Skip to main content
Log in

Physical performance in female handball players according to playing position

Körperliche Leistungsfähigkeit von Handballspielerinnen in Abhängigkeit von der Spielposition

German Journal of Exercise and Sport Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Demands for female handball players are not yet sufficiently specified, especially not with respect to position-specific performance. For optimal match preparation, individual training based on specific demands of each position is necessary. Consequently, the aim of the study was to gain insight into position-specific differences in female handball players in order to establish position-specific training recommendations. Data from 652 female players from German leagues of all levels were analyzed using a test-battery assessing handball-relevant physical performance factors. Players were tested during their usual training in their regular training locations for running, throwing speed, jumping height, reaction-speed, basic running endurance, arm and abdominal muscle strength and hamstrings and lower back flexibility. Significant differences between positions were found for several parameters, while the differences were pronounced variably at the different performance levels. For example, goalkeepers performed worst in the Half-Cooper test (p < 0.001) at elite level with wings displaying the best values. Halfbacks had the highest throwing speed (p < 0.001) and jumping heights (p < 0.002) at elite level. Goalkeepers were slowest for best and mean value out of five attempts (p < 0.001; p < 0.010) in 20 m sprint but, together with wings outperformed half and centre backs at elite level in 30 m sprint (best out of two attempts, p < 0.001). Goalkeepers also did fewer chin ups than wing and back players at elite level (p < 0.003). The present study demonstrated positional differences regarding physical performance parameters, thus suggesting the need to intensify position-specific training, especially for goalkeepers during preparation and in-season. Also, position-specific testing during selection-processes might be indicated.

Zusammenfassung

Die Anforderungen an Handballspielerinnen sind noch nicht genau genug definiert, insbesondere in Bezug auf die positionsspezifische Leistungsfähigkeit. Die optimale Vorbereitung auf ein Spiel erfordert individuelles Training, basierend auf den charakteristischen Anforderungen an jede einzelne Position. Ziel dieser Studie war daher die Ermittlung positionsspezifischer Unterschiede zwischen Handballspielerinnen, um positionsspezifische Trainingsempfehlungen formulieren zu können. Daten von 652 Spielerinnen aus deutschen Ligen aller Leistungsniveaus wurden mit einer Testbatterie für handballrelevante körperliche Leistungsfaktoren analysiert. Die Spielerinnen wurden im normalen Trainingsbetrieb und am gewohnten Trainingsort getestet. Untersucht wurden Laufen, Wurfgeschwindigkeit, Sprunghöhe, Reaktionsschnelligkeit, Grundlagenausdauer, Kraft der Arm- und Bauchmuskulatur sowie Flexibilität der ischiokruralen Muskulatur und des unteren Rückens. Signifikante Unterschiede zwischen den Positionen fanden sich in mehreren Parametern, wobei die Unterschiede auf den verschiedenen Leistungsniveaus mehr oder weniger stark ausgeprägt waren. So schnitten Torhüterinnen im Spitzensport beim Half-Cooper-Test (p < 0,001) am schlechtesten ab, während Außenspielerinnen die besten Werte aufwiesen. Spielerinnen auf Rückraumlinks und Rückraumrechts auf Spitzenniveau zeigten die höchste Wurfgeschwindigkeit (p < 0,001) und Sprunghöhe (p < 0,002). Torhüterinnen waren beim 20-m-Sprint in den Best- und Mittelwerten nach 5 Versuchen am langsamsten (p < 0,001; p < 0,010), waren aber zusammen mit den Außenspielerinnen sowie den Spielerinnen aller Rückraumpositionen beim 30-m-Sprint im Spitzensport überlegen (bester von 2 Versuchen, p < 0,001). Torhüterinnen schafften auch weniger Klimmzüge als Außen- und Rückraumspielerinnen auf Spitzenniveau (p < 0,003). Die vorliegende Studie zeigt positionsbezogene Unterschiede in Parametern der körperlichen Leistungsfähigkeit und legt damit eine Intensivierung des positionsspezifischen Trainings nahe, insbesondere für Torhüterinnen in der Vorbereitung und während der Saison. Zudem könnten positionsspezifische Tests in Auswahlverfahren angebracht sein.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bajgorić, S., Rogulj, N., Čavala, M., & Burger, A. (2017). Difference in attack situational activity indicators between suddessful and less successful teams in elite men’s handball. Sport Sciences for Health, 13, 1–5.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Balyi, I., & Hamilton, A. (2004). Long-term athlete development: Trainability in childhood and adolescence. Windows of opportunity. Optimal trainability. Victoria: National Coaching Institute British Columbia & Advanced Training and Performance Ltd.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bortz, J., & Döhring, N. (2006). Forschungsmethoden und Evaluation für Human- und Geisteswissenschaftler [Scientific methods and evaluation for humanities and arts (4th edn.). Heidelberg: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brisson, T. (2003). Foreword. In J. Starkes & K. A. Ericsson (Eds.), Expert performance in sport: recent advances in research on sport expertise (pp. ix–x). Champaign: Human Kinetics.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brisswater, J., Legros, P., & Durand, M. (1996). Running economy, preferred step length correlated to body dimensions in elite middle distance runners. Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, 36(7), 7–15.

