8/13/2019 Handball Performance Physiological Considerations & Practical Approach for Training Metabolic

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change of directions and technical movements in very short time and &ith an order determined

by the tactical situation% +unning &ith and &ithout the ball' in line and &ith different #aths'

*um#ing' thro&ing' #assing and receiving in motion or during flight re#resent the technical

characteristics of a modern to# handball #layer% Then' to e,cel at the highest levels' it is

im#ortant that training methodologies are develo#ed on a sim#le basis: s#ecificity% The closer to

the demands of the #erformance' the better the training is% "f course' to obey to the la& of

s#ecificity &e have to kno& e,actly &hat are the #hysiological demands of handball

#erformance% -nfortunately' in s#ort science literature' very fe& &orks have been #resented in

&hich a dee# analysis of Handball #erformance has been conducted% The aim of this &ork &as

to analyse the literature findings and #ur#ose some e,#eriences conducted in Italy &ith some

first league teams and national teams%

Physical conditioning in handball is e,tremely im#ortant for to# #erformance' so the correcta##roach to training should be based on the kno&ledge of the s#ecific re.uirements of the

#erformance and on the develo#ment of s#ecific training means% In the first #art of this &ork

some #hysiological considerations have been conducted' in the second #art a #ractical

a##roach to modern handball training has been discussed%

Handball Performance: Physiological Considerations

Handball matches have a duration of /0 minutes divided in t&o halves lasting 10 minutes each%2uring this time #layers cover a total distance ranging from 3000 to /000 meters' based u#on

different situations: #osition on the field' tactical defensive and offensive characteristics of the

team' characteristics of the game itself and so far and so forth% In a &ork #resented by uesta

456778 handball #layers of the S#anish national team &ere sho&n to cover the follo&ing

distances based u#on #laying #osition:

9eft ing+ight ing9eft Back+ight Backircle +unner 4Pivot8

; 1= meters; >071 meters

; 1>/> meters

; 37= meters

; 115 meters

The above;mentioned distances are close to the ones recorded in ?on(ak @ Schake 4in uesta'

56778 related to 22+ #layers% In a study conducted in Italy &ith a s#ecific a##aratus 4Play

ontroller' Phromos' Perugia8 000 meters &ere covered by a right &ing during an official

match of the Italian Second league 4un#ublished &ork' see Aigure 5%8% It is im#ortant to affirm

that of course' the total dis#lacement of #layers on the field is affected by many different

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4566/8 &ere referred to an e,tremely easy friendly match of the national team against a team

from third league%

"ther data collected during the years 566/;5667 from our research grou# in Italy sho&ed heart

rates ranging from 5>0 to 300 b%#%m%% "f course this range does not say anything useful for a

better understanding of handball #erformance% !oreover' heart rate data can be misleading if a

#recise analysis is not #erformed and the distribution is not considered% )verage data in fact' do

not #rovide useful information on the &orkload of handball #layers% )s an e,am#le' in figure 5

&e can see the heart rate of a handball #layer during a tournament match% If &e should consider

the average heart rate 450 b#m8 and the time s#ent in the aerobic (one 4=0;7J of ma, heart

rate' see figure 3 and 18' &e &ould risk to affirm that aerobic metabolism is the most im#ortant

metabolic #ath&ay in handball% This conclusion has been dra&n many years ago and most

coaches are still convinced that aerobic ca#acity and aerobic #o&er are the most im#ortantas#ects to train for to# #erformance%

)n accurate analysis of handball #erformance should consider that the most im#ortant actions

4the ones that make the difference8 are short;high;intensity motions &hich are able to determine

an increase in hydrogen ions 4HK8 #ermitting lactate formation in muscle cells determining the

lo&ering of cellular #H and inhibition of muscular contraction #rocesses% High;intensity

movements add to intramuscular and circulating levels of 9a and hydrogen ions 4HK8 that retard

the rate of glycolysis inhibiting the activity of glycolytic en(ymes 42anforth @ Helmereich' 56/>8

or interfere &ith the muscular contraction #rocess 4Hogan et al% 566 Cakamaru et al% 56=38%

