title: Game Performance Evaluation in Male Goalball Players.
abstract: Goalball is a Paralympic sport exclusively for athletes who are visually impaired and blind. The aims of this study were twofold: to describe game performance of elite male goalball players based upon the degree of visual impairment, and to determine if game performance was related to anthropometric characteristics of elite male goalball players. The study sample consisted of 44 male goalball athletes. A total of 38 games were recorded during the Summer Paralympic Games in London 2012. Observations were reported using the Game Efficiency Sheet for Goalball. Additional anthropometric measurements included body mass (kg), body height (cm), the arm span (cm) and length of the body in the defensive position (cm). The results differentiating both groups showed that the players with total blindness obtained higher means than the players with visual impairment for game indicators such as the sum of defense (p = 0.03) and the sum of good defense (p = 0.04). The players with visual impairment obtained higher results than those with total blindness for attack efficiency (p = 0.04), the sum of penalty defenses (p = 0.01), and fouls (p = 0.01). The study showed that athletes with blindness demonstrated higher game performance in defence. However, athletes with visual impairment presented higher efficiency in offensive actions. The analyses confirmed that body mass, body height, the arm span and length of the body in the defensive position did not differentiate players' performance at the elite level.
authors.affiliation: The Józef Pilsudski University of Physical Education in Warsaw, Faculty of Rehabilitation, Poland.
authors.forename: Bartosz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Molik
authors.affiliation: The Józef Pilsudski University of Physical Education in Warsaw, Faculty of Rehabilitation, Poland.
authors.forename: Natalia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Morgulec-Adamowicz
authors.affiliation: The Józef Pilsudski University of Physical Education in Warsaw, Faculty of Rehabilitation, Poland.
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kosmol
authors.affiliation: The Józef Pilsudski University of Physical Education in Warsaw, Faculty of Physical Education, Poland.
authors.forename: Krzysztof
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Perkowski
authors.affiliation: The Józef Pilsudski University of Physical Education in Warsaw, Faculty of Rehabilitation, Poland.
authors.forename: Grzegorz
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bednarczuk
authors.affiliation: The Józef Pilsudski University of Physical Education in Warsaw, Faculty of Rehabilitation, Poland.
authors.forename: Waldemar
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Skowroński
authors.affiliation: Polytechnic University of Madrid, Faculty of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences, Madrid,, Spain.
authors.forename: Miguel Angel
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Gomez
authors.affiliation: The Józef Pilsudski University of Physical Education in Warsaw, Faculty of Rehabilitation, Poland.
authors.forename: Krzysztof
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Koc
authors.affiliation: The Józef Pilsudski University of Physical Education in Warsaw, Faculty of Rehabilitation, Poland.
authors.forename: Izabela
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rutkowska
authors.affiliation: Chicago State University, Faculty of Secondary Education, Professional Studies and Recreation, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Szyman
keywords: disability sport; visual impairment
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