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Anthropometric, physiological and performance characteristics of elite

team-handball players

Anis Chaouachi a; Matt Brughelli b; Gregory Levin b; Nahla Ben Brahim Boudhina c; John Cronin bd;
Karim Chamari a
a
Scientific Research Unit, Evaluation, Sport, Health, National Centre of Medicine and Science in
Sports, Tunis, Tunisia b School of Exercise, Biomedical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University,
Joondalup, WA, Australia c Higher Institute of Sport and Physical Education, Kef, Tunisia d Institute of
Sport and Recreation Research New Zealand, AUT University, Auckland, New Zealand

To cite this Article Chaouachi, Anis, Brughelli, Matt, Levin, Gregory, Boudhina, Nahla Ben Brahim, Cronin, John and

Chamari, Karim(2009) 'Anthropometric, physiological and performance characteristics of elite team-handball players',
Journal of Sports Sciences, 27: 2, 151 157
To link to this Article: DOI: 10.1080/02640410802448731
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Journal of Sports Sciences, January 15th 2009; 27(2): 151157

Anthropometric, physiological and performance characteristics

of elite team-handball players

ANIS CHAOUACHI1, MATT BRUGHELLI2, GREGORY LEVIN2,

NAHLA BEN BRAHIM BOUDHINA3, JOHN CRONIN2,4, & KARIM CHAMARI1
1

Scientific Research Unit, Evaluation, Sport, Health, National Centre of Medicine and Science in Sports, Tunis, Tunisia,
School of Exercise, Biomedical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA, Australia, 3Higher Institute of
Sport and Physical Education, Kef, Tunisia, and 4Institute of Sport and Recreation Research New Zealand, AUT University,
Auckland, New Zealand
2

Downloaded By: [B-on Consortium - 2007] At: 11:46 14 December 2009

(Accepted 2 September 2008)

Abstract
The objective of this study was to provide anthropometric, physiological, and performance characteristics of an elite
international handball team. Twenty-one elite handball players were tested and categorized according to their playing
positions (goalkeepers, backs, pivots, and wings). Testing consisted of anthropometric and physiological measures of height,
body mass, percentage body fat and endurance (V_ O2max), performance measures of speed (5, 10, and 30 m), strength
(bench press and squat), unilateral and bilateral horizontal jumping ability, and a 5-jump horizontal test. Significant
differences were found between player positions for some anthropometric characteristics (height and percentage body fat)
but not for the physiological or performance characteristics. Strong correlations were noted between single leg horizontal
jumping distances with 5-, 10-, and 30-m sprint times (r 0.510.80; P 5 0.01). The best predictors of sprint times were
single leg horizontal jumping with the dominant leg and the distance measured for the 5-jump test, which when combined
accounted for 72% of the common variance associated with sprint ability. In conclusion, performance abilities between
positions in elite team-handball players appear to be very similar. Single leg horizontal jumping distance could be a specific
standardized test for predicting sprinting ability in elite handball players.

Keywords: Physiological profile, elite athletes, physical fitness

Introduction
There is a paucity of research on the physiological,
physical, and anthropometric profiles of elite and
sub-elite handball players. Profiling can be a valuable
means of identifying talent, strengths and weaknesses, assigning player positions, and helping in the
optimal design of strength and conditioning programmes. Several studies have reported differences
among playing positions for various physiological,
physical, and anthropometric characteristics in sports
such as rugby (Gabbett, 2002, 2006; Meir, Newton,
Curtis, Fardell, & Butler, 2002), soccer (Casajus,
2001; Vescovi, Brown, & Murray, 2006), Australian
Rules football (Pyne, Gardner, Sheehan, & Hopkins,
2006; Young & Pryor, 2007), and American football
(Garstecki, Latin, & Cuppett, 2004; McGee &
Burkett, 2003). However, most of these studies were

of team sports that use large playing fields. Elite male

handball players, who play indoors on a small court,
may be more homogeneous as a whole compared
with other big playing field sports. Within the last
15 years, no studies have been performed on
position-specific physiological or physical characteristics in elite handball players. With this in mind, the
main aim of this study was to profile the physiological, physical, and performance characteristics of
elite handball players for different playing positions.
The factors that affect athletic performance are
often explored through correlation or multiple
regression statistical approaches. Dynamic muscle
strength is thought to be an important factor influencing throwing velocity and sprinting in handball
(Gorostiaga, Granados, Ibarez, Gonzalez-Badillo, &
Izquierdo, 2006; Gorostiaga, Granados, Ibarez, &
Izquierdo, 2005). Two previous studies reported that