Aigure 3

a8 Heart rate of an handball #layer of the Italian Cational Team during a match%b8 Heart rate e,#ressed as a #ercentage of "B9) threshold measured &ith !ader test

in handballb8 #layers during a match% 4olli et al% 5667 in ervar' 56678

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%

Aigure 1

2istribution of heart rate fre.uencies over time during the match% The data are referredto the heart rate sho&n in figure 5a% 2ata are e,#ressed as a #ercentage of the total

time% In red the time s#ent in bet&een the aerobic threshold as measured by !ader test%

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!oreover it should be #ointed that these e,#losive;ty#e activities are follo&ed by lo& intensity

actions or #auses 4active recovery8 during &hich o,ygen consum#tion is directed to favour HK

trans#ort through the trans#ort chain to recharge )TP from C)2 and A)2 and to favour the ori

cycle through &hich lactate is converted to glycogen% hen the e,ercise intensity is very high' it

is very difficult for our biological system to kee# u# &ith hydrogen ions formation and lactate

removal' in this case' hydrogen ions bind &ith Pyruvic acid 4end #roduct of glycolysis8 forming

lactic acid &hich is then transformed to lactate in the blood and accumulating HK' determining a

lo&ering of the #H of the muscle cell &hich is im#aired in its normal functions% These ℓkno&n

biological #rinci#les should re#resent the basic kno&ledge for every coach for the develo#ment

of an effective training #lan%

2uring handball matches lactate levels have been sho&n to be belo& 50 mmol #er litre;5 this

re#resents not a very high amount as com#ared for e,am#le to >00 meters run or 500 meters

run 4i%e% Hirvonen et al% 56638% It means that lactate it is not a limiting factor in handball' ho&ever

it should be #ointed that in any case' training should contain drills able to #roduce this amount

of lactate to determine s#ecific ada#tations in handball #layers%

In a research &ork of 2elamarche et al% 4567=8' lactate levels measured during a handball

match in the Arench league' reached values bet&een > and 6 mmol #er litre;5% "f course the

highest value &as reached by the #layers most active in the game 4backcourt #layers8% Similar

values 4=;50 mmol #er litre;58 &ere found during international matches of a #rofessional team

42ukla Praga' Bolek @ 9iska' 56758% In conclusion' based u#on these findings' it can be affirmed

that handball is a s#ort characterised by the involvement of both aerobic and anaerobic

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metabolic #ath&ays in &hich the effort is of intermittent characteristics and e,#losive ty#e of

movements are re#eated over time at high intensity during game situations%

Handball Metabolic Training

)s #reviously #ointed out' handball re.uires intermittent activities in &hich high;intensity ty#e of

movements 4s#rinting' *um#ing' diving on the ball8 are follo&ed by lo& intensity activities%

Training #lans should then be based on this conce#t &hatever they are general drills or game;

like activities% In the #ast' but also no&adays' metabolic training devoted to im#rove endurance

ca#abilities of handball #layers' &as based u#on the a##lication of long steady state running of

various distances% The #re;com#etition #hase &as then based u#on an increase in the volume

of running and by aerobic ty#e drills aimed to increase aerobic ca#acity% This kind of training is

of course effective in enhancing cardiovascular ca#abilities and re#resents a form of general

training &ell acce#ted' ho&ever it should be #ointed that' &hen referred to handball #layers' it is

not the most a##ro#riate &ay of training for enhancing endurance' and' most of all' the abuse

of such forms of training could be detrimental for the #erformance itself and for the effects of

concurrent ty#e of training usually im#lemented in the #re;com#etitive #eriod 4i%e% strength

training8% e &ill no& see &hy%

2uring aerobic ty#e activities such as cyclic running' lo& intensity movements are #erformed

re#eatedly over time% These kind of muscular activities rely mostly on the recruitment of slo&t&itch fibers 4!orris' 56/78% In this &ay' if &e use for many days this a##roach' &e &ill of course

train the neuromuscular system to a #referential recruitment of slo& fibers% Cot only that' in fact'

in this &ay' &e &ill train only the o,idative #ath&ays and not the anaerobic neither the )TP;P

system% 2uring handball #erformance' game situations are never steady;state ty#e and involve

a combination of different motions 4running back&ards' for&ards' side&ard' sideste##ing'

*um#ing and so far and so forth8% Then' &hy not training handball #layers &ith intermittent

e,erciseL

+esearch has sho&n that' during the re#etition of high;intensity;short duration movements' the

aerobic demands are very high' as indicated by the rise of o,ygen u#take 4Hamilton et al% 5665

