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© 2016 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA Online version at http://www.minervamedica.it
The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness 2018 January-February;58(1-2):8-16 DOI: 10.23736/S0022-4707.16.06842-0
ORIGINAL ARTICLE EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOMECHANICS
Relationship between the Handball-Specific Complex-Test and Intermittent Field Test performance in professional players Souhail HERMASSI 1 *, Birgit HOFFMEYER 2, Lars IRLENBUSCH 3, Georg FIESELER 4, Frank NOACK 5, Karl-Stefan DELANK 3, Tim J. GABBETT 6, 7, Mohamed SOUHAIEL CHELLY 1, René SCHWESIG 3 1Unit
of Research, Department of Sport Performance and Health, Higher Institute of Sport and Physical Education “Ksar Saîd”, University of “La Manouba”, Tunis, Tunisia; 2Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Otto von Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany; 3Department of Orthopedic and Trauma Surgery, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany; 4Division for Shoulder Surgery and Sports Medicine, Helios Clinic, Warburg, Germany; 5Department of Medicine I, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany; 6Gabbett Performance Solutions, Brisbane, Australia; 7Institute for Resilient Regions, University of Southern Queensland, Ipswich, Australia *Corresponding author: Souhail Hermassi, Unit of Research, Department of Sport Performance and Health, Higher Institute of Sport and Physical Education “Ksar Saîd”, University of “La Manouba”, Tunis, Tunisia. E-mail:
[email protected]
A B S T RAC T BACKGROUND: We investigated the relationship between the Handball Complex-Test (HBCT) and two selected field performance tests (the repeated sprint ability [RSA], and the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test) in elite handball players. METHODS: Nineteen handball players (age: 25.7±5.1 years) were drawn from the First Professional German League. The HBCT consists of four activity series (AS): agility parcours, defensive action, sprint (10 m, 20 m) and throw-on-goal parcours; these activities were completed twice, with five active pauses of 30-35 s, and a follow-up of recovery over the subsequent 10 minutes. The RSA comprised 6 x (15+15 m) sprints starting every 20 s; scoring noted best time (RSAbest), total time (RSATT) and decrement (RSAdec). In the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recover, we recorded the total distance covered (TD). Heart rates (HR) were recorded throughout and recovery was assessed for measurements immediately post-test (R0) and 10 minutes after completing the test (R10). RESULTS: A strong correlation was found between HBCT and fastest 10 m and 20 m RSA sprint times (r=0.811, r=0.815, respectively). Also, the HBCT total 10 m and 20 m sprint times showed a strong positive association with RSATT (r=0.70; r=0.63, respectively), and the RSA heart rate post-test was strongly correlated with the HBCT heart rate after round two (r=0.865). CONCLUSIONS: Data from the match-specific HBCT Test shows a strong positive association with other more generic intermittent field test measurements. These observations support the validity of using the generic tests to monitor current fitness and responses to training in team handball players. (Cite this article as: Hermassi S, Hoffmeyer B, Irlenbusch L, Fieseler G, Noack F, Delank KS, et al. Relationship between the Handball-Specific Complex-Test and Intermittent Field Test performance in professional players. J Sports Med Phys Fitness 2018;58:8-16. DOI: 10.23736/S00224707.16.06842-0) Key words: Exercise test - Sports - Athletic performance.
H
andball is a sport that requires short high-intensity efforts, including sprinting, jumping, and throwing.1-3 Thus, as in other team sports, handball requires well-developed aerobic and anaerobic qualities.2, 4-7 Match-analysis studies have shown that much intermittent-high intensity activityis undertaken throughout
8
a game.1, 3, 7, 8 The ability to perform intermittent highintensity exercise repeatedly throughout a game, and to recover quickly from these high-intensity exercise bouts should thus be considered a logical component of teamhandball training and testing,8, 9 and indeed repeatedsprint ability (RSA) is a critical measure of fitness in
The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness
January-February 2018
This document is protected by international copyright laws. No additional reproduction is authorized. It is permitted for personal use to download and save only one file and print only one copy of this Article. It is not permitted to make additional copies (either sporadically or systematically, either printed or electronic) of the Article for any purpose. It is not permitted to distribute the electronic copy of the article through online internet and/or intranet file sharing systems, electronic mailing or any other means which may allow access to the Article. The use of all or any part of the Article for any Commercial Use is not permitted. The creation of derivative works from the Article is not permitted. The production of reprints for personal or commercial use i not permitted. It is not permitted to remove, cover, overlay, obscure, block, or change any copyright notices or terms of use which the Publisher may post on the Article. It is not permitted to frame or use framing techniques to enclose any trademark, log or other proprietary information of the Publisher.
©
COPYRIGHT 2018 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA FIELD TEST PERFORMANCE IN HANDBALL SCHWESIG
competitive handball players,7 as in several other team sports.10, 11 Previous investigators have employed a number of field tests in assessing the fitness of handball players,12, 13 including continuous and intermittent shuttle running, and sport-specific measures such as ball dribbling, passing and throwing. However, only limited evidence has been provided on their construct validity (i.e. their relationship to game activities). To date, only one study has verified the construct validity of the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test Level 1 (Yo-Yo IR1) in male adolescent handball players.14 The Yo-Yo IR1 performance was significantly related to the total distance covered during a match,11, 15 but the relationship of scores to high-intensity match activities was not examined. Moreover, to the best of our knowledge, no study has yet looked at the specificity of RSA in handball. There is thus a need to develop a valid handball-specific test battery has practical relevance for handball coaches and strength and conditioning professionals. The Handball Complex-Test (HBCT) is a match-specific field test that replicates the physical requirements of the sport by incorporating elements of sprinting, jumping and shuttle running.16 Despite its practical utility, no prior studies have assessed the relationship of HBCT scores to other commonly used intermittent field tests such as the RSA or the Yo-Yo IR1. This information may provide insight into the value of more generic tests in player selection and the regulation of training in handball. The aim of this study was thus to investigate the relationship between the game-specific HBCT, the RSA and the Yo-Yo IR1Test in elite professional handball players, and thus to validate the use of generic tests in monitoring fitness and training responses in handball teams. We hypothesized that: 1) the total distance (TD) of the Yo-Yo IR1 Test would be significantly and positively related to high-intensity activities performed in the HBCT; and 2) the RSA would be positively associated with the activities performed at a very high-intensity during the HBCT. Materials and methods Subjects and ethical approval The study was approved by the institutional review committee for the ethical use of human participants, according to current national laws and regulations and to the Helsinki Declaration. Written informed consent was received from all players after verbal and written explanation of the ex-
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perimental design and the potential risks of the study. Parental consent was also obtained from one young player who had not reached the age of majority (age
