Importance of Jumping Ability in Handball Throwing Speed and Accuracy

The study examined the influence of jumping ability on throwing speed and accuracy in 35 male handball players. Professional players demonstrated superior accuracy and speed compared to amateurs. Jumping ability was identified as a robust predictor of competitive level and exhibited a positive correlation with throwing performance.

Throwing the ball to score a goal in handball is a critical action for success in offensive play. Speed and accuracy are two determining factors for successful throws. While there is substantial research on the importance of these factors, discrepancies exist regarding their relationship. This study aims to analyze the impact of jumping ability on throwing speed and accuracy across different competitive levels in handball. Thirty-five male handball players were recruited from amateur and professional levels. Jumping ability was assessed and throwing speed and accuracy were measured using a high-performance sports radar. Significant differences (p < 0.05) were found between amateur and professional groups in countermovement jump (CMJ) and throwing speed jump. The comparative analysis revealed significant differences in throwing speed and in correct and incorrect throws, with large to very large effect sizes. Pearson's r correlation indicated significant correlations between throwing speed jump and CMJ, countermovement jump left (CMJL), and countermovement jump right (CMJR), and between throwing speed deficit and CMJL in the total sample. The results show that professional handball players exhibit higher throwing accuracy and speed compared to amateurs. Throwing speed and accuracy are positively correlated with performance in male handball players.

Throwing in handball is a technical action of great importance for scoring goals and its effectiveness is considered the most important factor for success in competition¹. Throwing effectiveness depends on two variables: speed and accuracy^2,3. The highest accuracy is not achieved when the player uses the highest throwing speed but is greatly improved by training^1,4. Higher velocity can increase the distance at which the thrower is effective, as long as a certain degree of accuracy is maintained^5,6,7. This requires practical exercises that increase the ability to accelerate the arm in a coordinated manner^2,8,9. There is a limited amount of research that has thoroughly examined the specific dynamics of throwing velocity and accuracy during competitive games, with indications that players often abstain from employing their maximum throwing velocity even when a higher percentage of hits are achieved⁷.

However, different studies have analyzed jumping ability in handball players as one of the key factors in throwing performance^10,11, since a longer flight time allows the throwing gesture to be fully coordinated, gain more angle with respect to the goal, overcome defenders, and react to the goalkeeper's movements¹². Other studies indicate that the strength of the lower extremities is also closely related to throwing speed¹³.

We can consider jump height as a performance factor in elite handball that can serve as a discriminant for talent detection in amateur handball players. Given that there is scientific evidence highlighting variations in jumping metrics, such as the countermovement jump (CMJ) across different player levels¹⁴, this evidence underscores the relevance of jumping ability in performance. Previous studies tended to have ecological validity, as they analyzed real competitive environments.

Our study focuses on a controlled environment without match-specific pressures such as fatigue, defensive interference, biomechanical factors, or tactical decision-making. The hypothesis of this study is that "jumping ability improves throwing speed and accuracy in handball, and professional players show greater benefits than amateur players." Consequently, this study aims to evaluate the impact of jumping ability on both speed and accuracy of throws, considering the competitive level of handball players. Studying how jumping ability improves the speed and accuracy of handball throws is crucial to optimizing sporting performance. Among professionals, advanced coordination and training maximizes these benefits while in amateurs, it can identify key areas for development.

This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of CEIC Aragón (CEICA) nº 10/2021. We recruited from the 1^st Spanish National Handball League, which is the highest category of the Spanish ASOBAL Handball League. Informed consent was obtained from all players and/or their legal guardians prior to data collection.

1. Recruiting participants

NOTE: A total of 35 male handball players who actively participated at both amateur and professional levels were recruited in this study (Table 1).

1. Estimate the sample size using the referenced tool (see the Table of Materials), ensuring the statistical adequacy of the study. Select a significance level of 0.05 and a statistical power of 0.80.
2. Conduct recruitment among the teams.
3. To follow this protocol, set the following inclusion criteria: male sex; a minimum age of 18 years; no use of ergogenic supplements (e.g., caffeine, creatine); a minimum of 1 year's coaching experience at the highest level of handball, specifically in teams competing at the national senior level; being injury-free; consistent training over the past 6 months (practice at least 3x per week for the last 6 months).
4. Exclude participants from the final data analysis if they met any of the following exclusion criteria: participant dropout; missing one of the test days (jumping test or throwing test).