Balsom et al% 5663 Balsom et al% 5661 Balsom et al% 566>8% In fact' during lo& intensity actions

follo&ing high;intensity short burst;ty#e movements' )TP is furnished through aerobic

#ath&ays% This observation is su##orted by the fact that' &hen recovery actions are relying on

anaerobic #ath&ays' )TP turnover is very lo& and #ho#shocreatine resynthesis is inhibited

4Harris et al% 56= Quistroff et al% 56638% In fact' a direct relationshi# has been found in in;vitro

muscles bet&een o,ygen u#take and #ho#hocreatine resynthesis 4Idstrom et al% 5678% In this

connection' it can be then affirmed that aerobic metabolism is mainly involved in the

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re#lenishment of )TP stores and P% Training endurance for an handball #layer means train

hisMher ca#abilities to #erform high;intensity motions for the &hole duration of the match% !ost of

all it is im#ortant to say that intermittent training is the most effective &ay for training effectively

kee#ing in mind these sim#le guidelines: high;intensity motions' &ith lactate levels belo& 50

mmol%l;5% )erobic #o&er training conducted through re#etitions of running on various distances

4>00;3000 meters8' has been often utilised &ith the aim of im#roving aerobic #erformance and

delay the occurrence of fatigue% This a##roach has been sho&n also to be &rong in light of the

observations conducted by Bosco 456768' &hich demonstrated an absolute inde#endence

bet&een e,#losive #o&er and aerobic #erformance% The above;mentioned systematic analysis

conducted by Bosco has sho&n that these t&o variables are characterised by different biological

#rocesses% In fact' there &ere no correlations bet&een #erformances in aerobic tests and the

ones in e,#losive #o&er% Since it is an acce#ted fact that handball #erformance at highest levels

is determined by the re#etition of e,#losive;ty#e motions' it should no& be clear that training

mainly the aerobic ca#abilities in handball #layers &ith track running or high volume running is

*ust a time;consuming task useless for enhancing handball #erformance itself% )t this #oint it is

im#ortant to define &hat must be the #ro#er direction to an effective handball;training #lan%

$ndurance in handball #layers must be trained &ith general and game;like drills of intermittent

#attern% "n this #rinci#le' some e,ercises have been develo#ed in &hich handball #layers

#erform drills in &hich they alternate .uick high;intensity actions 4s#rinting' *um#ing' side

ste##ing movements8 &ith lo& intensity activities 4running' side;ste##ing8% ell;kno&n drills

used in handball have been also analysed in order to assess their metabolic characteristics and

their #ossible effectiveness in im#roving endurance in to# handball #layers% )ll the data have

been collected during training cam#s of the Italian Cational Team or during training sessions of

an Italian Handball Team #laying in the first league8% The aim of a conditioning coach in modern

ball games should be to develo# an effective training #lan through the o#timisation of game;like

activities% This is the main conce#t of s#ecificity of training' &hich should be ke#t in mind in any

s#ort% Handball #layers do not like to run for hours outside' under the rain or in the &oods' they

like *ust to #lay handball' run &ith the ball' move to catch the ball' and *um# and shot to score%

$verything else is of course not &ell acce#ted and sometimes it is not very effective in

#roducing the right ada#tations%

In figures >' and / it is #ossible to see actual measurement of heart rate during this ty#e of

drills in &hich athletes &ere re.uired to #erform movements similar to the game situation' or

some game;like activities% )lso some general e,ercises of intermittent &ork &ere #erformed and

heart rate collected% )lso it is #resented a gra#hic sho&ing heart rate in one athlete during 5000

meters running on track and during a circuit of handball drills in &hich the athlete &as

#erforming little s#rints' *um#s' side;ste##ing movements and active recovery running at #re;

determined #ace and time% This com#arison has been made mostly because a lot of coaches

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Aigure /

)nalysis of heat rate during 5000 meters running on track and an intermittent drill in thesame handball #layer% The data are #resented as an e,am#le of the data collected on

50 athletes members of the same team%

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References

Balsom P%' Seger' NO' S*odin' B%' @ $kblom' B% 456638% !a,imal intensity intermittent e,ercise: effect of recovery

duration% International Nournal of S#ort !edicine 51 4=8 37: 11

Balsom' P%' $kblom' B%' Soderlund' ?%' S*odin' B%' @ Hultman' $% 456618% reatine su#lementation and dynamic high;

intensity e,ercise% Scandinavian Nournal of !edicine and Science in S#ort' 1 5>1;5>6

