TEACHING HANDBALL - IHF Handball at School Booklet Series

Note: Advanced/expert levels - In clubs, the observer goes even deeper, using statistics
of player and team activities to assess development. In recent years, a video analyst plays
a major role in this function, creating a database of individual player activities, team tactics
and strategies, and all the data are associated with adequate statistics.
Health-related physical fitness
Handball can be a valuable tool for the promotion of health and healthy lifestyles. From this
point of view, it is reasonable to describe here a possible set of tests to evaluate the progress
of physical conditioning promoted by the sport. Of course, health also includes mental health
(self-confidence, happiness, socialisation, etc.), and this cannot be evaluated by these tests. So,
remember that this focuses only on the conditional aspects of fitness, and that many other tests
besides the ones provided here could also be adequate for this purpose.
A motor test (or test battery) is the most commonly used diagnostic method for determining the
level of motor skills (performance). Motor tests must ensure test reproducibility, test verifiability
(known as Test Quality Criteria), and include a developed scoring system. In different countries,
different test systems are used to determine the level of motor skills in handball. However,
testing has the same goals, and it is the inclusion of tests that closely match the level of motor
skills needed to achieve optimal performance in the game.
Testing is primarily used to determine player strengths and weaknesses, so as to design the
most appropriate handball conditional training programme. For example, assessment of lower
limb power and strength asymmetry might be useful to identify players with severe bilateral
asymmetries and strength deficits, which can be useful when designing individual training programmes
for injury prevention and performance.
Another use of testing is for talent identification, to direct the player to be better suited in the
group, to play in a more appropriate position or to compete at a more appropriate level.
The following are examples of simple fitness tests which can be easily reproduced on field
and measure strength, power, cardiorespiratory function, anaerobic capacity, agility and body
composition (weight, height and Body Mass Index).
Body composition
Motor skills
(key components)
Rubrics
Lower body strength and explosive power
Upper body strength, power and endurance
Multidirectional movement (forward, lateral,
and backward) test
Maximal aerobic function, anaerobic capacity,
neuromuscular and change of direction
qualities, and inter-effort recovery
Strength and endurance of the abdominals
and hip-flexor muscles
Weight, height and Body Mass Index
Assessments/tests
Standing long jump | Single hop test (complementary) | Triple hop
test (complementary) | Vertical jump test
Overhead medicine ball throw (forwards) | Press-up test
Agility T-Test (Sassi et al, 2009)
30-15 Intermittent Fitness Test (Buchheit, 2008)
Sit-up test
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