Table 1: Characteristics of the players. Abbreviation: Exp = experience in handball training (years).

2. Familiarization with the measurements and testing protocol

1. One week before the start of the tests, instruct all players to perform a simulation of the different tests.
2. Instruct the participants not to change any training, eating, or resting habits that could affect the results of the study. Ensure that there are no differences in testing conditions (e.g., day and location) between the amateur and professional groups.
3. Give the standard CMJ jump protocol^11,15 instructions for the jump.
   1. Ask the subject to stand with their feet shoulder-width apart, hands on their waist.
   2. Ask the subject to perform a quick countermovement by flexing their knees to approximately 90° and lowering their trunk slightly forward. Then, without stopping, ask them to perform an explosive hip, knee, and ankle extension to propel him/herself as far vertically as possible. Ask the subject to keep their body extended during the aerial phase and land with both feet simultaneously to avoid imbalance. Have the subject make three attempts with 1 min breaks between jumps to avoid fatigue; record the height of the best jump.
4. Protocol for 9 m jump launches.
   1. Ask the subject to take two steps prior to the throw and consider attempts to be valid if the throw bounces before reaching the goal.
5. Control the environmental factors (lighting, floor type) by conducting all tests on an indoor sports court, specifically for high-level competitive handball.

3. Measurements

1. Collect data during the third month of the competitive season, specifically in the early days of the week. Conduct the testing for both groups in the evening (between 18:00 h and 20:00 h) under consistent environmental conditions regarding temperature and humidity, on a regulation-sized handball court with official handballs. Ensure all participants wear appropriate footwear specifically designed for handball competitions.
2. Advise all players to avoid engaging in strenuous exercise for 48 h prior to testing. Remind participants of healthy eating habits 24 h before the tests, as advised by a qualified dietitian-nutritionist.
3. Calculate the average intake of macronutrients and energy using the measurement toolkit 3 h before testing.
4. Apply a warm-up protocol (elevate, activate, mobilize, and potentiate) immediately prior to the start of testing.
5. Use an application¹⁵ to analyze both bipodal and unipodal CMJ for the right and left legs. Ask the subject to perform two attempts, selecting the highest jump for further analysis.
   1. Ensure that the subject repeats each test 3x, with a minimum of 45 s of passive recovery between attempts. Use the highest jump for subsequent analysis.
6. Using a high-definition digital video camera, measure the throwing speed across nine jump throws from a distance of 9 m behind the player on the executing arm, towards the goal. Define 0.4 m target zones on the sides and classify only those throws that reach these zones without touching the ground as being correct (see Figure 1).

4. Data collection

1. Ask the subject to perform three bipodal and two unipodal CMJ jumps, performing two attempts in each modality, and record the best jump.
2. Have the participants complete three sets of three jump throws from the 9 m line (Figure 1A) with 30 s of rest between each throw and 3 min of rest between sets, ensuring full recovery for all participants¹⁶.
3. Analyze the speed and accuracy of all throws.

Figure 1: Jumping and throwing measurements. Evaluation of throwing accuracy. Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.

Normality was assessed using the Shapiro-Wilk test, which confirmed the appropriateness of the parametric tests. When analyzing the similarities in the results between the amateur and professional groups (Table 2), an independent samples t-test revealed significant differences (p < 0.05) between the groups in the CMJ and throwing speed jump variables.

Table 2: Summary of results from the amateur and professional groups. *Significant difference between the amateur and professional groups (p < 0.05). Abbreviations: CMJ = countermovement jump; CMJR = one-leg vertical right jump; CMJL = one-leg vertical left jump; TS = Throw speed; SD = standard deviation; CL = confidence limits; ES = Effect Size.

The effect size (Cohen's d) was calculated to further explore the differences. As detailed in Table 3, the relationship between throwing accuracy at different throwing times in amateurs and professionals was examined, revealing significant differences in correct throws (p = 0.009; ES = -1.05) as well as incorrect throws (p = 0.496; ES = -0.01).

