Ball Recovery in the Handball Tournament of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games: Sequential Analysis of Positional Play as Used by the Spanish Team’s Defence

In sport there is a great need to obtain as much information as possible about the factors which affect the dynamics of play. This study uses sequential analysis and temporal patterns (T-patterns)to examine the evolution of defence (against an equal number of attackers)as used by the Spanish handball team at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. The aim is to help handball coaches (during their training and gathering of professional experience)to understand the importance of the structure of defensive systems. This can be achieved through observational processes that reveal the evolution and adaptation of these defensive systems according to different variables: the match score, the response of the opposing team and progress through the tournament.

Cardiorespiratory responses during running and sport-specific exercises in handball players

To determine whether a 4-a-side handball (HB) game is an appropriate aerobic stimulus to reach and potentially enhance maximal oxygen uptake (V O(2)max), and whether heart rate (HR) is a valid index of V O(2) during a handball game. Nine skilled players (21.0+/-2.9 yr) underwent a graded maximal aerobic test (GT) where V O(2)max and HR-V O(2) relationship were determined. V O(2), HR and blood lactate ([La](b)) were recorded during a 2 x 225 s (interspersed with 30s rest) 4-a-side handball game and were compared to those measured during an 480-s running intermittent exercise (IE). Mean V O(2) tended to be higher in handball compared to IE (93.9+/-8.5 vs. 87.6+/-7.4% O(2)max, p=0.06), whereas HR was similar (92.3+/-4.9 vs. 93.9+/-3.9% of the peak of HR, p=0.10). [La](b) was lower for handball than for IE (8.9+/-3.5 vs. 11.6+/-2.1 mmol l(-1), p=0.04). Time spent over 90% of V O(2)max was higher for handball than for IE (336.1+/-139.6s vs. 216.1+/-124.7s; p=0.03). The HR-V O(2) relationship during GT was high (r(2)=0.96, p<0.001) but estimated V O(2) from HR was lower to that measured (p=0.03) in handball, whereas there was no difference in IE. 4-a-side handball game can be used as a specific alternative to IE for enhancing aerobic fitness in handball players. Nevertheless, the accuracy of HR measures for estimating V O(2) during handball is poor.

Implementation of a nutrition education program in a handball team; consequences on nutritional status.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate nutritional status and dietary habits after implementation of a nutritional education program in professional handball players. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Longitudinal study of 14 handball players evaluated with 72-h recall, a questionnaire on food consumption and anthropometric measures during 4 months. The intervention consisted of a nutrition education program. RESULTS: Energy intake was consistently below the recommended allowances. Macronutrient intakes as a percentage of total energy intake were below the recommended allowances for carbohydrates, and above recommended allowances for fats. Nutritional education was followed by a significant increase (p < 0.01) in total energy and macronutrient intakes, with no significant changes in macronutrient or micronutrient intakes after adjustment for energy intake. DISCUSSION: The imbalance in nutrient intake in handball players suggests that detailed re-analysis is needed to determine specific recommendations for this population. Nutritional education with continuous follow-up to monitor athletes' dietary habits may lead them to adopt appropriate nutritional habits to optimize dietary intakes. The lack of specific recommendations for micronutrient intakes in athletes leads to confusion regarding appropriate intakes; biochemical tests that yield normal values (albeit approaching cut-off values for deficiency) may disguise deficient status for some nutrients when strenuous exercise is involved. CONCLUSION: In-depth studies with nutrition education programs that include long-term follow-up are advisable to avoid deficiencies that can lead to irreversible damage in competitive athletes.

Shoulder strength imbalances as injury risk in handball.

This study was conducted to analyze whether internal (IR) and external (ER) rotator shoulder muscles weakness and/or imbalance collected through a preseason assessment could be predictors of subsequent shoulder injury during a season in handball players. In preseason, 16 female elite handball players (HPG) and 14 healthy female nonathletes (CG) underwent isokinetic IR and ER strength test with use of a Con-Trex® dynamometer in a seated position with 45° shoulder abduction in scapular plane, at 60, 120 and 240°/s in concentric and at 60°/s in eccentric, for both sides. An imbalanced muscular strength profile was determined using -statistically selected cut-offs from CG values. For HPG, all newly incurred shoulder injuries were reported during the season. There were significant differences between HPG and CG only for dominant eccentric IR strength, ER/IR ratio at 240°/s and for IRecc/ERcon ratio. In HPG, IR and ER strength was higher, and ER/IR ratios lower for dominant than for nondominant side. The relative risk was 2.57 (95%CI: 1.60-3.54; P<0.05) if handball players had an imbalanced muscular strength profile. In youth female handball players IR and ER muscle strength increases on the dominant side without ER/IR imbalances; and higher injury risk was associated with imbalanced muscular strength profile.