Balsom' P%' Faitanos' F%%' $kblom' B%'@ S*odin' B% 4566>8% +educed o,ygen availability during high intensity

intermittent e,ercise im#airs #erformance% )cta Physiologica Scandinavica' 53 3=6;37

Bolek' $%' @ 9iska' "% 456758% Inten(ita (ati(eni harenkaru #ri soute(ich turna*oveko ty#u% Trener' = 131;13/

Bosco' % 4566>8% 9a #re#ara(ione fisica nella Pallavolo femminile% +oma: Societ Stam#a S#ortiva

Bosco' % 4566=8% 9a for(a muscolare% )s#etti fisiologici ed a##lica(ioni #ratiche% +oma: Societ Stam#a S#ortiva%

ardinale !% 4566>;30008% -n#ublished data

ervar' 9% 456678% 9a Pallamano secondo me% +oma: "CI;Scuola dello s#ort

olli' +%' Introini' $%' Bosco' % 4566=8% 9allenamento Intermittente: istru(ioni #er luso% oaching @ S#ort Science

Nournal' 3 458 36;1>

uesta' F% 456658% Balonmano% !adrid: S#anish Handball Aederation

2anforth' H' @ Helmerich' $% 456/>8% +egulation of glycolysis in muscle% The conversion of #ho#sho#rlyase b to

#hos#hiorylase a in frog sartorious muscle% N% Biol% hem%' 316' 1511;1517

2elamarche' P%' Fratas' )%' Beillot' N%' 2assonville' N%' +ochcongar' P%' @ 9essard' O% 4567=8% $,tent of lactic anaerobic

metabolism in handballers% International Nournal of S#ort !edicine' 7 ;6

Hamilton' )%9%' Cevill' !%$%' Brooks' S% @ illiams' % 456658% Physiological res#onses to ma,imal intermittent e,ercise:

2ifferences bet&een endurance;trained runners and games #layers% Nournal of S#ort Science' 6 1=5;173

Harris ' +%%' Hultman' $%' ?ai*ser' 9%' @ Cordes*o' 9%;"% 456=8% The effect of circulatory occlusion on isometric e,ercise

ca#acity and energy metabolism of the .uadrice#s muscle in man% Scand N l in 9ab Invest' 1 7=;6

Hirvonen' N%' Cummela' )%' +usko' H%'m +ehunen' S%' @ Haerkonen ! 456638% Aatigue and changes of )TP' creatine

#hois#hate' and lactate during >00 m s#rint% an N S#ort Sci' 5=438: 5>5;5>>

Hogan' !' Fladden' 9B' ?urdak' SS%' @ Poole' 2% 45668% Increased lactate in &orking dog muscle reduces tension

develo#ment inde#endent of #H% !ed% Sci S#orts $,erc%' 3=: 15=;13=

Idstrom' N%P%' Subramanian' %H%' hance' B%' Schersten' T%' @ Bylund;Aellenius' )%% 45678% ",ygen de#endence of

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energy metabolism in contracting and recovery rat skeletal muscle% )merican Nournal of Physiology' 3>7 h>0;h>7

9u#o' S%' @ Seriaco#i' 2% 4566/8% )nalisi dellallenamento e della gara% Handball studi' 5 35;1

!orris' %N% 456/78% Human Skeletal muscle fiber ty#e grou#ing% N Ceurol Ceurosurg Psych' 13 >>0;>>>

Cakamaru' O @ Sch&art( )% 456=38% The influence of hydrogen ion concentration on calcium binding and release by

skeletal muscle sarco#lasmic reticulum% N% Fen% Physiol%' 6: 33;13

Quistorff' B%' Nohansen' 9%' @ Sahlin' ?% 456638% )bsence of #hos#hocreatine resynthesis in human calf muscle during

ischaemic recovery% Biochemistry Nournal% 365 /75;/7/

Soderlund' ?%' @ Hultman' $%' 456658% )TP and #hos#hocreatine changes in single human fiber muscle fibers after

intense electrical stimulation% )merican Nournal of Physiology' 3/5 $=1=;$=>5

allace' B%!%' ardinale' !% 4566=8% onditioning for team handball% Strength and onditioning 56' 4/8 =;53

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