    Google Scholar 

  • Büsch, D., Schorer, J., & Lotz, S. (2008). DHB-Tagung 2008: Vorläufige Auswertung der Sichtung 2008 [DHB-Symposium: Prelimiary evaluation of tryouts 2008. Leipzig, Münster: IAT Leipzig, DHB and Westfalic Wilhelms-University of Münster.

    Google Scholar 

  • De Castro, J. A. P. R., de Sequeira, P. J. R. M., & Cruz, C. M. C. (2011). Goalkeeper—Specific training for youngsters : characterization of the importance and structure in the formation process of handball goalkeeper. In EHF (Ed.), EHF Scientific Conference 2011 (pp. 238–242). Haugsdorf: Hofer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Čavala, M., & Katić, R. (2010). Morphological, motor and situation-motor characteristics of elite female handball players according to playing performance and position. Collegium Antrhopologicum, 34(4), 1355–1361.

    Google Scholar 

  • Čavala, M., Trninić, V., Jašić, D., & Tomljanović, M. (2013). The influence of somatotpye components and personality traits on the playing position and the quality of top Croatian cadet female handball players. Collegium Anthropologicum, 37(2013), 93–100.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chaouachi, A., Brughelli, M., Levin, G., Boudhina, N. B. B., Cronin, J., & Chamari, K. (2009). Anthropometric, physiological and performance characteristics of elite team-handball players. Journal of Sports Sciences, 27(2), 151–157.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, J. (1998). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences. Hillsdale, L. Lawrence Earlbaum Associates

    Google Scholar 

  • Fernández-Romero, J., Vila Suárez, H., & Cancela Carral, J. M. (2017). Selection of talents in handball: anthropometric and performance analysis. Revista Brasileira de Medicina do Esporte, 23(5), 361–365.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Geithner, C. A., Lee, A. M., & Bradno, M. R. (2006). Physiological and performance differences among forward, defense and goalkeeper in elite women’s ice-hockey. Journal of Strength and conditioning research, 20(3), 500–505.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gonçalves, C. E. B., Rama, L. M. L., & Figueiredo, A. B. (2012). Talent identification in sport: an overview of some unanswered questions. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 2012(7), 390–393.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gómez-López, M., Granero-Gallegos, A., Molina, S. F., & Ríos, L. J. C. (2017). Relative age effect during the selection of young handball player. Journal of Physical Education and Sport, 17(1), 418.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hatzimanouil, D., & Oxyzoglou, N. (2004). Evaluation of the morphological characteristics and motor skills in the national junior handball teams of Greece and Yugoslavia. Journal of Human Movement Studies, 46(2), 125–140.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hatzimanouil, D., Giatsis, G., Kepesidou, M., & Kanioglou, A. (2017). Shot effectiveness by playing position with regard to goalkeeper’s efficiency in team handball. Journal of Physical Education and Sport, 17(2), 656–662.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hulka, K., & Belka, J. (2013). Design and validity of specific handball related sprint ability test. In EHF (Ed.), Proceedings of the 2nd EHF-conference 2013 in Vienna (pp. 63–66). Haugsdorf: Hofer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ignat’eva, V. J., Petracheva, I. V., & Savinkov, E. O. (2002). Specifications of physical preparedness of elite female handball players of various game roles. Moscow: Russian State Academy of Physical Culture.

