title: Technical activity profile and influence of body anthropometry on playing performance in female elite team handball.
abstract: To determine the physical demands placed on female elite team handball (TH) players in relation to playing position and body anthropometry, female elite TH primarily field players were monitored during match-play using video recording and subsequent computerized technical match analysis during 5 regular tournament match seasons. Technical match activities were distributed in 6 major types of playing actions (shots, breakthroughs, fast breaks, technical errors, defensive errors, and tackles) and further divided into various subcategories (e.g., type of shot, hard or light tackles, claspings, screenings, and blockings). Furthermore, anthropometric measurements were performed. Each player had 28.3 ± 11.0 (group means ± SD) high-intense playing actions per match with a total effective playing time of 50.70 ± 5.83 minutes. On average, each player made 2.8 ± 2.6 fast breaks, gave 7.9 ± 14.4 screenings, received 14.6 ± 9.2 tackles in total, and performed 7.7 ± 3.7 shots while in offense, along with 3.5 ± 3.8 blockings, 1.9 ± 2.7 claspings, and 6.2 ± 3.8 hard tackles in defense. Mean body height, body mass, and age in the Danish Premier Female Team Handball League were 175.4 ± 6.1 cm, 69.5 ± 6.5 kg, and 25.4 ± 3.7 years, respectively. Wing players were lighter (63.5 ± 4.8 kg, p < 0.001) and smaller (169.3 ± 4.9 cm, p < 0.001) than backcourt players (BP) (70.6 ± 5.3 kg, 177.0 ± 5.4 cm) and pivots (PV) (72.5 ± 4.9 kg, 177.7 ± 4.9 cm). In conclusion, the present match observations revealed that female elite TH players during competitive games intermittently perform a high number of short-term, high-intense technical playing actions making modern female elite TH a physically demanding team sport. No sign of technical fatigue were observed, since the amount of intense technical playing actions remained unchanged in the second half. Marked positional differences in the physical demands were demonstrated, with wing players performing more fast breaks and less physical confrontations than BP and PV. Body anthropometry differed substantially between different playing positions. Consequently, this should lead to an increase in physical training in modern female elite TH directed at specific positions and individual physical capacity.
authors.affiliation: 1Department of Public Health, Section of Sport Science, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; 2Institute of Sport Science and Clinical Biomechanics, Muscle Physiology and Biomechanics Research Unit, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark; and 3Department of Food and Nutrition and Sport Science, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Lars B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Michalsik
authors.forename: Per
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Aagaard
authors.forename: Klavs
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Madsen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000886:Anthropometry; D054874:Athletic Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D001827:Body Height; D001835:Body Weight; D003718:Denmark; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D013177:Sports / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014741:Video Recording; D055815:Young Adult