Reliability of Throwing Velocity during Non-specific and Specific Handball Throwing Tests

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Biomechanics
• Handball Performance Analysis

Background:

• Throwing velocity is a critical determinant of scoring success in handball.
• Optimizing measurement reliability is essential for accurate performance evaluation and training.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the most reliable throwing technique for measuring throwing velocity in handball.
• To compare the reliability of different throw types and data processing methods.

Main Methods:

• Evaluated throwing velocity in 15 experienced and 33 non-experienced handball players across three throw types: unspecific, 7-meters, and 3-steps.
• Assessed reliability using coefficient of variation (CV) and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) across two sessions.
• Compared three data selection procedures: maximum value, average of 4 trials, and average of the 3 best trials.

Main Results:

• The 3-steps throw demonstrated the highest reliability (CV=1.7%), surpassing the 7-meters (CV=2.1%) and unspecific throws (CV=3.8%).
• Experienced players exhibited significantly higher reliability (CV=1.0%) than non-experienced players (CV=4.0%).
• All three data selection procedures yielded comparable reliability for throwing velocity measurements.

Conclusions:

• The 3-steps throw is recommended to maximize the reliability of throwing velocity assessment in handball.
• Reliability is influenced by player experience, with experienced players showing more consistent results.
• Standardizing the 3-steps throw and data analysis can enhance performance monitoring in handball.