Abstract
Abstract The performance of goalkeepers can predict the final ranking of teams in tournaments. The aim of the study was to examine the percentages of goalkeepers of different national teams, according to the position on the field from which the pitch was taken, the location of the pitch in the goal and the ranking of the game. To this end, a documentary study based on the data collected by the International Handball Federation was carried out with 24 national teams that took part in the last absolute handball world championship (Germany 2017). The sample consisted of 7606 pitches made in 83 matches. The results showed that the highest percentage of saves was obtained with shots taken from the 9 meters and to the central and middle zone of the goal, and the lowest with throws in fast-breaks and to the lower and lateral areas of the goal. There were no significant differences in the variables analyzed according to the game ranking, except in pitching zone 1.
Highlights
A more detailed analysis of their performance during a World Championship could improve training methods for this specific position and help us to better understand its relative contribution to success in matches and tournaments. Considering this lack of data on elite goalkeepers, the objectives of the present study was to determine the total percentage of stops of the goalkeepers belonging to the 24 national teams that competed in the 2017 World Championship in Germany, as well as effectiveness in terms of the position on the field from which the shot was taken and the location of the shot in the goal
Of the total number of matches played in the Championship, only one was excluded because it could not be analyzed as the information was not available on the International Handball Federation (IHF) website
There were statistically significant differences in the variables of goals conceded, opponent’s attacks, total shots received, effectiveness and shots saved by the goalkeeper (p≤ .05)
Summary
In team sports and in handball, different lines of research have been opened, among which the study of competition and analysis of team performance through the use of game statistics from national and international competitions stands out[1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10].Focusing on the object of study, it should be noted that the specific position of the goalkeeper stands out in handball for its importance to other players, given that in this cooperation-opposition invasion game with ball and a fixed goal each action ends with a shot or a game action close to the opponent’s goal so that their actions and, their effectiveness against the opponent’s shots is a very important performance variable for their team[11,12] and frequently a decisive one[13].The literature on handball has shown the importance of the goalkeeper’s efficiency variable as it is related to the final ranking of the teams, both in high-level international championships[4,14,15] and in regular leagues[13]. A more detailed analysis of their performance during a World Championship could improve training methods for this specific position and help us to better understand its relative contribution to success in matches and tournaments Considering this lack of data on elite goalkeepers, the objectives of the present study was to determine the total percentage of stops (effectiveness) of the goalkeepers belonging to the 24 national teams that competed in the 2017 World Championship in Germany, as well as effectiveness in terms of the position on the field from which the shot was taken and the location of the shot in the goal. A further objective was to discover the existing differences in terms of the ranking in which the different teams played
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