The pivot player in handball and patterns detection - instrument

The theoretical context of this study is related with the observational methodology in the context of group games and sports studies, specifically Handball. Thus, this study intends to analyze the performance of the pivot player in the World Cup 2007 - Germany, European 2008 - Norway 2008 and China OG 2008 in a qualitative dimension. Our purpose was to get as much information as possible about the whole activity of the pivot player, by identifying sequential patterns of behaviour or conduct of the player/game, by using the sequential analysis. The observation instrument used to meet the main purpose of this work consists of a combination of format fields (FF) and systems of categories (SC). The codifications undertaken occurred in several handball games. Using this instrument we have shown that it provides support for the purposes for which it was developed, allowing more research into the offensive process of handball. Besides this, it makes possible the analysis of aspects of the game through perspective and contextual sequences, which we consider to be more accurate, to fit the "reality" of a game such as handball.

Accuracy of outcome anticipation, but not gaze behavior, differs against left- and right-handed penalties in team-handball goalkeeping

Low perceptual familiarity with relatively rarer left-handed as opposed to more common right-handed individuals may result in athletes' poorer ability to anticipate the former's action intentions. Part of such left-right asymmetry in visual anticipation could be due to an inefficient gaze strategy during confrontation with left-handed individuals. To exemplify, observers may not mirror their gaze when viewing left- vs. right-handed actions but preferentially fixate on an opponent's right body side, irrespective of an opponent's handedness, owing to the predominant exposure to right-handed actions. So far empirical verification of such assumption, however, is lacking. Here we report on an experiment where team-handball goalkeepers' and non-goalkeepers' gaze behavior was recorded while they predicted throw direction of left- and right-handed 7-m penalties shown as videos on a computer monitor. As expected, goalkeepers were considerably more accurate than non-goalkeepers and prediction was better against right- than left-handed penalties. However, there was no indication of differences in gaze measures (i.e., number of fixations, overall and final fixation duration, time-course of horizontal or vertical fixation deviation) as a function of skill group or the penalty-takers' handedness. Findings suggest that inferior anticipation of left-handed compared to right-handed individuals' action intentions may not be associated with misalignment in gaze behavior. Rather, albeit looking similarly, accuracy differences could be due to observers' differential ability of picking up and interpreting the visual information provided by left- vs. right-handed movements.

Bar-Kochba, München, Leichtathletik- und Handball-Abteilung

Bar Kochba / Leitung / München

Educación Superior y Educación Física en la UNLP : Una aplicación de la formación de grado en el handball universitario y una mirada acerca de la investigación

Fil: López, Andrés Daniel. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación; Argentina.

Contracomunicación motriz : Valoración del nivel de oposición durante el transporte de balón en handball

El handball es un deporte de cooperación-oposición donde las relaciones de comunicación entre los jugadores están condicionadas por la continua oposición de los rivales. Durante el transporte de balón en contraataque es posible modelar, mediante la utilización de grafos, la red de comunicación motriz que se establece entre los jugadores atacantes atendiendo a las diferentes acciones que realizan (pase, bote, lanzamiento). La dificultad radica en determinar la influencia de las relaciones de contracomunicación que se generan durante esta fase de juego (contraataque-repliegue) y que condicionan las acciones de los atacantes. En el presente trabajo se revisan algunas propuestas de valoración de la oposición, frecuentemente vinculadas a las acciones de lanzamiento, así como se estudian diferentes acciones y medios defensivos utilizados durante la fase de repliegue. Se estudió el desarrollo del contraataque en competición valorando los niveles de oposición. En este sentido, se analizan las situaciones de equilibrio en la oposición (simetría-disimetría) durante el contraataque y repliegue. De esta forma se comparan de forma conjunta las redes de comunicación y contracomunicación y las relaciones que se establecen entre ellas

Educación Superior y Educación Física en la UNLP : Una aplicación de la formación de grado en el handball universitario y una mirada acerca de la investigación

Fil: López, Andrés Daniel. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación; Argentina.

Contracomunicación motriz : Valoración del nivel de oposición durante el transporte de balón en handball

El handball es un deporte de cooperación-oposición donde las relaciones de comunicación entre los jugadores están condicionadas por la continua oposición de los rivales. Durante el transporte de balón en contraataque es posible modelar, mediante la utilización de grafos, la red de comunicación motriz que se establece entre los jugadores atacantes atendiendo a las diferentes acciones que realizan (pase, bote, lanzamiento). La dificultad radica en determinar la influencia de las relaciones de contracomunicación que se generan durante esta fase de juego (contraataque-repliegue) y que condicionan las acciones de los atacantes. En el presente trabajo se revisan algunas propuestas de valoración de la oposición, frecuentemente vinculadas a las acciones de lanzamiento, así como se estudian diferentes acciones y medios defensivos utilizados durante la fase de repliegue. Se estudió el desarrollo del contraataque en competición valorando los niveles de oposición. En este sentido, se analizan las situaciones de equilibrio en la oposición (simetría-disimetría) durante el contraataque y repliegue. De esta forma se comparan de forma conjunta las redes de comunicación y contracomunicación y las relaciones que se establecen entre ellas

Educación Superior y Educación Física en la UNLP : Una aplicación de la formación de grado en el handball universitario y una mirada acerca de la investigación

Fil: López, Andrés Daniel. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación; Argentina.