    Google Scholar 

  • IHF (2016). Rules of the game: indoor handball. www.ihf.info. Accessed 27 May 2018.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jadach, A., & Ciepliński, J. (2008). Level of physical preparation and its influence on selection of game concepts for the Polish national handball female team. Polish Journal of Sport & Tourism, 15, 17–22.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kajtna, T., Pori, M., Justin, I., & Pori, P. (2011). Psychological characteristics of Slovene handball goalkeepers. In EHF (Ed.), EHF Scientific Conference 2011 (pp. 73–77). Haugsdorf: Hofer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Karcher, C., & Buchheit, M. (2014). On-court demands of elite handball, with special reference to playing positions. Sports Medicine, 44(6), 797–814.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Letzelter, H., Letzelter, M. & Scholl, H. (1988). Methodologische Probleme in der Sportspielforschung [Methodological problems in sports games science. Hamburg: Czwalina.

    Google Scholar 

  • Manchado, C., Ferragut, C., Abraldes, A., Rodriguez, N., Alcaraz, P., & Vila, H. (2011). Ball speed in women handball players : analysis of different playing positions. In EHF (Ed.), EHF Scientific Conference 2011 (pp. 148–150). Haugsdorf: Hofer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Manchado, C., Pers, J., Navarro, F., Han, A., Eunsook, S., & Platen, P. (2013). Time-motion analysis in women’s team handball: importance of aerobic performance. Journal of Human Sport & Exercise, 8(2), 376–390.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marques, M. C., van den Tillaar, R., Gabbet, T. J., Reis, V. M., & González-Badillo, J. J. (2009). Physical fitness of professional volleyball players: determination of positional differences. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 23(4), 1106–1111.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Matthys, S., Fransen, J., Vaeyens, R., Lenoir, M., & Philipaerts, R. (2013). Differences in biological maturation, anthropometry and physical performance between playing positions in youth team handball. Journal of Sports Sciences, 31(12), 1344–1352. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2013.781663.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Menezes, R. P., Marques, R. F. R., & Morato, M. P. (2016). Percepção de treinadores de andebol sobre as variáveis defensivas e ofensivas do jogo na categoria sub12 [Handball coaches’ perception of the offensive and defensive variables of the game in u‑12 teams. Motricidade, 12(3), 6–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Michalsik, L. B., Madsen, K., & Aargaard, P. (2013). Match performance and physiological capacity of female elite team handball players. Journal of Sports Medicine, 35(7), 595–607.

    Google Scholar 

  • Michalsik, L. B., Aargaard, P., & Madsen, K. (2015a). Technical match characteristics and influence of body anthropometry on playing performance in male elite team handball. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 29(2), 416–428.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Michalsik, L. B., Aargaard, P., & Madsen, K. (2015b). Technical activity profile and influence of body anthropometry on playing performance in female elite team handball. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 29(4), 1126–1138.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moesch, K., Hauge, M.-L. T., Wikman, J. M., & Elbe, A.-M. (2013). Making it to the top in team sports: start later, intensify, and be determined. Talent Development and Excellence, 5(2), 85–100.

