Profile of young handball players by playing position and determinants of ball throwing velocity

Abstract

Profile of young handball players by playing position and determinants of ball throwing velocity This study defined the differences in physical qualities and anthropometric characteristics among playing positions in young male handball players, and investigated the relationship between ball throwing velocity and all measured parameters. 182 young male handball players, aged 14.3yrs, with playing experience of 4.5yrs, were classified as: back players, centre backs, pivots, wing players, and goalkeepers. Body height, body mass, BMI, arm span, hand length, standing long jump, 30m sprint, flexibility, VO2max and throwing velocity were measured. Significant differences were detected among individual positions for all measured variables, except for flexibility. Backs were tallest, while pivots showed the largest arm span and hand length. Wings were shortest, with the lowest weight and BMI. Backs and wings performed best in the standing long jump, 30m sprint, flexibility and VO2max. Goalkeepers underperformed in all motor abilities. Ball velocity significantly correlated to all variables except for BMI and flexibility. Anthropometric and physical differences exist among different positions in young male handball players. These parameters influence ball velocity. The findings suggest that a high performance level requires advanced physical qualities as well as anthropometric features for these ages, and coaches should apply specific training programs for each playing position.

The Use of Anthropometric and Skill Data to Identify Talented Adolescent Team Handball Athletes

“…High physical stature affects positively all longitudinal dimensions of the body and it is considered a key element for athletes' selection that is also often connected with the result of the match. (Zapartidis, Vareltzis, Gouvali & Kororos, 2009;Zapartidis et al, 2011) This is in accordance with previous study, who considered body size as very important to achieve a high level of performance in throwing. (Reilly, 2001) Mohamed et al (2009), examined the differences existing between elite (Ν =18) and non-elite (Ν = 29) Belgian handball players aged 15 (0.6) years old using discriminant analysis.…”

“…Longer upper extremities contribute to maximizing throwing velocity and longer hand spread and length influence specific motor abilities such as dribble, passing, catching and ball throwing. Zapartidis et al, 2011). The purpose of this study was to detect possible differences following a talent selection program in terms of basic anthropometric characteristics and physical abilities between selected and unselected young handball athletes and to identify those characteristics that can select the young athletes participating in such programs.…”

Talent in sports. Some reflections about the search for future champions

“…Moreover, even within specific sport disciplines, the physical requirements will vary strongly, depending on the position of the players on the field; This positionspecific adaptation has been observed for various sports, including volleyball (Sheppard, Gabbe, & Raebery, 2009), handball (Zapartidis, Kororos, Christodoulidis, Skoufas, & Bayios, 2011), and rugby (Delahunt et al, 2013). Till et al (2011) also turned to the game of rugby to examine the anthropometric and performance characteristics influencing the selection of players for the regional and national teams.…”

Effectiveness of Male Handball Goalkeepers: A historical overview 1982-2012

“…Physical and physiological characteristics in absolute male category (Ghobadi, Rajabi, Farzad, Bayati, & Jeffreys, 2013) and in female category (Cavala & Katic, 2010;Milanese, Piscitelli, Lampis, & Zancanaro, 2011Vila et al, 2012) have been studied. Similarly, there have been studies that have established the specific characteristics of dominate players in relation to the position in the field, either on specific selections (Sporis, Vuleta, Vuleta, Dinko, & Milanovic, 2010) or players at lower categories (Lopes, Jacobs, Travieso, & Araujo, 2014;Matthys, Fransen, Vaeyens, Lenoir, & Philippaerts, 2013;Rousanoglou, Noutsos, & Bayios, 2014;Zapartidis, Kororos, Christodoulidis, Skoufas, & Bayios, 2011). Among these studies, the physical characteristics of goalkeepers are evaluated in depth through a battery of tests where the importance of height and size is shown as decisive features of goalkeeper performance (Justin, Vuleta, Pori, Kajtna, & Pori, 2013).…”