Running in handball

Handball and beach handball are two fast-paced, athletic ball games. It is characterized by a high number of quick high-intensity movements interspersed with regular periods of recover and either played on solid ground or sand. Handball is characterized by rapid changes of game speed, and therefore athletes have to be well trained in both aerobic and the anaerobic areas to be able to compete over 60 (handball) or 20 (beach handball) minutes. Team managers need to be aware of the growing frequency of these high-intensity phases during matches to train their players accordingly. Knowledge regarding prevention of injuries has improved substantially in the last 15 years. By means of reducing previously identified risk factors, injury risk and thus injury incidence could be shown to be reducible by implementing regular, neuromuscular injury prevention exercises into practices and before matches. This chapter demonstrates the most up-to-date findings.