Beachhandball vs. indoor handball

by Tamás Neukum, beach handball coach
Hungarian women’s national team (2004-2006)
Italian women’s national team (2007-)
Axa Beach Stars Budapest (former Wintherthur), EBT Masters winner in 2006

It is worth analysing what the aims of beach handball were and are at present, how it
currently relates to indoor handball and how it will presumably relate to it in the future.
Marco Cardinale, who is of Italian origin and was professor at the university in Aberdeen,
performed an experiment on a representative group where he compared the average pulse
rates of indoor handball and beach handball players during a game. The statistical data
revealed a significant difference, as the average pulse rate in the indoor version was
approximately 145, while the pulse rate on the beach exceeded 171. These data are
obviously no longer relevant with respect to modern handball, as the game has accelerated
both indoor and on the beach, the average pulse rate reaching approximately 180, due to the
change of the throw-off rule. Nonetheless, it is true of current day beach handball as well that
it requires a greater physical effort from the players within a given time period. This is due to
the quality of the ground and to the rule according to which in beach handball the ball may be
played right after a goal. Previous analyses have revealed that walking, running and other
activities performed on a solid ground require less energy. The experiment of Pinnington and
Dawson in 2001 showed that runners regularly training on sandy ground later on run more
efficiently on solid ground, whereby they waste less energy. Athletes have already recorded
in the eighties (Wischnia, 1982) and the nineties (Oviatt, Hemba, 1991) the positive effect of
training by running on sand on their performance.

 

The participants of the EHF referees’, delegates’ and coaches’ course held in Balatonboglár
in August 2005 agreed that it is most likely to serve the interests of the sport best if it does
not become an Olympic sport, as the World Games, the world competition of sports outside
of the Olympic games is expanding and is becoming more and more popular. The promotion
of handball (indoor and beach) sport is served best in case it is represented in some form at
both worldwide events. However, it is understood that a truly high standard sport requires
money, in fact a lot of money and that the sponsors rather support Olympic sports. Sometime
this autumn three members of the EHF Executive Committee were discussing the
importance of participation in the Olympics for the first time and publicly László Sinka
announced on behalf of the EHF in Paralia, Greece at the Masters finals in May, 2006 that
the aim is to be part of the Olympic Games. It is yet unknown when and where, but the longterm
objective of the sport is to become part of the most popular event of mankind.

It may also easily be the case that it will follow the steps of beach volleyball and at some time
in the far future the beach handball and the indoor handball players will separate, however it
seems more probable that first all players will become familiar with the basics of indoor
handball and some may later develop into professional beach handball players. It is most
certainly not the objective of the leaders of the handball to have beach handball gain ground
while indoor handball loses popularity, but to allow both versions develop and their popularity
grow, strengthening one another. Therefore, the future of the sport must be planned well and
no premature, unfounded decision may be brought.
In the meantime, under the motto of “peaceful co-existence”, it is interesting to analyze what
benefits “the big brother” may have, what positive effects it has when an indoor handball
player is involved in beach handball as well.

The relationship between the two sports may be analysed best by applying the terminology
of indoor handball to the special system of regulations of beach handball. Given that
unfortunately less statistical data is available due to the young age of the sport, which would
allow for secure conclusions, we are forced to rely upon empirical observations and
assumptions. Hence, the discussion of those elements is worthwhile, which play a significant
role in the present and the future of handball.

In light of the above, we shall analyse beach handball from the aspects of the activity of the
goalkeeper, the tactics of defence and attack, regeneration and recreation, the training and
competing of young top players, average level players and coaches. Obviously, a player,
who is playing beach handball in the summer season, is also developing his skills of exact
and precise execution of the technical elements, but this aspect must be clear to all experts
as well.

