How to Simplify Load Management in Handball
Author: Michael Elmer
Handball is a sport with unique physical demands. It requires coaches and trainers to develop tailored training solutions and load management to optimize their players’ performance and prevent injuries. But a sports performance software that is handball-specific is simplifying the process by creating load profiles quickly and accurately.
Claiming handball consists merely of high-intensity actions such as sprinting, jumping, change of directions and throwing only reveals parts of the truth. While those intense movements are fundamental for game outcomes, they represent only a small percentage of the total.
Handball players need to perform aerobic and anaerobic actions while meeting strength, power, and speed requirements. Another crucial aspect: during a handball game, athletes repeatedly must recover quickly from intense movements and phases with a lot of games being played in a few days.
In short, load management is critical to your players’ (and your team’s) success.
The Dutch Handball Federation is benefiting from load management and player tracking. Find out more by downloading the case study below.
Load Management in Handball Is Not Easy
Load management in handball refers to the process of monitoring and controlling the physical demands placed on handball players during training and competition. This process involves measuring the external load, which is tied to many factors, including:
- Covered Distance
- Average Speed
- Accelerations
- Decelerations
- Heart Rate
- Perceived Exertion
The goal of load management is to optimize your players’ performance and reduce the risk of injury by balancing the training and game demands with appropriate recovery periods. This involves tailoring training programs to the specific needs of each player based on their position, physical condition, and game schedule. To achieve this, handball coaches and athletic trainers use various sports data tools and technologies to monitor players’ performance and load, such as wearable sensors (LPS and IMU) and GPS tracking devices. This type of sports data allows coaches to do things like:
- Track players’ progress
- Identify potential areas of weakness or risk
- Adjust training programs accordingly
Load management is particularly important in handball due to the sport’s unique physical demands, which require players to perform high-intensity actions, including:
- Sprinting
- Jumping
- Change of Directions
- Throwing
Your players must also meet strength, power, and speed requirements. Additionally, handball players must recover quickly from these intense movements. By implementing effective load management strategies, handball coaches and trainers can help players achieve their peak performance and reduce the risk of injury, leading to a more successful and sustainable career in the sport.
“By implementing effective load management strategies, handball coaches can help players achieve their peak performance and reduce the risk of injury, leading to a more successful and sustainable career in the sport.”
Handball Load Profile by Role, Positions and Schedule
However, the amount of high intensity a player performs depends on their position as the load differentiates between offense and defense. Studies show that wings and center backs experience the highest external load, so coaches need to consider that fact to prepare athletes for their respective positions’ load demands.
On top of the on-court load, the schedule presents another challenge handball athletes need to master. Top players may play nine games within two weeks during a World Cup or European Championship only to report back with their clubs to prepare for domestic and international competitions nine days later – – everything after having only had three weeks to recover during summer.
How Sports Data can Help Coaches Deal with Handball’s Demands
Measuring their respective performance-and load profile is vital to helping players peak at the right moment during a season while preventing injuries. It makes it possible to detect dips in performance that may later lead to joint injuries or stress fractures in the legs or feet: two areas under tremendous load in handball.
KINEXON offers two tools that provide metrics regarding external load factors, including the key metrics mentioned above Additionally, handball coaches and athletic trainers can monitor internal factors such as heart rate, which helps measure the intensity of an exercise and its effect on a player’s fitness level.
KINEXON Sports Performance Software for Handball
Using the KINEXON PERFORM IMU, handball teams have the world’s first handball-specific tracking system at their disposal, a solution that allows for mobile player tracking in any venue, as well as during rehab. The data helps coaches manage their players’ loads, analyze performance, and accompany them on their journey back to the court after injuries.
The KINEXON PERFORM LPS, on the other hand, is a sports analytics software that offers additional options such as tactics analysis and tactics training while providing handball clubs with the most comprehensive live-performance, load, and tactics data in real-time. Plus, being set up around the court, this solution is tailor-made for indoor sports such as handball and offers unmatched accuracy.
That way, coaches and players are perfectly equipped to deal with the high anaerobic load handball puts on athletes, particularly during crucial game situations. Trainers then can develop training programs that fit every player individually to prepare them to meet the sport’s requirements and perform at their best when it counts most.
To learn more about KINEXON PERFORM IMU or any of our other sports performance analysis software our sales team will be happy to assist you.
More stories
From Court to Code: The Analytics Behind Athletic Success
In the high-stakes world of competitive basketball, small margins make the difference between winning and losing. This is where optimization becomes the cornerstone of athletic performance. The focus is not just on finding a magic formula, but on creating the conditions for athletes to consistently operate at their best.