Correspondence: A. Chaouachi, Scientific Research Unit, Evaluation, Sport, Health, National Centre of Medicine and Science in Sports, BP 263, Av. Med Ali
Akid, 1004 El Menzah, Tunis, Tunisia. E-mail: anis.chaouachi@email.ati.tn
ISSN 0264-0414 print/ISSN 1466-447X online 2009 Taylor & Francis
DOI: 10.1080/02640410802448731

Downloaded By: [B-on Consortium - 2007] At: 11:46 14 December 2009

152

A. Chaouachi et al.

isokinetic strength (concentric internal rotation)

correlated strongly with throwing velocity (jump shot
only) in handball players (Bayios, Anastasopoulou,
Sioudris, & Boudolos, 2001; Fleck et al., 1992), and
one study found a strong correlation between bench
press (barbell velocity at 30% of one-repetition
maximum) and 3-step-shot throwing velocity
(r 0.62) (Gorostiaga et al., 2005). In the one study
that examined the relationship between countermovement vertical jumping height and sprint performance (30-m sprint times) in elite handball players,
the authors did not find a strong correlation
(Marques & Gonzalez-Badillo, 2006). As running is
a single-leg movement performed in the horizontal
direction, it could be hypothesized that vertical
bilateral jumping would correlate more weakly with
sprinting speed compared with unilateral horizontal
jumping. Therefore, a secondary aim of this study
was to determine important predictors of sprint times
and throwing velocities with multiple regression
analysis. It was hypothesized that the unilateral
horizontal jumping exercises would be important
predictors of sprint performance over 5, 10, and
30 m, and the upper body strength measures would
be important predictors of throwing velocity.

Anthropometric and physiological measures

Participants reported to the laboratory for the
measurement of height, body mass, and percentage
body fat. Body mass was measured to the nearest
0.1 kg using an electronic scale (Seca Instruments
Ltd., Hamburg, Germany) and height was measured
to the nearest 0.001 m using a stadiometer (Holtain
Ltd., Crymych, UK). Skinfold thickness at four sites
(biceps, triceps, subscapular, and suprailiac) was
measured using a Harpenden calliper (Lange, Cambridge, MA, USA) by an experienced anthropometrist, and percentage body fat was calculated from
these measurements using the equation of Durnin
and Womersley (1974) (see Table I).
Performance measures
The participants were familiar with the test protocols,
since they routinely performed these tests for training
prescription purposes. Each player was instructed
and verbally encouraged to give a maximal effort
during all tests. A standardized warm-up consisting of
jogging, dynamic stretching, and a series of sprints of
increasing intensity was performed before testing.
Sprint tests

Methods

The participants performed three maximal 30-m

sprints (with 5- and 10-m split times) on an indoor
synthetic court. During recovery (23 min), the
participants walked back to the starting line and
then waited for the next sprint. Time was recorded
using photo-cell gates (Brower Timing Systems, Salt
Lake City, UT, USA, accuracy of 0.01 s) placed
0.4 m above the ground. The participants commenced the sprint when ready from a standing start
0.5 m behind the first timing gate. Stance for the
start was consistent for all participants. The run with
the fastest 30-m time was selected for analysis.

Participants
The senior Tunisian national handball team, including the 21 players who competed in the 2005 World
Championship and the 2006 African Championship,
volunteered to participate in the study. In these two
competitions, the national team finished in fourth
and first place, respectively. The participants performed the tests shortly before competing in the
African Championship. This study was approved by
the Ethics Committee of the National Centre of
Medicine and Science in Sports, Tunis. To provide
an in-depth analysis of team handball, results were
analysed for the entire group and also according to
individual playing positions. Four distinct positions
were determined: goalkeepers, backs, pivot players,
and wings.

