The effects of localised fatigue on upper extremity jump shot kinematics and kinetics in team handball

Team handball is a popular sport worldwide that requires numerous throws to be made throughout the course of a game. Because of the upper extremity demands of repetitive throwing, it is possible that fatigue can alter the mechanics of a shot. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of localised fatigue on jump shot kinematics and kinetics. Eleven male team handball players (23.1 +/- 3.1years; 185.1 +/- 8.3cm; 89.7 +/- 12.2kg) volunteered. An electromagnetic tracking system was used to examine the jump shot prior to and following localised fatigue. The fatiguing protocol consisted of throwing a 2.2kg medicine ball into a rebounder until volitional fatigue. No significant kinematic or kinetic differences were observed following fatigue. Shoulder external rotation was -74.8 +/- 14.9 degrees prior to and -79.0 +/- 14.7 degrees following fatigue at MER. Scapula, external rotation at ball release (BR) prior to fatigue was -2.2 +/- 7.0 degrees and -3.2 +/- 11.1 degrees following fatigue. Scapular internal rotation, at maximum shoulder internal rotation (MIR), changed from 18.4 +/- 11.2 degrees to 20.4 +/- 11.8 degrees. Ball velocity decreased from19.8m s(-1) to 18.8m s(-1) (P=0.12). Accuracy percentage in the pre-fatigue trials was 60.8 +/- 14.1% and 52.8 +/- 12.7% following fatigue (P=0.20). While no significant changes were observed, it is possible that other fatiguing protocols that more closely represent the aerobic and throwing demands of the sport may have a greater effect on the kinematics and kinetics of the jump shot.