THE GOALKEEPER

There is an old principle: “If you want a good team, get a good goalkeeper”. Therefore, first
of all we shall investigate the importance of the goalkeeper position. The activity of the
goalkeeper, just like that of any other player, is performed under more difficult circumstances,
given that the court is approximately 40 centimetres deep, loosened sand. This circumstance
alone is an important and useful element in the course of the training of the players. The top
goalkeepers in indoor handball have – despite their huge stature – acrobatic skills; they save
and dive with great courage. During the execution and the learning of these movements,
landing and returning as fast as possible to the starting position are extremely important.
Thanks to the quality of the ground, these moves may be learnt and practiced without fear or
danger of injury in beach handball. Due to the quality of the ground, the significance of shot
anticipation of the goalkeeper is even more acute than in indoor handball. In case he does
not start the movement to intercept the throw before the ball is shot he will not be able to
make a save because of the difficulty to jump. It is well known that anticipation is vital to
delivering a good performance.

The scoring of goals is also the aim in beach handball, although the games are won based
on the accumulation of points. The goals scored using spectacular elements – such as an inflight
goal or a spin shot after a 360 degree turn around the vertical axis of the body – are
rewarded by two points.

Saving short range shots, especially saving in a horizontal direction by the goalkeeper and
the increased attacking of the throwing hand gains importance, given that the attention of the
attacker is divided, furthermore the goalkeeper gets out of his peripheral sight and hence is
left with less time to analyze the movement of the goalkeeper. The performance of the
goalkeepers involved in beach handball will without a doubt improve with respect to close
shots.

In addition to spectacular elements, a goal scored by the goalkeeper is also worth 2 points.
This is facilitated by the fact that in beach handball there is no throw-off, the length of the
court is only 27 meters and it is possible to shoot on goal right after a save or a goal. The
change in the regulations of handball, due to which the game has accelerated have attributed
outstanding significance to how fast the goalkeeper can play the ball after a goal or a save
and his adaptation to given situations may improve significantly. As there is no throw-off, the
line player will try to block the goalkeeper in rapidly playing the ball until the goalkeeper of his
team returns to his goal. The goalkeeper must learn to play the ball quickly and precisely or
throw it in the goal of the opponent despite the blocking player, similarly to indoor handball,
where there is a great deal of movement near the penalty line after getting the ball.
The quality of the ball is also noteworthy, which is of special rubber and hence the sensation
of pain and therefore fear following the shots is of less effect on younger age category
players. In beach handball instead of a goalkeeper, a back court playmaker takes the
goalkeeper’s shirt. If he scores, his goal is worth two points. As a result, the goalkeeper must
learn to direct his defensive wall to concentrate on the most dangerous attacker.

DEFENCE

The modern handball players of our days are individually so well trained that a defensive
player has no chance to defend successfully if he is not capable of adequate anticipation. In
beach handball, due to the continuous numerical inferiority in defence, the defenders are
forced to perform anticipation at all times and hence the defence players continuously train
for these game elements in match situation. Furthermore, one of the attackers can score
two-pointers; hence special attention must be paid to the most dangerous player while
defending with one man down. Therefore, in a given situation, the player must consider
whether to concentrate on the attacker in a direct scoring opportunity or on the significantly
more dangerous player.

Helping the other defender to a reasonable degree is an extremely important factor, as the
defensive player must react to the situation between the defender and the attacker within a
fraction of a second. In addition, in beach handball it must also be taken in consideration in a
given situation, which player is less dangerous to allow to get into a scoring opportunity, or
the possible goal of which player is less unfavourable for the team.
The possibilities of taking ball possession over have changed in the accelerated handball
game and the “ball-trap” defence tactics have gained significance. To create such traps, the
degree of helping the other defender is of big importance. Various defence tactics in beach
handball are based on the ball-trap situations. As a result, players can learn a variety of
elements, which he may later on successfully apply in indoor handball.

