ANALYSIS OF FEMALE HANDBALL PLAYERS' EFFORT IN DIFFERENT PLAYING POSITIONS DURING OFFICIAL MATCHES

The aim of the present study was to establish the physiological workload that female handball players are exposed to in different playing positions during official matches. The research included fifteen HC Krim Mercator female handball team players. During the 2009/10 season, six matches of the Women's Regional Handball League were analysed. The results indicated that at the lowest monitored workload in the 50-59% range of maximum heart rate (HRmax) there were no statistically significant differences between groups of players in particular playing positions. Workload intervals of 60 to 69% and 70 to 79% HRmax showed statistically significant (p<.05) differences between goalkeepers and all the other groups of players; on average, goalkeepers spent more time in the low-effort zones than the other groups of players. Groups of goalkeepers (25min 44s +/- 9min 40s) and backs (25min 36s +/- 7min 24s) did not significantly differ with regard to the time players spent in the 80 to 89% HRmax interval. However, the previously mentioned two groups of players had significantly higher values (p<.05) in this interval than groups of pivots (19min 42s +/- 7min 45s) and wings (15min 52s +/- 8min 11s). In the highest-effort interval (90-100%), groups of wings (27min 28s +/- 9min 20s) and pivots (35min 55s +/- 12min 41s) reached significantly higher values (p<.05) than goalkeepers (4min 57s +/- 4min 58s) and backs (19min 04s +/- 9min 00s). Goalkeepers, in contrast, recorded significantly lower values than the other three groups of players. We can conclude that during the analysed matches pivots and wings showed the highest levels of effort, followed by backs. Due to markedly different physiological workloads, physical preparation for different playing positions should also be quite different. Coaches should use the results of this study in practice to make timely decisions on when to substitute players in different position in order to prevent possible drop in their playing efficiency.