Horizontal jumping tests

Each player performed a series of horizontal jumps.
The tests included a bilateral standing horizontal

Table I. Mean anthropometric characteristics by position (standard deviations in parentheses).

Goalkeeper
Back
Pivot
Wing
Mean (s)

Age (years)

4
9
3
5

26
23
24
23
24.3

(2.5)
(1.2)
(2.3)
(1.6)
(3.4)

Body mass (kg)

91.5
88.0
98.2
84.1
88.6

Notes: *Significantly different between backs and wings (P 5 0.01).

#
Significantly different between goal keepers and backs (P 5 0.01).

(6.8)
(8.0)
(12.9)
(5.9)
(7.5)

Height (m)
1.89
1.93*
1.92
1.82*
1.89

(2.0)
(3.20)
(7.2)
(4.8)
(5.5)

Percentage body fat

20.2#
12.4#
13.4
15.1
15.4

(1.4)
(3.3)
(2.6)
(2.8)
(3.7)

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Profiling elite team-handball players

jump, and unilateral horizontal jumps with each of
the two legs. Results were categorized into dominant
and non-dominant legs for each player. For these
tests, the participant stood stationary on both legs,
with the toes aligned level with the start line, before
jumping as far forward as possible. Participants were
allowed the use of a countermovement with arms and
body swing. The unilateral horizontal jumps required
the athlete to begin by standing on the designated
test leg with their toe touching the starting line and to
jump as far forward as possible, landing on both feet.
The distance jumped from the start line at take-off to
the position of the heel upon landing was measured
in centimetres using a metal tape measure. Participants were allowed three trials for each jump, with
the longest distance jumped recorded for analysis.
This test has been shown to be reliable with intraclass correlations between 0.80 and 0.95 (Maulder &
Cronin. 2005).
A 5-jump test was also performed by each player.
This test involved the participant attempting to cover
the greatest horizontal distance possible by performing a series of five forward jumps with alternate left
and right foot contacts (with a preliminary run 1 m
in length). Participants were allowed three trials, with
the longest distance covered recorded for analysis.
The total distance covered was measured as for the
horizontal jumps. It has been proposed that the 5jump test is an appropriate alternative to traditional
jumping exercises for estimating lower limb explosive
power in various types of athletes (Bouhlel, Bouhlel,
Chelly, & Tabka, 2006; Chamari et al., 2008; Chtara
et al., 2008).
Endurance test
A 20-m shuttle run test (20-MST) was performed to
calculate the maximal aerobic capacity of each
athlete. The endurance test was performed 10 min
after the end of the sprint test on the same indoor
court. Participants were required to run the 20-m
distance (a shuttle) as described by Leger and
Gadoury (1989). The participants followed the 20MST protocol by touching the appropriate 20-m line
with a foot in tandem with an audio signal played
through a sound system from a compact disc player.
The test was terminated when the participant
voluntarily dropped out due to exhaustion or could
no longer maintain pace with the audio signals. Both
lines were monitored closely by two testers at either
end. Speed on the last stage to be successfully
completed was recorded as the finishing maximal
speed. Participants were instructed to complete as
many stages as possible. Maximal oxygen uptake
(V_ O2max) was estimated from the appropriate
regression equation as described by Leger and
Gadoury (1989).