It often happens towards the end of a close game that the attacker in clear scoring
opportunity is unnecessarily fouled by a defender that is punished with a suspension and a
penalty shot. In beach handball, the consequences of these types of fouls are even more
severe and the smallest foul against a player in scoring opportunity has the consequence of
progressive punishment. Therefore in this case, the defensive players must learn to defend
without any body contact, with more intensive footwork; in addition, they have to do it in more
difficult conditions due to the quality of the soil.

ATTACK

According to statistical data, in top level indoor handball the most effective attacks against an
organised defensive wall are the ones which involve five touching the ball. In order for the
coach to build the tactics of his team on gaining space, taking dynamic advantage and
numerical superiority with five players involved in an attack, they have to practice
combinations between two, three and four players. Beach handball may serve as a good
basis for this, as four attackers build up the attack against three defenders and the essence
of the game lies in the quality of the combinations between two players and the development
of these into combinations between three and four.
Despite the common belief, the rules of beach handball allow bouncing the ball. In reality,
this is practically impossible and pointless on sandy ground. When the situation requires so
and the distance between the defender and the attacker allows for it, the ball may be put
down in a standing position or during movement and a further three steps may be gained as
a result. However, the attack tactics based on fast, short passes are typical, without any
unnecessary bouncing of the ball.

One of the most important elements of modern handball is movement without the ball and
gaining space without bouncing the ball. The mastering of this technique is easier and
simpler in beach handball, as the players may practise it in a match situation. The
consequence is clear: the players are forced to perform continuous anticipation activity as
there is no ball bouncing.

In beach handball, players learn to bring the one in the distinctive shirt –the most dangerous
player for the defenders – to a scoring opportunity. The objective is the same in indoor
handball: to bring the most dangerous player to the best possible position. At the same time
the players learn to attract the attention of the defenders and then choose the best possible
solution.

The role of the middle back has changed significantly in the past few years. Today we don’t
talk exclusively of a playmaker, but we refer to him as a middle back, a third back. The role of
the attacker in the distinctive shirt is exactly this in beach handball: he is the playmaker and
he also has to shoot at the same time. It often happens that the middle back has to change
his original intention during the execution of a jump shot and he has to give an assist with an
accurate air pass to the player in the best position. Practicing this regularly can improve the
physical abilities of the players and help to recognise the best situations quickly. We must
keep in mind that all this is done in more difficult conditions, on sand.

The special substitution rules also hold various possibilities for both defensive and attacking
tactical variations. The full length of the sideline – with the exception of the goal area –
serves as a substitution line for the teams on their respective sides. This accelerates the
game significantly as both the attackers and the defenders may step out, jump out or dive out
with great speed immediately after they terminated their action and a substituting team
member may enter the court anywhere to get into action.

Let us analyse the possible positive consequences of beach handball substitution rules in
indoor handball. It significantly improves the rapid understanding of playing situations and
anticipation skills; it helps to practise fast attacks against an unorganised defence – one of
the most important elements and the easiest scoring possibility in modern handball – in a
playful manner. In addition, it teaches fast and precise return to defence together with
substitutions.

The Norwegian women’s national team introduced an innovation at the 2006 European
Championship in Sweden. One of the players wearing a goalkeeper’s shirt was actively
participating in the build-up of the attacks when someone was suspended from the team.
However, the attack was executed in a way that her movement was directed towards the
substitution line. This greatly resembles beach handball, where the attack must also be
organised in such a way to allow the player wearing the distinctive shirt to leave the court in
time so that the goalkeeper can take their position in time.

Beach handball develops the speed of decision-making and has a favourable effect on the
kinaesthetic perception of the players. This is due to the fact that the players usually get to a
shooting position after an air pass or after turning around their vertical axis.
Based on the forecast of the experts, one-handed ball possession will gain importance as the
handball game develops. Especially important will be the execution of long range shots from
an air pass (an in-flight shot from the backcourt player). As a result of the immense change in
defending, a spread of these technical elements can be primarily expected in using the
space above the goal area. Beach handball regulations provide an excellent opportunity for
developing, learning and practicing these skills.

