The article deals with the psychophysical abilities of young handball players at the stage of preliminary basic training. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of the level of formation of such abilities as reaction speed, coordination of movements, concentration of attention and the ability to make decisions in stressful situations. The scientific relevance of the study is due to the need to improve training methods aimed at increasing the effectiveness of athletes' preparation for competitions. The purpose of the study is to analyze and evaluate the psychophysical abilities of young handball players, which will help to determine the effectiveness of the applied training methods and contribute to the development of new approaches to the training of athletes. Material and methods of research. Handball players at the stage of preliminary basic training (103 people) at the age of 15-16 years old, involved in the championship of Ukraine among boys, took part in the pedagogical experiment. To implement the goals and objectives of the study used a set of methods: theoretical analysis, synthesis and generalization; pedagogical observation; pedagogical testing; mathematical and statistical data processing. Research Results. It was found that the psychophysical abilities of young handball players who are at the stage of preliminary basic training correspond to a satisfactory level. However, in order to achieve high results in the future it is necessary to improve training programs taking into account the individual characteristics of each athlete. Analysis of the test results showed that the majority of handball players, both from the experimental and control groups, demonstrate similar results on the complex index of psychophysical abilities, which allowed us to conclude that there were no significant differences in the levels of development of psychophysical abilities between the groups at the beginning of the study. It was revealed that the average characteristics of different psychophysical tests in the majority of athletes correspond to a satisfactory level. For example, the speed of reaction to visual stimuli, reaction speed in game conditions, as well as the results of specialized handball tests showed that the level of formation of these abilities is sufficient for participation in competitions, but requires improvement to achieve high results. It is important to note that the highest average values of complex indicators of psychophysical abilities were observed in point guard players, which corresponds to the average level of formation. Line players also showed the results corresponding to the average level, while half-middle and edge players showed slightly lower values corresponding to the satisfactory level. Conclusions. The conducted study showed that at the stage of preliminary basic training most young handball players have a satisfactory level of development of psychophysical abilities, which indicates that there is a potential to improve their sports training by improving training methods. Given that different players demonstrate different levels of development of psychophysical abilities, especially among midfield and edge players, it is necessary to develop and implement individual training programs, which will optimize the training of each player in accordance with his individual characteristics and increase the overall effectiveness of the team.