What are the most important areas of training

As Euro2024 approaches and we watch the best of the best combine technical brilliance with outstanding physical abilities, the thought process of many players out there becomes ‘what type of physical training can I do for handball?’

 

While this I naturally a very broad question, and there is many ways to potentially go about answering the question, the best thing to do is to take care of the ‘low hanging fruit’, or in other words, acknowledge the most important elements, that if taken care of, will account for the majority of potential physical improvement. These are known as the ‘big rocks’ of a training program.

 

So what are these big rocks in handball preparation?

 

1.Full body strength

 

Single leg strength – as the primary form of expression in a game of handball is single leg

Supplemented by maximal double leg strength

Rotational strength and then power

Upper body strength (particularly important as a back-court player).

2.Speed & Change of Direction

 

Speed is one thing, but speed in handball is rarely ever expressed in a linear fashion (as like a 100m sprint). The only exception to this being a fast break, where a winger takes off down the court. However even in this instance, they will not cover more than 30-35 meters, through which they are largely in a take-off and then acceleration phase, rather than top speed sprint.

 

The ability to move at speed – particularly laterally, and change directions, and then to do these repeatedly are far more important physical traits in handball than how quickly you can sprint in a straight line.

 

So develop these with multi-directional lower body strength, build on it with multi-directional plyometrics, and then ensure you develop the ability to be able to perform these at a high level for the duration of a game by targeting your energy systems development.

3.A high level of energy systems development

 

Often referred to as ‘fitness’ or aerobic ability.

 

Handball is a game of repeated high intensity efforts, where the key moments in a game are executed at high speed and high impact.

 

Yet the approach to developing the ability to repeatedly perform these tasks has previously been to develop a ‘base’ of aerobic ability with long slow distance style running.

 

So, not to confuse this point with standard aerobic running, rather energy systems development more accurately reflects developing the ability to repeatedly perform specific high intensity movements to a high level. As such, the method for developing this ability requires developing the ability to;

 

- Accelerate

- Decelerate

- Move laterally

- Jump + Land

- Perform body contact with an opponent

- And then in varying combinations, speeds and directions

 

This must involve a gradual progression, from lower speeds, intensities and volumes of work, up to increasingly greater speeds and intensities, with initially increasing volumes, before backing off the volume, but continuing to increase speed and intensity.

The ‘aerobic ability’ or ‘fitness’ develops as a by-product of the repeat-effort higher-intensity work. Because once again, running in a straight line for 2-3-4-5km at a moderate speed will not exactly carry over to that performed in a game.

 

Each one of these points could be a book – in fact they both have been.

 

But a little more practically, what is an example of what this full body strength would look like? And also the running, what could this look like in practical terms?

 

We will look at a practical application of both strength and running in a follow up discussion next time.