It was apparent at the 2007 Men’s World Championship in Germany that the vertical leap of
the shooters while performing jump shots suddenly increased. It has also been proven before
that training on sand significantly increases the jumping power and has a positive effect on
the elevation of a player.

REGENERATION, RECREATION

The players spend most of the year in halls within four walls. In the preparation periods the
players have a possibility to spend time outside in a natural environment, at open air and
sunshine; however this is mostly restricted to aerobe running training. Beach handball offers
an outstanding possibility to do something out of the ordinary, to avoid apathy and for active
relaxation and rehabilitation. Beach handball provides all the favourable attributes of outdoor
sports: it improves stamina and the natural elements (sunshine, fresh air) strengthen the
resistance of the handball players. Exercising in open air plays a valuable role in the
strengthening bodily functions.

The soil of the playing court and the advantages of moving in sand also worth mentioning. A
special characteristic of sand is that it takes on the form of the foot to a certain degree and as
such corrects potential errors in touching the ground, thereby minimising the possibility of
injury of the articulations. Furthermore, it may be applied as proprioceptive training, perfectly
suitable to strengthen the small inner muscles of the knee articulation and hence carries a
preventive quality to avoid potential injuries later on. The mastering, practicing of the special
movements and skills of this sport helps the development of movement coordination
(especially in younger age categories), which the player may benefit from in the indoor game
as well.

Here, the game “learnt” throughout the year is allowed to be played more freely. The
successful execution of the exercises and technical elements (so rarely used indoor) provide
the player with a perfect active relaxation. The virtuosity and creativity of the players can be
tested at the highest possible level and without any consequences. The fever of the matches
and the players’ ambition for victory combine with the spirit of the environment, ensuring a
special state and sensation of freedom for the handball players, which they can profit from
both on sand and indoor. A successfully performed movement, goal shots or saves in an
unusual environment give further motivation for the players to play beach handball with joy
and to benefit from its positive effects in the indoor game.

The danger of injury is minimal in beach handball. Injuries are exceptionally rare, due to the
soil of the playing court and to the prohibition of body contact and the strict adherence to the
fair play principle. Obviously it may not be ruled out completely, but the percentage ratios of
injuries are negligible in comparison to indoor handball and it fits the popular saying: “don’t
go out on the street if you are afraid of a brick falling on your head”. According to the beach
handball statistics, the number of injuries does not even reach half of those suffered in indoor
handball and no injuries of ankle, knee, elbow and shoulder – so commonly experienced in
indoor handball – were suffered at the beach handball competitions of the past years.

The incorporation of beach handball into the preparation may be a significant tool of injury
prevention. In 2001, under the supervision of the Ukrainian coach, Vladimir Kosik, Portovik
Yuzhny carried out part of the preparatory trainings on sand playing beach handball. As
opposed to previous years, not one ankle or knee injury was suffered by his team in the
following season!

Beach handball may also play an important role in regeneration following injuries, given that
articulations, tendons and muscles recover faster, while the player must not fear additional
injuries due to collisions.

Young age categories, lower levels

Playfulness and creativity can be found in everybody, especially at a young age. Beach
handball and all its aspects – natural environment, principle of fair play, its rules and
regulations – are perfectly suitable to be included in the summer trainings of even the
youngest generations. It is perfectly adequate for the physical and mental development of the
players of different age groups, such as children, teenage, youth and junior players, without a
threat of injury. Reviewing the aspects discussed in the previous sections, we can confirm
that beach handball can provide a suitable basis for indoor handball with respect to physical,
mental, technical and tactical considerations. In addition, the competitions of younger age
categories provide an excellent opportunity for coaches to develop team spirit and the ideal
collective spirit of the players in the framework of the regulations and the opportunities of a
relatively new and diverse game.

