Position-Specific Comparison of the Player Loads and High-Intensity Events During Match in Male and Female Handball Players

Abstract

Aim: In handball, which demands short-term high-intensity activities, gender differences have been clearly shown in physical and physiological characteristics and throwing velocity parameters. There are limitations in gathering real-time handball specific match data except for these types of performance parameters. However, recently, a more detailed examination of the player load in indoor team sports is possible with wearable technologies. This study aims to compare the position-specific player loads of male and female players during the handball match.

Method: The forty-two field players (20 female and 22 male) from four different Turkish Handball Super League teams (2 male's and 2 female's teams) that played in a friendly tournament voluntarily participated in this study. Goalkeepers and field players whose total playing time is less than 10 minutes were not included in the analysis. Before the games, all players suited up a manufacturer-made vest that included Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) sensors (OptimEye S5, Catapult Sports, Australia) at the posterior side of the upper trunk and also wore a compatible chest band (Polar T31 Coded, Finland) for the monitoring heart rate. In the gathered data, player substitutions (time spent on the bench) and game pauses (active playing time) were filtered by marking with the manufacturer's software (OpenField, Catapult Sports, Australia).

Results: Although active playtimes were found to be similar for both genders, there was a significant difference between player load and heart rate responses. Total player load and average player load were higher in female handball players, while peak player load was statistically higher in male handball players (265.50±93.06 PLtotal, 255.80±81.59 PLtotal; 8.30±1.27 PL/min, 8.07±1.64 PL/min, respectively). Similarly, in player load density zones, male players showed less player load effort in low-level zones and more player load effort in high-level zones than females. Internal load responses were found to be significantly higher in the heart rate exhaustion parameter of female handball players in comparison to men.

Conclusion: In line with the literature, these research findings showed that the gender difference in most of the key performance indicators in handball showed significant differences in player load during the match. However, further studies are required to gather data from more competitive league-level matches where a higher number of matches are included. 

Keywords

• Handball
• heart rate
• inertial measurement sensor
• athletic performance

Erkek ve Kadın Hentbolcularda Maç Sırasındaki Oyuncu Yükü ve Yüksek Şiddetli Aktivitelerin Oyuncu Pozisyonlarına Göre Karşılaştırılması

Abstract

Amaç: Kısa süreli yüksek şiddetli aktiviteler içeren hentbolda fiziksel ve fizyolojik özellikler ile atış hızı parametrelerinde cinsiyet farkı açıkça gösterilmiştir. Bu tür performans parametreleri dışında branşa ait gerçek zamanlı maç verisi elde etmek metodolojik kısıtlılıklar içermektedir. Ancak, son dönemde giyilebilir teknolojilerle kapalı alan takım sporlarında oyuncu yükünü daha detaylı incelemek mümkündür. Bu çalışmanın amacı hentbolda maç sırasında oyuncu yükünü kadın ve erkek oyuncularda pozisyonlara göre karşılaştırmaktır.

Yöntem: Çalışmaya hazırlık turnuvasına katılan 2 erkek ve 2 kadın toplam 4 Türkiye Hentbol Süper Lig takımından 42 saha oyuncusu (20 kadın ve 22 erkek) gönüllü olarak katılmıştır. Kaleciler ve toplam oyun süresi 10 dakikanın altında kalan saha oyuncuları analize dahil edilmemiştir. Müsabaka öncesi kişiye tanımlanmış İnersiyal Ölçüm Ünitesi (IMU) sensörleri (OptimEye S5, Catapult Sports, Avustralya) firmanın özel yeleği ile üst gövde arkasına sabitlenmiş ve kalp atım hızı monitörizasyonu için göğüs bandı (Polar T31 Coded, Finlandiya) takılmıştır. Toplanan verilerde sporcu değişimi (yedek bankında geçen süre) ve oyun duraksamaları (aktif oyun süresi) firmanın yazılımıyla (OpenField, Catapult Sports, Avustralya) işaretlenerek filtrelenmiştir.

Bulgular: Her iki cinsiyet için aktif oyun süreleri benzer olmasına rağmen oyuncu yükü ve kalp atım hızı yanıtları arasında anlamlı fark bulunmuştur. Kadın hentbolcularda toplam oyuncu yükü ve ortalama oyuncu yükü erkeklere göre daha yüksek iken erkek hentbolcularda pik oyuncu yükü istatistiksel olarak daha yüksek bulunmuştur (265.50±93.06 PL total, 255.80±81.59 PL total; 8.30±1.27 PL/dak, 8.07±1.64 PL/dak). Benzer olarak oyuncu yükü yoğunluk bölgelerinde erkekler kadınlara göre düşük seviye bölgelerde daha az, yüksek seviye bölgelerde daha çok oyuncu yükü eforu göstermiştir. İç yük yanıtları kadın hentbolcuların kalp atım hızı tükenme parametresinde erkeklere göre anlamlı yüksek bulunmuştur.

Sonuç: Bu araştırma bulguları hentbol branşındaki çoğu anahtar performans belirteçlerindeki cinsiyet farkının maç sırasında oyuncu yükünde de literatürle uyumlu olarak anlamlı farklılıklar olduğunu göstermiştir. Ancak, daha yüksek sayıda maçın dahil edildiği ve rekabetin daha yüksek olduğu lig düzeyindeki maçlardan toplanacak verilere ihtiyaç duyulmaktadır. 

Keywords

• Hentbol
• atletik performans
• kalp hızı
• inersiyal ölçüm sensörü

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