Increasing Shooting Efficiency With Data-Informed Insights
As basketball training evolves, teams are embracing data-informed insights to augment shooting efficiency. With every shot carrying potential season-changing weight in competition, refining practice intensity and replicating in-game pressure are key to gaining a competitive edge.
Maximizing Performance During March Madness: Key Strategies & Load Metrics for Coaches
March Madness is one of the most intense and physically demanding periods in collegiate basketball. The congested schedule, high-pressure stakes, and minimal time for recovery require an evidence-based approach to reach and maintain peak performance while mitigating injury risk throughout the tournament.
Optimizing Performance and Reducing Injuries in Professional Basketball
The landscape of professional basketball is evolving rapidly, with teams placing a greater emphasis on performance optimization and injury prevention. In a highly competitive environment like the EuroLeague, where the ultimate goal is to win games and championships, maintaining peak player performance while minimizing injuries is a fundamental challenge.
The Perfect Training Week: How KINEXON Sports Supports Smarter Coaching Decisions
Every coach knows the feeling – standing on the sidelines before a game, confident that the team is fully prepared. The training week went well, the players were engaged, and everything felt right. And when the final whistle confirms the win, the inevitable question arises:
What made this week so effective? How can we replicate it?
How Texas A&M Women’s Basketball Used Data to Prevent Knee Injuries
Knee injuries are a major concern in women’s basketball, with ACL injuries accounting for a significant portion of these issues. Managing player workload is key to injury prevention, but achieving the right balance between training and recovery is challenging. The Texas A&M Women’s Basketball team faced this dilemma and turned to a data-driven approach to optimize player health and performance.
KINEXON Tracking Technologies Earn Top Marks in FIFA EPTS Performance Tests
When it comes to tracking technology in sports, precision is everything. And once again, KINEXON has proven why it’s a leader in the field. Our cutting-edge KINEXON PERFORM GPS Elite, GPS Pro, and LPS tracking systems recently underwent FIFA’s 2024 Electronic Performance and Tracking System (EPTS) performance tests — and the results were nothing short of outstanding.
Transforming Sports in 2025: Insights from KINEXON Sports for Coaches, Fans, and Referees
As sports technology evolves, 2025 promises to be a landmark year with KINEXON Sports at the forefront. Renowned for its innovations in real-time tracking and analytics, KINEXON Sports is revolutionizing the way athletes, coaches, fans, and referees experience the game.
From delivering game-changing insights to enhancing fan engagement and officiating precision, here’s what to expect from KINEXON Sports in 2025.
How Jump Count Analytics Drive Arizona State Volleyball’s Training and Match Success
Adjusting practice schedules is a fine line for coaches to walk to maximize player performance. Arizona State’s Jake Garrity, the Assistant Head Coach of Sports Performance/Sports Science for women’s volleyball, focuses on live jump count performance analytics to lay the foundation for when the coaching staff adjusts practice intensity.
5 Facts That (Probably) Nobody Knew About KINEXON Sports Teams
Ten years ago, KINEXON Sports embarked on a journey to revolutionize the game. What began as a bold idea in Munich’s iconic Allianz Arena has evolved into a global success story, empowering over 500 elite sports teams worldwide.
As we reflect on this incredible decade, here are five surprising facts about KINEXON Sports that showcase how far we’ve come — and where we’re headed next.
Influence of the Menstrual Cycle in Team Sports – What Sports Need Now
Professionalization also brings with it more performance, more strain, and more pressure. For female athletes, this still means an increased risk of injury. The reason: individualized training and workload management must take the hormonal cycle into account. Studies on this are accumulating, but a challenge remains.
Inside Stony Brook Athletics: The Benefits of a Multi-Sport Data Analytics Provider
Stony Brook University, known for research excellence, has upgraded its athlete performance monitoring and player safety efforts with KINEXON technology. We spoke with George Greene (Senior Associate Athletic Director of High Performance) and his team about their work to optimize training and enhance sports performance insights.
Load Management in Basketball: When Does Player Tracking Become Financially Beneficial?
Player load tracking in basketball: How does data-based injury prevention, like reducing Jumper’s Knee, become financially beneficial for clubs?
GPS Data Boosts Player Performance, Motivation and Coaches' Confidence in SD Eibar Women's Club
To better manage player load, the SD Eibar’s women’s football team switched to a data-driven strategy powered by GPS. It’s a move that their physical trainer, Ismel Mazola says, led to more confident coaching decisions and motivated his players.
How Basketball Data Helps Guide Texas A&M Women's Team to Early Conference Wins
After the holidays, many teams struggle to get back on track. But not Texas A&M Women’s Basketball. Their Strength and Conditioning coach uses data and analytics to avoid a slump and start fast in conference play.