Vertical jump neuromuscular performance of professional female handball players—starters vs. non-starters comparison

0Citations
Citations of this article
16Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.

Abstract

Given the complex nature of the handball as a game, players are required to possess a distinct set of physical and physiological attributes to attain peak performance. With the countermovement vertical jump (CVJ) being widely implemented as a non-invasive and time-efficient testing modality in sports settings, the purpose of the present study was twofold: (a) to establish a CVJ profile of professional female handball players and (b) to examine differences in force-time metrics between starters and non-starters. Forty-two professional female handball players (e.g., SuperLeague) volunteered to participate in this study. Each athlete performed three maximum-effort CVJs with no arm swing while standing on a uni-axial force plate system sampling at 1,000 Hz. Independent t-tests were used to examine differences in each variable between starters and non-starters. The results revealed that starters attained superior performance within the eccentric phase of the CVJ when compared to non-starters, particularly in terms of eccentric peak velocity (−0.957 ± 0.242 vs. −0.794 ± 0.177 m·s−1), eccentric mean power (320.0 ± 77.7 vs. 267.1 ± 75.2 W), and eccentric peak power (929.0 ± 388.1 vs. 684.4 ± 214.2 W). While not reaching the level of statistical significance, moderate-to-large effect sizes were observed for concentric impulse, peak velocity, and mean and peak force and power, all in favor of players included in the starting lineup (g = 0.439–0.655). Overall, these findings suggest that at the top-tier level of handball competition, the ability to secure a spot in a starting lineup may be possibly influenced by the athlete's eccentric performance capabilities. Thus, the development of lower-body eccentric strength and power may positively impact on-court athlete performance and ultimately help the team secure the desired game outcome.

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Radovic, K., Cabarkapa, D., Aleksic, J., Cabarkapa, D. V., Mirkov, D. M., Knezevic, O. M., & Fry, A. C. (2024). Vertical jump neuromuscular performance of professional female handball players—starters vs. non-starters comparison. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 6. https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2024.1407601

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free