Table 3: Summary of results of throwing accuracy. *Significant difference between the amateur and professional groups (p < 0.05). Abbreviations: TS = Throw speed; SD = standard deviation; CL = confidence limits; ES = Effect Size.

In addition, Pearson's r correlation coefficient was calculated for the variables within the group. A significant effect was present if p < 0.05. As shown in Figure 2, Pearson's r correlation analysis showed a significant correlation (p < 0.05) between throwing speed jump and CMJ, CMJ left and CMJ right, as well as between throwing speed deficit and CMJ left, within the overall sample.

Figure 2: Pearson's correlation coefficient between jumping and throwing speed divided by group. Abbreviations: R = right; L = left; CMJ = countermovement jump; CMJR = right vertical jump with one leg; CMJL = left vertical jump with one leg; TS = throwing speed. Please click here to view a larger version of this figure.

The results show how jumping ability is directly related to throwing speed and accuracy. More jumping power means more throwing power-greater jumping ability helps to achieve greater throwing accuracy. The protocols for assessing jumping ability and throwing speed and accuracy demonstrate their effectiveness and validity in categorizing the quality of handball players.

In this study, the findings indicate that professional players demonstrate greater shot accuracy than amateur players under conditions of maximum speed-accuracy instructions. These results are consistent with existing scientific literature that has explored the relationship between velocity and accuracy^2,9,17. This research indicates that concentrating on reaching maximum speed does not automatically reduce accuracy in professional athletes, implying that there is no inherent compensation between speed and accuracy. One possible explanation could be that top players reach their maximum accuracy when performing at more than 85% of their maximum speed with the ball¹⁸. Similarly, the differences between the throwing speeds of the amateur and professional groups have no influence on accuracy¹⁹, which indicates that throwing speed does not influence efficiency/accuracy in elite men's handball.

Through a comparative analysis of amateur and professional handball players, the CMJ was identified as a reliable indicator of the competitive level of the participants studied. Professionals showed significantly higher scores than amateurs (p < 0.05), with effect sizes ranging from medium to large (0.76 to 2.09). In addition, a positive correlation was observed between jumping ability and throwing velocity, as well as between right-leg jumping and throwing. This may be attributed to improved jumping ability and an increased ability to stay in the air during complex throwing actions, characteristic of dynamic sport environments such as handball²⁰. The ability of attacking players to jump higher makes it easier to shoot over defenders. This difference between professional and amateur players may provide an increase in scoring opportunities²¹.

However, this study has certain limitations. First, only 9 m shots were evaluated from the central defensive position, without defensive opposition. It should be noted that to reproduce the real conditions of a match, the experimental design would have to be adjusted. Although the above results are consistent, it is still unclear whether the results of this study actually represent the players' behaviors during the real game. Future research could benefit from repeating the testing protocol used here but with adjustments to closely simulate game scenarios, such as incorporating shots from various positions and including opposition from goalkeepers and defenders²⁰.

Furthermore, only men participated in this study, which excluded the assessment of sex-related differences in accuracy and velocity. Previous research has indicated that women tend to throw at slightly lower velocities compared to men²¹, which may indicate a distinct velocity-accuracy profile between the sexes. The study participants were experienced national handball players, selected by convenience sampling, which was intended to reduce variability in the results due to the heterogeneity of the group. However, differences in results are likely to arise when considering players from different levels of competition (e.g., university vs. top level), and it would be advisable to further investigate these variations before attempting to generalize the results to a broader population. In addition, it may be beneficial to examine how other factors, such as international competition experience, might influence the results obtained. In this context, future research on the speed-accuracy relationship should also take into account the variations in conditions that exist during the real match situation. The inclusion of elements such as opposition, physical contact, and decision-making under pressure during throws may be important for a deeper understanding of the key factors influencing handball throwing performance. Handball throwing training programs should prioritize work on improving jumping and accuracy before work on improving speed. Future lines of research could include different degrees of defensive and goalkeeping opposition to evaluate the influence on throwing performance. Both in men's and women's handball.

The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

The authors would like to thank all the participants in this study. This work was supported by the Government of Aragon, Research Group ValorA, under Grant No. S08_20R.