Physical match demands of four LIQUI-MOLY Handball-Bundesliga teams from 2019–2022: effects of season, team, match outcome, playing position, and halftime

Abstract

IntroductionDue to the development in team handball, there is a need to optimize the physical capacities of team handball players for which knowledge of the physical match demands is essential. The aim of this study was to investigate the physical match demands of four LIQUI-MOLY Handball-Bundesliga (HBL) teams across three seasons with respect to the effects of season, team, match outcome, playing position, and halftime.MethodsA fixed installed local positioning system (Kinexon) was used, collecting 2D positional and 3D inertial measurement unit data at 20 and 100 Hz, respectively. The physical match demands were operationalized by basic (e.g., distance, speed, and acceleration) and more advanced variables (e.g., jumps, throws, impacts, acceleration load, and metabolic power). A total of 347 matches (213 with an additional ball tracking) were analyzed from four teams (one top, two middle, and one lower ranked) during three consecutive seasons (2019–2022). One-way ANOVAs were calculated to estimate differences between more than two groups (e.g., season, team, match outcome, playing position). Mean differences between halftimes were estimated using Yuen’s test for paired samples.ResultsLarge effects were detected for the season (0.6≤ξ^≤0.86), team (0.56≤ξ^≤0.72), and playing position (0.64≤ξ^≤0.98). Medium effects were found for match outcome (ξ^≤0.36) and halftime (ξ^≤0.47).ConclusionFor the first time, we provide a comprehensive analysis of physical match demands in handball players competing in the LIQUI-MOLY Handball-Bundesliga. We found that physical match demands differ on that top-level with up to large effect sizes concerning the season, team, match outcome, playing position, and halftime. Our outcomes can help practitioners and researchers to develop team and player profiles as well as to optimize talent identification, training, regeneration, prevention, and rehabilitation procedures.

Exploración de las métricas de carga externa en el balonmano de equipo: Un estudio del Campeonato Europeo Masculino Sub-20

“…The results show that the Wings ran substantially higher distances at high speed than all other positions with medium and large magnitude differences compared to the Line Players, and Backs respectively, similar to other studies' findings (Bassek et al, 2023;Carton-Llorente et al, 2023;Saal et al, 2023). For Wings, the results were expected, as these players have more court length available and are the ones that usually have the tactical role of a fast-breaking way, forming the first wave (or line) of the fast break to get an open scoring opportunity .…”

“…For the locomotive metrics, the total distance covered, and the High-Speed Running (HSR) distance were considered. The threshold criteria for HSR in handball has been arbitrary, lacking validation or consensus among researchers, with values ranging from 4 to 5.5 m.s -1 (Bassek et al, 2023;Carton-Llorente et al, 2023;Fleureau et al, 2023;Manchado et al, 2020;Manchado et al, 2021;Saal et al, 2023). Nevertheless, we decided to follow the Carton-Llorente et al ( 2023) study, whose threshold is defined as 4.4 m.s -1 .…”

Influencia de la posición de juego en las aceleraciones y deceleraciones soportadas por jugadoras semiprofesionales de balonmano en competición oficial

“…Los valores más bajos de aceleraciones y deceleraciones se encontraron en la posición de pivote. Estos resultados son similares a los encontrados por Saal et al (2023), confirmando, además, que la diferencia aumentaba cuando se observaban las aceleraciones/deceleraciones de alta intensidad (3-3,5 m/s 2 ) o de muy alta intensidad (> 3,5 m/s 2 ).…”

“…Por tanto, parece que la evidencia científica sobre las demandas físicas durante las competiciones oficiales en balonmano femenino es actualmente limitada. Específicamente, factores determinantes de rendimiento como las aceleraciones y las deceleraciones no han sido suficientemente analizados hasta la fecha, como sí se ha hecho en el contexto masculino a través de la utilización de sistemas de posicionamiento local (LPS) y unidades inerciales de medida (IMU) (Saal et al, 2023). La capacidad para acelerar y frenar en un partido de balonmano ha sido considerada como imprescindible para alcanzar el máximo rendimiento físico, incluso por encima de la capacidad de velocidad máxima (Font et al, 2021).…”

Phase angle as an indicator of body composition and physical performance in handball players

“…Due to the complex nature of the sport, the physical demands in handball vary depending on factors such as playing position, the level of competition, and gender. These demands encompass various physical aspects, including the strength of both upper and lower limbs, as well as cardiorespiratory fitness [ 5 ].…”