Is Match Playing Time a Potential Tool for Managing Load in Women's Handball?

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Biomechanics
• Exercise Physiology

Background:

• Understanding external load in team sports is crucial for athlete management.
• Women's handball presents unique demands requiring specific load monitoring strategies.
• Playing time is a significant factor influencing athlete workload.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between match playing time and external load in female handball players.
• To analyze how playing position affects external load metrics.
• To determine if playing time can be used as a tool for optimizing training load distribution.

Main Methods:

• Monitoring 22 female handball players across 13 matches using a local positioning system (WIMU PRO).
• Collecting data on total distance, high-speed running distance (HSR), accelerations (ACC), decelerations (DEC), and PlayerLoad.
• Analyzing data based on playing time groups (≥40, <40, ≤20 minutes) and playing positions (backs, pivots, wings) using ANOVA and Cohen's d.

Main Results:

• Higher absolute external load values were observed in players with more match playing time.
• Differences in absolute load disappeared when normalized to effective playing time.
• Wings exhibited higher HSR/minute, and backs showed higher ACC/minute and DEC/minute depending on playing time and position.

Conclusions:

• Playing time is a critical factor for managing absolute external load in women's handball.
• Normalized load data indicates that effective playing time, not just total time, is essential for accurate load assessment.
• Coaches can utilize playing time as a strategic tool for optimizing weekly load distribution and preventing overexertion.