153

Throwing velocity
Ball throwing velocity was evaluated on an indoor
handball court using two types of throw: a standing
throw from 7 m and three-step running throw. A
standard handball ball was used for all tests. The
standing throw required participants to throw the
ball as fast as possible through a standard goal using
the dominant hand. Players were instructed to keep
the front foot on the ground just behind the 7-m
penalty mark. In the three-step running throw, each
athlete made a preparatory run, limited to three
regular steps, performed a take-off behind the 9-m
line, and threw the ball with maximal effort. Ball
speed for the two throws was measured with a
calibrated radar gun (Stalker Professional Sports
Radar, TX, USA). The radar gun recorded ball
speed at a sampling rate of 100 Hz. Three throws of
each type were performed; the fastest throw for each
type was used for analysis. This test has been shown
to have very good testretest reliability (Dauty, Kitar,
Dubois, & Potiron-Josse, 2005; Marques &
Gonzales-Badillo, 2006).
Muscle strength
Lower and upper body testing was performed on an
Ariel Computer Exercise (ACE) system (Ariel
Dynamics, Inc., CA, USA.) to measure maximal
force and maximal power output during the bench
press and squat exercises. The procedure has been
described in detail by Weiss and colleagues (Weiss,
Fry, Gossick, Webber, & Barrow, 1998; Weiss,
Relyea, Ashley, & Propst, 1996). Briefly, each
participant performed a bench press and squat tests
at six bar velocities (0.51, 0.82, 1.12, 1.43, 1.73, and
2.04 m  s71). Bench press and squat ranges of
motion were established before testing and preliminary diagnostic tests were conducted to optimize
the valve aperture on the hydraulic device. On cue,
the participant thrust the bar upwards from the low
position, with maximal force. Measurements of force
and power were collected throughout the entire
range of motion. The highest peak power and peak
force from each of the velocities was recorded and
used for analysis.
Statistical analysis
To provide an in-depth analysis of handball, the
results were analysed for the entire group and also
based on individual playing positions. Four distinct
positions were determined: goalkeepers, backs, pivot
players, and wings. Statistical analysis was performed
using SPSS Version 14.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL,
USA). All data are expressed as means + standard
deviations (s). Pearson productmoment correlations

Key: HJboth horizontal jump with both legs; HJdom horizontal jump with dominant leg; HJnon horizontal jump with non-dominant leg; 5J 5- jump test; SQforce force produced during the squat;
SQpower peak power produced during the squat; Throw7 standard throwg velocity; Throw9 three-step running throwg velocity; BPforce force produced in the bench press; BPpower peak power
produced in the bench press.

(134.56)
(168.49)
(135.83)
(168/26)
(155.89)
(12.56) 90.60 (12.67)
763
(9.89) 102.42 (18.67)
804
(6.78)
98.83 (14.67)
783
(4.98) 106.41 (13.89)
815
(8.57)
99.25 (14.52) 773.04
92.76
94.45
93.34
99.67
93.79
(7.56)
(4.78)
(2.67)
(5.45)
(4.28)
85.57
86.34
88.76
89.34
88.00
(5.39)
(3.22)
(8.26)
(5.55)
(5.48)
53.23
53.43
51.60
52.40
52.83
(378.56)
(404.56)
(257.78)
(367.87)
(354.37)
(31.75)
1039
(12.85)
1489
(49.74)
356
(19.14)
1632
(27.48) 1369.03
159.48
179.93
180.49
192.72
177.68
(1.14)
(1.06)
(0.89)
(0.81)
(1.04)
15.37
15.63
14.99
14.94
15.24
(0.08)
(0.14)
(0.06)
(0.26)
(0.18)
2.12
2.31
2.15
2.20
2.21
(0.08)
(0.16)
(0.13)
(0.17)
(0.16)
2.22
2.43
2.27
2.34
2.33
(0.20)
(0.15)
(0.05)
(0.14)
(0.16)
2.51
2.52
2.50
2.43
2.49
(0.16)
(0.12)
(0.19)
(0.20)
(0.14)
4.50
4.32
4.50
4.42
4.44
(0.06)
(0.06)
(0.08)
(0.06)
(0.07)
1.99
1.90
1.91
1.91
1.93
(0.05)
(0.04)
(0.05)
(0.07)
(0.05)
1.21
1.15
1.17
1.18
1.17
4
9
3
5
Goalkeeper
Back
Pivot
Wing
Mean (s)

BPforce (kg)
Throw9
(km  h71)
Throw7
(km  h71)
V_ O2max
(ml  kg71  min71)
SQpower (W)
SQforce (kg)
5J (m)
HJnon (m)
HJdom (m)

