Exercise Intensity and Technical Involvement in U9 Team Handball: Effect of Game Format

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Pediatric Exercise Physiology
• Team Sports Analytics

Background:

• Understanding the physical and technical demands of team handball is crucial for youth development.
• Different game formats may influence player intensity and skill execution in U9 athletes.
• Gender-based differences in performance metrics within youth team handball require investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify exercise intensity and technical involvement in U9 boys' and girls' team handball.
• To compare these metrics across various game formats (pitch size and player numbers).
• To identify potential gender-based differences in performance during these formats.

Main Methods:

• Collected locomotor data (total distance, high-speed running, accelerations, decelerations) and heart rate (HR).
• Recorded technical involvement (shots, goals, duels) during 15-minute game segments.
• Utilized multiple game formats: small (S3+1, S4), medium (M4, M5), and large (L5) pitches with varying player numbers.

Main Results:

• Larger pitch formats (L5) resulted in significantly higher total distance, high-speed running (HSR), and sprinting distances for both genders.
• Smaller pitch formats (S3+1) led to a greater number of shots compared to larger formats (M5, L5).
• Players consistently maintained high heart rates (180-200 bpm, with some >200 bpm) across all formats, indicating high overall intensity.

Conclusions:

• Team handball at U9 level elicits high physical demands (distance, intensity) irrespective of game format.
• Larger pitch sizes increase locomotor demands, particularly high-speed running and sprinting.
• Smaller pitch sizes and fewer players enhance technical involvement, suggesting a trade-off between physical and technical loads.