Finally! - A Handball-specific training program
The first and only of its kind
Are you making these common mistakes?
- No linkage between your specific goals and exercise selection;
- Performing bodybuilding-focused training;
- Using programs and exercises designed for other sports (like basketball or volleyball);
- Isolation exercises like bicep curls and triceps pulldowns;
- Performing with the same set and rep schemes every session;
- Not changing your program throughout pre-season and as the season progresses;
- Training primarily in 1 plane of movement;
- Spending wasted time on machine training like leg press and chest press;
- Implementing strength work and running based conditioning work as separate goals;
- Or worst of all - Not performing strength work out of the mistaken belief that it will slow you down.
If you are making these common training mistakes, even just a couple of them, then you are not maximizing the effectiveness of the time you are investing in your athletic conditioning for Handball
If you are reading this, you likely:
- Work full time
- Are a student
- Play local/development league level
- Are a junior player
- Can only dedicate time for a couple extra sessions a week
So why do the majority of handball players still train like bodybuilders, train following a program from another ball sport, or simply not train at all?
Being a bodybuilder is no where near as tough as being a good handball athlete. Or more specifically, the training required to be a bodybuilder is nothing compared to the type of strength and power training required to be a better handball player.
This is why there are so many people out there who are bodybuilders now. It doesn’t require much in terms of your training program. It can be very basic and generic, and largely dependent on your diet. Basically, it doesn’t matter what exercises you are doing, as long as you blast the hell out of the major muscle groups and eat a very strict diet you will see the results sooner rather than later.
To improve your vertical leap, or your first 3-5 metres in a sprint, or your ability to jump, land change directions and block or pass on the other hand, requires a lot of work, and more importantly a lot of the correct type of work, before you notice any improvements. Because after all, only your performance in matches or competitive match simulations will tell you whether you are improving. Simply looking in the mirror and seeing bigger quads and biceps won’t give much indication (although it may look good.)
“The relationship between strength training and throwing speed has been examined in team handball players – and the results clearly point to greater throwing speed in those athletes who combined a strength program with their normal training.”
-- Marco Cardinale
So what physical improvements does being a better handball player require?
- Higher vertical leap
- Very effective and explosive rotation
- Stable shoulders and functionally strong rotator cuff
- Explosive first 2-3 steps
- Decelerating quickly and efficiently
- Changing directions more effectively than your opponent
- Full body strength in physical contests
- Core strength linking the legs to the torso and arms
- Improved landing power (from a jump)
- Blocking an opponent, and for repeated efforts
- Evading an opponent
- Stabilising every joint in your body when receiving a bump or a check
- The ability to do these things over and over – not just once
- Or any number of variances or combinations of the above
- As well as the ability to be able to do these things over and over
- And most importantly all these things with handball-specific approach and application
Be honest: do you think your current strength training program is providing the necessary challenge on your body to actually be able to improve at any of these?
Could you explain to someone specifically how what you are doing is having a specific positive effect on one or more of these tasks?
Training the nervous system for physical performance is vastly different to training muscles to look bigger and better.
If you think that having bigger muscles automatically means that they are now stronger and equipped for the physical nature of handball think again!
Whilst a bigger muscle and therefore a bigger cross section of muscle fibres has the potential to be stronger, this will only be the case if the training techniques have had the appropriate effect on the nervous system. After all, muscles are controlled by the nervous system, and despite the fact that people tend to think mostly in terms of muscles when it comes to strength training, all gains that you make in performance are actually improvements in the performance of your nervous system and the nerves that feed your muscles for movement.
That’s right, in terms of functional strength training for handball, your muscles per se are almost irrelevant. Yes you will develop some muscle mass performing a functional strength training program, but we are far more focused on the improvements made by your nervous system and the movement and strength that this builds. Remember, training to be a better handball requires training to move better (in a variety of ways.) And movement is controlled by your nervous system, not your muscles.
Handball is about movement, not muscles, so lets focus our strength training accordingly.
Often times handball players avoid strength work thinking it will slow them down or make them bulky – however this is only the case with the inappropriate practices we have mentioned.
The reality is, that strength is the underlying physical quality that is needed to be developed, before being able to make any genuine improvements is any other physical tasks.
Ok lets stop waffling on before it gets boring (because we could talk about these things for days.) And besides, this has all been covered elsewhere on the site.
So lets get to the point.
So, which one is most important to you?
Higher vertical leap
Quicker and more powerful step to evade an opponent
More explosive rotation into a throw
Better controlled landings
More stable shoulders
Explosive takeoff power and speed
More powerful and efficient changes of direction
As well as the ability to perform these tasks consistently to a high level throughout the duration of a match and indeed maintain them throughout a season!
Whatever the answer, the reality is, these expressions of power will not improve, without first improving the underlying platform of functional strength.
“In the athletic development process, strength training is possibly the most important area because it is the underlying quality of so many other components.”
-- Vern Gambetta
This is because before you are able to express force quickly, you first must be able to express greater levels of force.
"For me as a physical therapist that is very helpful, to understand how demanding this sport is.
I like that it is split into chapters - depending on what you choose to improve, you can quick and easy find suitable exercises.
It outlines various types of workouts, so everyone can hit their own spot. "
Mikuláš Jakab
ŠKP Bratislava Handball
Slovak Republic
"I read it like I was having a conversation with handball experts in fitness who made me think about all the principles of training for handball players.
I am taking the program of pre-season training with my handball players and now I believe that I can made a program of strength and power training for myself a lot easier that I have before."