The raw data for all tests (by playing position) are
presented in Tables I and II. No significant
differences in performance were found between the
four groups. The only differences observed between
the positions were in the height of backs and wings
(6%), and in the percentage body fat of goalkeepers
and backs (62%).
Highly significant relationships were found between sprint times and all of the single leg horizontal
jumping measures (r 70.51 to 70.80; P 5 0.01),
while non-significant relationships were observed for
the horizontal jump performed with both legs
(r 70.38 to 70.45; P 4 0.01) (Table III). There
were no significant relationships between the physical measurements and any of the sprint times
measured. Similarly, no significant relationships
were observed between the squat variables and any
of the sprint variables measured.
Height and body mass were not significantly
related to standing throw velocity (see Table IV).
No significant relationship was found between bench
press force or peak power and throwing ability.
There was a significant relationship between peak
power in the squat and standing throw velocity
(r 70.57; P 0.01).
The best single predictor for 5-m and 30-m sprint
times was the distance measured in the single leg
horizontal jump with the dominant leg, which
accounted for 54% and 64% respectively of the
shared variance between the two variables (Table V).
The best single predictor of 10-m sprint times was
the distance measured in the 5-jump test, which
accounted for 44% of the shared variance. The
addition of the 5-jump test and the standing jump
with the dominant leg to the regression model for the
30-m sprint times increased the common variance to
72%. There was no single best predictor of throwing
velocity in either the standing or three-step running
throw.

HJboth (m)

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Results

n 5-m sprint (s) 10-m sprint (s) 30-m sprint (s)

were used to examine the relationship between

anthropometric, physiological, and performance
variables. Statistical significance was set at
P 5 0.01. A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA)
together with a Tukey HSD post-hoc test was used to
determine if significant differences existed between
playing roles. A step-wise multiple regression analysis was used to determine the best predictor variables
for sprint times and throwing velocity. Given the
small sample size and to prevent an excessive loss of
statistical power (by way of the Bonferroni criterion)
and at the same time to control type I error rate (due
to the multiplicity of tests), a 0.01 level of significance were adopted for all of the multiple regression
models and correlations.

BPpower (W)

A. Chaouachi et al.

Table II. Mean physiological and performance characteristics by position (standard deviations in parentheses).

154

Profiling elite team-handball players

155

Table III. Correlation coefficients for 5-, 10-, and 30-m sprint times.
5-m sprint

10-m sprint

30-m sprint

Variable (units)

Height (cm)
Body mass (kg)
Body fat (%)
5J (m)
HJboth (m)
HJdom (m)
HJnon (m)
SQforce (kg)
SQpower (W)

70.29
0.23
0.39
70.55
70.38
70.73
70.58
70.35
0.05

0.10
0.16
0.39
0.01*
0.04
0.00*
0.00*
0.06
0.42

70.16
70.06
0.15
70.66
70.39
70.61
70.51
70.41
70.17

0.24
0.40
0.26
0.00*
0.04
0.00*
0.01*
0.03
0.23

70.29
70.10
0.13
70.70
70.45
70.80
70.65
70.44
70.12

0.10
0.33
0.29
0.00*
0.02
0.00*
0.00*
0.02
0.31

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Key: HJboth horizontal jump with both legs; HJdom horizontal jump with dominant leg; HJnon horizontal jump with non-dominant leg;
5J 5-jump test; SQforce force produced during the squat; SQpower peak power produced during the squat.
*Significant at P 5 0.01.

Table IV. Correlation coefficients for standing and three-step

running throwing velocity.

Table V. Predictor models of 5-, 10-, and 30-m sprint times.

Variable (units)

Standing
throw

Three-step
running throw

Variable (units)

Height (m)
Body mass (kg)
Body fat (%)
5J (m)
HJboth (m)
HJdom (m)
HJnon (m)
SQforce (kg)
SQpower (W)

0.44
0.40
70.21
70.12
70.21
70.00
0.30
70.38
70.57

0.04
0.05
0.21
0.33
0.20
0.50
0.09
0.07
0.01*

70.00
0.31
70.27
70.03
70.22
70.24
0.07
70.04
70.34

0.49
0.17
0.15
0.46
0.20
0.18
0.40
0.43
0.09

Key: HJboth horizontal jump with both legs; HJdom horizontal

jump with dominant leg; HJnon horizontal jump with nondominant leg; 5J 5-jump test; SQforce force produced during
the squat; SQpower peak power produced during the squat.
*Significant at P 5 0.01.

