate a trend in the offensive play of teams focusing on finalizing the action with throws from 6 meters. It should also be pointed out that throws made from closer distances show higher efficiency [24,25,27]. Such a condition may indicate the implementation of offensive actions, which create the possibility of obtaining the highest sports score within a single match.…”