British handball: How can performance analysis aid the coaching process?

Abstract

Despite being the second most popular team sport in Europe (Beech, 2012) handball in Britain it is a developmental sport, trailing behind the majority of Europe in both playing standard and talent pool (England Handball Progress Report, 2011). A crucial factor in the development of youth players is the impact from a coach (Fry; 2010), with performance feedback from a coach essential in aiding athlete improvement (Carling, Williams & Riley, 2005). The purpose of the study was to investigate coach recollection in elite adolescent British handball to explore if the use of Performance Analysis (PA) could aid the coaching process. To further the research into how PA can aid the coaching process, the study also aimed to examine whether game outcome (winning or losing) affects coach recollection. The study gathered results in two sections: firstly 8 coaches completed questionnaires which explored previously defined key indicators of handball performance immediately following three competitive games and secondly data on the same indicators was generated using PA. Following data collection the results were compared and statistically analysed using chi-square goodness of fit tests and tests of independence. Findings of the study reinforce previous literature which has examined coach recollection capabilities, with an overall recollection rate of 33.10% of all indicators. This is similar to the majority of PA studies, which typically discuss the inadequacy of coaches to recall any greater than 40% of pertinent information (e.g. Franks & Miller’s, 1986). The study also found that coaches more frequently recalled attacking indicators correctly compared to defensive ones, as well as having more competent recollection ability when a game was lost as opposed to won. These findings not only add to current literature on the subject but also offer insights into potential areas were the coaching process could be aided. This in turn promotes the use of PA, which could potentially aid the development of elite level adolescent British Handball.