Discussion
Profiling studies have been used in a variety of sports
in an attempt to develop normative data and
standardize tests. There were two main findings in
the present study: (1) performance characteristics
(jumps, sprints, squats, throws, and aerobic capacity)
were not significantly different between positions in
elite male handball players, whereas some differences
in anthropometric variables were observed; and (2)
unilateral dominant-leg horizontal jumping correlated strongly with sprint times for all distances (5,
10, and 30 m), but bilateral horizontal jumping did
not correlate with sprint times for any of the
distances.
Three recent studies have documented the age
(23.131.3 years), height (1.841.89 m), body mass
(84.895.6 kg), and percentage body fat (13.8
14.9%) of elite male European handball players

5-m sprint times (s)

Single predictor HJdom
10-m sprint times (s)
Single predictor 5J
30-m sprint times (s)
Single predictor HJdom
Two predictor HJdom, 5J

R2

0.73

0.54

0.66

0.44

0.80
0.85

0.64
0.72

Key: HJdom horizontal jump with dominant leg; 5J 5-jump test.

(Gorostiaga et al., 2005, 2006; Marques & GonzalezBadillo, 2006). The physical characteristics reported
in these studies were similar to those observed in the
present study. The mean values for these measures in
the present study were: age 24.3 years, height
1.89 m, body mass 88.6 kg, and percentage body
fat 15.4%.
Gorostiaga et al. (2005) reported sprint times for
their handball players of 1.02 and 2.46 s for 5 m and
15 m, respectively, while Marques and GonzalezBadillo (2006) reported sprint times of 4.47 s for
30 m. The results for the 5-, 10-, and 30-m dashes in
the present study were 1.17 s, 1.92 s, and 4.40 s
respectively. Sprinting distances of 530 m appear to
be the tests of choice for documenting sprinting
ability in elite handball players. The absolute (and
relative) strength profiles for the 1-RM isokinetic
bench press were also similar in the present study
(99.2 kg or 1.10 kg  kg71 body mass) and previous
studies [82.5 kg or 0.99 kg  kg71 body mass:
(Gorostiaga et al., 2005) and 106.9 kg or
1.16 kg  kg71 body mass: (Marques & GonzalezBadillo, 2006)] of 1-RM isoinertial bench press.
From these studies, it could be speculated that an
isokinetic and/or isoinertial relative strength profile
of 1.01.15 kg  kg71 body mass is appropriate for
elite handball players.

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156

A. Chaouachi et al.

It has been suggested that handball players do not

require a high aerobic capacity to excel because the
average playing time for each player is only 25
30 min per game (Alexander & Boreskie, 1989).
During matches, players usually only perform short
sprints (i.e. less than 20 m) and do not cover large
distances, thus low levels of aerobic energy are
expended (Alexander & Boreskie, 1989). Given this
information and the interchange rules in handball, it
would appear that the maximum oxygen consumption in the present study (52.82 ml  kg71  min71)
would be adequate for elite handball performance.
Moreover, these findings are in line with maximal
aerobic capacities reported in previous handball
studies (Gorostiaga et al., 2005; Marques & Gonzalez-Badillo, 2006). Future research should assess the
effect of training on players aerobic capacity and
how this influences the individual match-performances of handball players, to determine whether
the aerobic capacity is immaterial for modern handball players.
There were significant differences in the physical
characteristics among playing positions in the present
study. The backs were significantly taller than the
wings (6%), and the goalkeepers had a significantly
greater percentage of body fat than the backs (62%).
However, there were no significant differences
between playing positions for sprint times, horizontal
jumping distances, aerobic capacity, or maximum
strength or power.
Pearson correlations or multiple regressions are
often performed in studies of team sports in an
attempt to identify specific tests that predict athletic
performance. It has been suggested that strength,
power, and throwing velocity are important factors in
elite handball players (Gorostiaga et al., 2006). The
ability to throw at high velocity is thought to be due
to: throwing technique, timing of segment sequencing, upper and lower body strength, and power. A
previous study on elite male handball players
reported that during a 30% 1-RM bench press, the
velocity of the barbell was strongly correlated
(r 0.72) with throwing velocity (Gorostiaga et al.,
2005). However, it was also reported that 1-RM
bench press did not correlate with throwing velocity
(Gorostiaga et al., 2005). These findings could be
due to similar timing patterns of body segments in
the 30% 1-RM and overhead throwing compared
with the 1-RM bench press, which is performed at a
slower rate. Similarly, the present study did not find
a significant relationship between either 1-RM
concentric-only isokinetic bench press or peak power
with throwing velocity. Although strength and power
are thought to be important for throwing velocity, the
1-RM bench press (measured in kg or kg  kg71
body mass) may not be an optimal test/movement to
predict throwing velocity in elite handball players.