    Google Scholar 

  • Naisidou, S., Kepesidou, M., Kontostergiou, M., & Zapartidis, I. (2017). Differences of physical abilities between successful and less successful young female athletes. Journal of Physical Education and Sport, 17(1), 294–299.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oxyzoglou, N., Hatzmanouil, D., Charalambos, I., Theodoros, L., Savvas, L., Aggelos, K., & Papadopoulos, K. (2014). Evaluation of high-level handball players in morphological characteristics and various motor abilities by playing position. European Journal of Sports Medicine, 1(2), 21–28.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pori, M., Justin, I., Kajtna, T., & Pori, P. (2011). Which motor abilities have the highest impact on competitive performance of Slovenian handball goalkeepers? In EHF (Ed.), EHF Scientific Conference 2011 (pp. 294–298). Haugsdorf: Hofer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pori, P., Šibila, M., Justin, I., Kajtna, T., & Pori, M. (2012). Correlation between the motor abilities and competitive performance of Slovenian handball goalkeepers. Kinesiologia Slovenica, 18(2), 19–26.

    Google Scholar 

  • Prätorius, B., & Milani, T. L. (2008). Development of coordinative testing for children in grammar school, validated using biomechanical methods. Göttingen: Cuvillier.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rogulj, N., Srhoj, V., Nazor, M., Srhoj, L., & Čavala, M. (2005). Some Anthropologic Characteristics of Elite Female Handball Players at Different Playing Positions. Collegium Anthropologicum, 29(2), 705–709.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ruxton, G. D., & Beauchamp, G. (2008). Time for some a priori thinking about post hoc testing. Behavioral Ecology, 19(3), 690–693.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schorer, J. (2007). Höchstleistung im Handballtor [Top performance in the handball goal]. Dissertation, Ruprecht-Karls-University of Heidelberg.

    Google Scholar 

  • Šibila, M., Pori, P., & Imperl, D. (2008). Rokometni vratar: tehnika, taktika, metodika [Handball goalkeeper: Techniques, tactics, methods]. Ljubljana: Fakulteta za šport.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sosa González, P. I., Coronado, O. J. F., & Rosa, A. R. M. (2013). Study of the physical condition of young elite female handball players. In EHF (Ed.), Proceedings of the 2nd EHF-conference 2013 in Vienna (pp. 145–150). Haugsdorf: Hofer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sporiš, G., Vuleta, D., Vuleta Jr, D., & Milanović, D. (2010). Fitness profiling in handball: physical and physiological characteristics of elite players. Collegium antropologicum, 34(3), 1009–1014.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tsitskaris, G., Theoharopoulos, A., & Garefis, A. (2003). Speed, Speeddribble and agility of male Basketball players playing in different positions. Journal of Human movement studies, 45(1), 21–30.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vila, H., Manchado, C., Rodriguez, N., Abraldes, J. A., Alcaraz, P. E., & Ferragut, C. (2012). Anthropometric profile, vertical jump, and throwing velocity in elite female handball players by playing positions. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 26(8), 2146–2155.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weber, J. (2015). Injuries on the different playing positions in team handball. Abstracts of the EHF scientific conference in Bukarest. Haugsdorf: Hofer

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, G. J., Wood, G. A., & Elliott, B. C. (1991). The relationship between stiffness of the musculature and static flexibility: an alternative explanation for the occurrence of muscular injury. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 12(4), 403–407.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Witvrouw, E., Mahieu, N., Roosen, P., & McNair, P. (2007). The role of stretching in tendon injuries. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 41(4), 224–226.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zapartidis, I., Toganidis, T., Vareltzis, I., & Christodoulidis, T. (2009). Profile of young female Handball players by playing position. Serbian Journal of Sports Sciences, 3(1–4), 53–60.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zapartidis, I., Kororos, P., Christodoulidis, T., Skoufas, D., & Bayios, I. (2011). Profile of young handball players by playing position and determinants of ball throwing velocity. Journal of Human Kinetics, 27, 17–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to J. Weber.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

J. Weber, M. Wegner and H. Wagner declare that they have no competing interests.

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Weber, J., Wegner, M. & Wagner, H. Physical performance in female handball players according to playing position. Ger J Exerc Sport Res 48, 498–507 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12662-018-0541-0

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12662-018-0541-0

Keywords

Schlüsselwörter

Navigation