Abstract

Knowledge concerning match demands is essential for the design of specific training drills and training programs. It has previously been shown that there are differences in physical demands between different playing positions in team handball (1). Thus, such programs should be individualized with respect to playing positions and possibly playing level. It is shown that physical characteristics differ between playing level (2), however, to our knowledge, there are no studies investigating if the physical demands in match play vary with playing level. The aim of this study was to compare the physical demands in match play between national level and international level female team handball players. This study includes match observations from 16 players in nine international matches (international level) and 31 players in ten national league matches (national level). Inertial measurement units (Catapult Optimeye S5, Australia) were used for data collection. PlayerLoad™∙min-1, and High Intensity Events (HIE∙min-1; >2.5m·s-1) were used to quantify physical demands. Players were categorized into playing positions (backs, pivots, wings, and goalkeepers (GK)), and only on-field time was used in the analyses. Magnitude based inferences were used to describe probabilities of substantial differences between playing levels. Differences were deemed substantial when there was a likelihood of >75% of the difference exceeding an effect size (ES) of 0.2. Data from both playing levels combined show PlayerLoad™∙min-1 values of 9.3 ± 1.3, 9.1 ± 0.8, 9.2 ± 0.8, and 4.9 ± 0.9 for backs, wings, pivots, and GKs respectively. No differences in PlayerLoad™∙min-1 between playing levels for the outfield positions were found, however national-level GKs showed higher PlayerLoad™∙min-1 (ES 1.13) compared to international-level GKs. International-level backs (4.8 ± 0.7, ES 0.89) , wings (3.1 ± 0.6, ES 1.13), and pivots (4.1 ± 0.7, ES 0.60) displayed higher HIE∙min-1, compared to their national-level counterparts. International-level GKs showed lower HIE∙min-1 (ES 1.28) compared to national-level GKs. No differences in on-field time was observed between the two playing levels. This study reveals that backs, wings and pivots at international level perform higher HIE∙min-1 than their national-level peers. The notion that HIE is the physical discriminating factor between playing standards for outfield positions may be useful for planning training, and especially important for players who change playing standard. However, additional research is necessary to provide an even more valid expression of the distinguishing factors between competitive levels. For example, monitoring of physical match performance in the players who have moved between levels would enable a greater understanding of the influence of competitive level on match-play physical performance.