The only variable that did predict throwing velocity

in the present study was peak power in the 1-RM
squat (r 70.57). Gorostiaga et al. (2005) also
reported a significant relationship between peak
power during the 1-RM half-squat and throwing
velocity (r 0.62). This may be due to the similar
segmental timing in the lower body that occurs
during squatting and overhead throwing. It is
unlikely that one exercises/test will be able to predict
velocity in the standing throw or three-step running
throw. A battery of tests will need to be developed to
predict throwing velocity or overall potential in elite
handball players. The overhead throwing movement
is very complex with many segments and joints
contributing to performance in a proximal-to-distal
sequence.
In a previous study of bilateral vertical jumps and
sprint times in elite handball players, no significant
relationships were reported (Marques & GonzalezBadillo, 2006). Intuitively this makes sense, since
bilateral jumping in the vertical direction and
sprinting in the horizontal direction are two different
movements. Sprinting is a movement involving
multiple joints and segments that are delicately
coordinated during each stance phase. Both running
and jumping require unique, and different, intermuscular and intra-muscular coordination. It might
be suggested that unilateral horizontal jumping
distance is more specific to the running movement
than vertical bilateral jumping height. The present
study found that bilateral horizontal jumping did not
correlate strongly with any of the sprint times.
However, all of the unilateral jumps correlated
strongly (r 70.65 to 70.80) with sprint times for
all three distances (Table III). These strong relationships could be due to the commonalities that exist
between sprinting and unilateral horizontal jumping:
(1) both movements occur in the horizontal direction; (2) both movements require rapid stretch
shortening cycles performed unilaterally; and (3)
both movements have similar proximal-to-distal
segment sequencing patterns, which involve similar
inter- and intra-muscular coordination. Furthermore, the present study found specific predictors of
sprint performance across the three sprint distances.
The single best predictor of 5-m sprint time was the
horizontal jump with the dominant leg. For short
distances, a single expression of horizontal leg power
appears to be the best predictor of sprint performance. The single best predictor for 10-m sprint
time was the 5-jump test. It would appear that as
distance increases, multiple expressions of horizontal
jumping ability predict sprint performance to better
effect. The single best predictor for 30-m sprint time
was the horizontal jump with the dominant leg, and
the second best predictor was the 5-jump test. Thus
both the first few steps coupled with the ability to

Profiling elite team-handball players

jump off alternating legs for 5 jumps could be
considered important predictors of 30-m sprint time
in elite male handball players. The movements
involved in sprinting and the 5-jump test require
rapid stretching and high-velocity muscular contractions, which could explain the strong relationships.

Downloaded By: [B-on Consortium - 2007] At: 11:46 14 December 2009

Conclusions
This study was designed to assess the anthropometric, physiological, and performance characteristics of members of an elite handball team. The
performance capacities of elite players appear to be
very similar across positions. In addition, single-leg
horizontal jumping distance could be a standard test
for predicting sprinting ability. More profiling
studies of elite handball players are required before
definitive normative data and standardized tests can
be developed.
Acknowledgements
This study was financially supported by the Tunisian
Ministry of Scientific Research, Technology and
Development of Competences, Tunisia. The authors
would like to thank the staff of the National centre of
Medicine and Science in Sports, as well as the
athletes and the staff of the Tunisian handball team.
We especially thank Dr. Mourad Hambli for his
assistance with Ariel devise, also Prof. Louis Laurencelle for his asistance with statistics. Finally, the
author would like to thank Dr. John Leiper for the
revision of the English.
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