A remarkable tendency may be observed on an international level. In countries where indoor
handball is not played at a top level internationally, players of the national team participate in
the international beach handball events; in countries where indoor handball is played at a top
level internationally, an increasing number of junior age players consider beach handball as
an outstanding opportunity for international competition and gaining international experience.
There were more than 10 players at the 2006 Women’s European Championship in Sweden
in December who also played at the European Beach Handball Championship in Germany
during the summer.

There is another explanation on how players find their identity in beach handball. It is a
dream of all children, all handball players to be called up for the national team during their
career. Unfortunately, by definition, this wish is satisfied of only very few sportsmen.
Therefore, it is often the case that those players, who could not develop into stable first
division players with their abilities, meet their expectations in beach handball, where they
perform well and can play at a top level in the national team. However, it must also be noted
that not necessarily all top indoor players can become good beach handball players too.

A middle-of-the-road approach can be the most useful here. It would be best for all countries
to determine individually which course to follow with respect to beach handball. The system
of competition shall be developed accordingly and the coaches and teams may subsequently
integrate it into their trainings and competition programs. In Hungary, for example, the most
suitable course to be taken would be a healthy combination of first division players who are
not given sufficient playing time their teams, those who are too old for the junior national
team and they are not participating in international competitions, players who can no longer
meet the requirements of the indoor national team but can share their experiences with
younger players and those players who play in lower divisions and are more fit for top level
beach handball. In Hungary, such a system would serve the interests of indoor handball and
beach handball best and would ensure the harmony of the two.

Coaches

The benefit of beach handball for coaches is worth a brief note. In addition to completing
good physical preparation with the team while avoiding injuries, allowing faster recuperation
of players after injuries and excelling in many other respects, beach handball carries various
other benefits for a coach.

First of all, let us discuss the most important principle of beach handball: Fair Play. In our
days it is extremely important and beneficial for a coach to respect and teach sportsmanlike
conduct to the players. This must be reflected verbally, in his relationship with the players,
the opponents and the referees and in all his acts. Beach handball provides an excellent
opportunity to learn discipline.

Regarding the analysis of the sport-specific aspects and the interpersonal relationships of the
coach and the players in beach handball, it is interesting to refer to a survey. According to
this, 47 percent of players considered diversity of trainings as one of the most important
aspects. It does not require further explanation to see how different it feels to have a few
trainings in a beach handball environment. It is also the responsibility of the coach to teach
players a health-conscious lifestyle, which may be supported by beach handball by ensuring
sunshine, fresh air and good mental status.

In summary we may conclude that various positive effects may be listed already. When
experts will get more involved in this wonderful sport and more experiences and statistical
data will be available, various further aspects may be discovered to make good use of.

Bibliography:

Alex Gehrer: The development of beach handball over the past ten years
Fekete Béla -.Kovács László: Kézilabdázás
Horváth – Juhász – Mocsai – Németh:
Kézilabda
Jesus Guerrero Beiztegui: Beach Handball – further steps
Jesus Guerrero Beiztegui: Preview of the 3rd Beach Handball Championships
Jesus Guerrero Beiztegui, Ton van Linder:
The 2nd European Beach Handball Championships in Cadiz
Jesus Guerrero Beiztegui, Ton van Linder:
3rd European Beach Handball Championship in TUR
Juhász – Kovács – Mocsai: Kézilabda (második kötet)
Marco Cardinale: Playing beach handball: Dangerous or Advantageous?
Marczinka Zoltán: Kézilabdázás
Mocsai Lajos: A kézilabda játék eredményességi összetevői
Mocsai Lajos: Az edzői profil
Ton van Linder: The 1st European Beach Handball Championship in Gaeta/ITA
Vladimir Kosik: The essence of combining classic handball with beach handball
Wolfgang Pollany, Gerd Butzeck, Roger Xhonneux:
Comprehensive report on the 1st Beach Handball World
Championship (World Games)

 

From EHF official web site