Throwing volume in handball: differences across playing positions and training exercises?

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Biomechanics
• Injury Prevention

Background:

• Shoulder injuries are prevalent in handball, yet specific throwing loads contributing to risk remain understudied.
• Quantifying throwing volume is essential for understanding injury mechanisms in young athletes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify throwing volume in young elite female handball players during regular training.
• To investigate differences in throwing volume across various playing positions (back, wing, pivot).
• To examine how different training exercise types influence throwing volume.

Main Methods:

• Monitored 16 elite youth female handball players over four training sessions (381 minutes total).
• Video recorded sessions from three camera angles, manually tagging all throws as passes or shots.
• Categorized training content into eight exercise types and calculated throwing frequency (throws per minute).

Main Results:

• Back players demonstrated significantly higher throwing volumes compared to wing or pivot players (p<0.001).
• Throwing volume was strongly influenced by training exercise type (p<0.001).
• Highest passing volumes occurred during passing drills; most shots were during goalkeeper warm-ups and small-sided games.

Conclusions:

• Throwing volume in elite youth handball varies significantly by playing position and training exercise.
• Training program design must account for positional demands and exercise structure.
• Findings have implications for optimizing load management and preventing shoulder injuries in handball players.