Goran Brecko
Rokometni Klub Krsko
Slovenia
"I liked that there is an emphasis on more than one plane of motion. The program is functional and easy to implement. I liked the female program as well."
Elías Árni Jónsson
IBV Vestmannaeyjar
Iceland
"I liked the availability of videos, a clear description of the exercises and a detailed description of the specifics of handball.
I wanted to delve into the handball specification as I had just started working in the sport. Despite extensive experience in physical preparation, it is important for me to penetrate the specificity of the sports discipline."
Marek Swider
WKS Śląsk Wrocław Handball
Poland
"I have a very positive opinion about the material. I am a professional handball coach, and a fitness coach! I would especially like to point out the part related to shoulder injury prevention."
Marko Isakovic
CSM Bucuresti
Romania
TSV 1882 Landsberg II
Germany
"The program is good because it is beautifully composed and there are descriptions for the exercises that are performed as well as video materials."
Roby Pavle
Croatia
"I purchased to find new drills, new concepts and ideas about the strength and conditioning principles according to Handball particularities. The information about the physical skills presented are well structured."
Alexandru Acsinte
CSM Bacau
Romania
"What stood out to me was the perfect balance between detailed explanations and practical exercises. For the first time ever, I truly felt like I was training as an athlete in the gym – it was a completely different experience than what I was used to. I have not only improved my strength and endurance, but also my mobility and coordination."
Lars Wilke
Berlin
Germany
Finally! - A Handball-specific focused training product and program - The first and only of its kind
So what EXACTLY does Strength & Power Training for Handball include?
In-depth discussion of what exactly functional means in terms of preparation for handball – made up largely of discussion points rarely discussed anywhere else.
A thorough needs analysis for handball
More detailed discussion on key areas of focus in handball
Detailed outline and description of the key exercises to build every training program for handball around;
Upper Body – double arm AND even more importantly single arm strength AND power
Lower body – double leg AND more importantly single leg strength AND power based work
Functional rotation strength AND power
Discussion and outline of functional core work specifically applied to handball
Warm up and stability targeted work– particularly for the shoulder and hips
Detailed discussion on plyometric progression – and then application in all programs
More than 100 video demonstrations to go with the detailed written technique points and aims in the written demonstrations
In-depth discussion on periodisation, its importance, and how exactly this looks in terms of a handball season – as well as several handball seasons
Fully perdiodised program layouts, with easy to follow instructions – importantly across 3 starting difficulty levels
By the end of simply reading this program, let alone performing it, not only will you have the blueprint to greatly improve your performance, but you will easily be able to identify useless exercises being performed around you by players with the same goals as you, as well as be able to explain in simple detail what ‘functional for handball’ exactly means. You will also have absolutely no problem being able to explain why a leg press is useless for improving vertical leap, and why just performing a heavier bench press will not instantly mean that you are better equipped to block an opponent or give you more power in your shooting.
In addition to the 320 page book and more than 100 videos, we have also included an all-important 50 page bonus exclusively focusing on female players – Strength & Conditioning for Handball – The Female Essentials.
So on top of the detailed information and application in the exercises in programs in Strength & Power Training for Handball, in this essential bonus add on we go through all the important key areas that the female athlete must also apply to her program:
Posture of the pelvis – why this is the most important area of the body – particularly for females
Why female athletes may not actually be as flexible as we traditionally think
ACL injury – why it is 6x as common in female players than male players – and the simple 3-step process to focus on to counter this
Detailed look into all the anatomical and hormonal differences in females, and the adjustments required as a result
The use of plyometrics specifically for female athletic development and injury reduction
Upper body strength – and discussing why strength work will not cause a female athlete to ‘bulk up’
The inner unit, pelvic floor as well as the effects of pregnancy
Plus a lot more ... we are just scratching the surface
So what were those benefits again?
- Higher vertical leap
- Powerful off 1 foot as well as 2
- Very effective and explosive rotation
- Stable shoulders and functionally strong rotator cuff
- Explosive first 2-3 steps
- Reduced potential for soft tissue injuries
- Decelerating quickly and efficiently
- Changing directions more effectively than your opponent
- Full body strength in physical contests
- Core strength linking the legs to the torso and arms
- Improved landing power (from a jump)
- Blocking an opponent, and for repeated efforts
- Evading an opponent
- Stabilising every joint in your body when receiving a bump or a check
- The ability to do these things over and over – not just once
- Time efficient yet providing scope for extensive training
- Get ahead of the pack around you, while everyone else continues to train with incorrect and outdated techniques.
- The confidence that comes with knowing that you have prepared the best way possible!
Everything from detailed information, to exercise description and demos, to detailed programming in the one complete and comprehensive resource - specifically tailored to handball - rather than the disjointed and incomplete small amounts of information available elsewhere. Better yet - this is put together with the individual player in mind.
All of this and for less than half the price of 1 hour with a quality Athletic Performance coach.
Additionally, with a money back guarantee if you aren't impressed, there is a whole heap of upside and literally no potential downside.
"The whole process was simple and easy for me. I didn't have any problems.
I generally recommend to everyone. Professional and well-designed."
Marek Swider
WKS Śląsk Wrocław Handball
Poland
"It was sent to me the same day I paid so there was no problem."
Roby Pavle
Croatia
"The checkout process went smooth and user-friendly."
Ricardo Segura
Spain
"I had no problem with the checkout process."
Elías Árni Jónsson
IBV Vestmannaeyjar
Iceland
"Checkout process was easy and no problem at all. After payment, in just a few moments e-book came to my email with bunch of videos."
Mikuláš Jakab
ŠKP Bratislava Handball
Slovak Republic