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We wish to thank the Faculty of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences (INEF) and the Universidad Politecnica de Madrid (UPM) for their support. Also, we wish to thank the players who participated in this study.

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Mon-Lopez, DanielAuthorNieto-Acevedo, RaúlAuthorCanadas-Garcia, EnriqueAuthorDe La Rubia, AlfonsoAuthor

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November 12, 2024
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Do all matches require the same effort? Influence of contextual factors on physical demands during official female handball competitions

Publicated to:Biology Of Sport. 41 (4): 145-154 - 2024-01-01 41(4), DOI: https://doi.org/10.5114/biolsport.2024.136090

Authors: García-Sánchez, C; Navarro, RM; Mon-López, D; Nieto-Acevedo, R; Cañadas-Garcia, E; de la Rubia, A

Affiliations

European Univ Madrid, Dept Sports Sci, Villaviciosa de Odon 28670, Spain - Author
Univ Politecn Madrid, Fac Ciencias Actividad Fis & Deporte, Dept Deportes, Deporte & Entrenamiento Res Grp,INEF, C Martin Fierro 7, Madrid 28040, Spain - Author

Abstract

Understanding the influence of contextual factors on physical demands is essential to maximize performance in handball. The purpose of this study was to explore and compare the influence of contextual factors (halves of the match, level of the opponent, match outcome and player role) on external load during official matches in women's handball. Twenty-two semi-professional female players from the Spanish 2nd Division were monitored across 13 official home matches. Total distance covered (TDC), high-speed running distance (HSR), high-intensity breaking distance (HIBD), accelerations (ACC), decelerations (DEC) and PlayerLoad (PL) were collected in absolute and relative values (normalized by playing time) using a local positioning system (WIMU PRO, Realtrack Systems S.L., Almeria, Spain). HSR, HSR/min and HIBD/min decreased during the second half (p < 0.05; small effects). Regarding the level of the opponent, high-level and middle-level teams elicited higher TDC/min, HIBD/min and PL/min than low-level teams (p < 0.05; small-moderate effects). Additionally, starter players exhibited higher absolute values of external load (TDC, HSR, HIBD, ACC, DEC and PL) compared to non-starters (p < 0.05; moderate-large effects). Match outcome did not affect the physical demands (p > 0.05). The study indicated that halves of the match, level of the opponent, and player role influenced external load experienced by players during official matches; specifically, starter players showed higher absolute values of external load compared to non-starters. This information should be considered in managing load and developing strategies to minimize fatigue and enhance performance during matches.

Keywords

Activity profilesCnica,tracking system,external load,load monitoring,local positioning sytem,ultra-wideband technologExternal loadGameLoaLoad load monitoring localLoad monitoringLocal positioning sytem ultra-wideband technologyPerformancePhysiological demandsPlayersPositioning sytemTeam-handballTracking systemTracking system externalUltra-wideband technologyUniversidad polit & eacute

Quality index

Bibliometric impact. Analysis of the contribution and dissemination channel

The work has been published in the journal Biology Of Sport due to its progression and the good impact it has achieved in recent years, according to the agency WoS (JCR), it has become a reference in its field. In the year of publication of the work, 2024 there are still no calculated indicators, but in 2023, it was in position 7/133, thus managing to position itself as a Q1 (Primer Cuartil), in the category Sport Sciences. Notably, the journal is positioned above the 90th percentile.

Independientemente del impacto esperado determinado por el canal de difusión, es importante destacar el impacto real observado de la propia aportación.

Según las diferentes agencias de indexación, el número de citas acumuladas por esta publicación hasta la fecha 2025-07-30:

  • Scopus: 4

Impact and social visibility

From the perspective of influence or social adoption, and based on metrics associated with mentions and interactions provided by agencies specializing in calculating the so-called "Alternative or Social Metrics," we can highlight as of 2025-07-30:

  • The use of this contribution in bookmarks, code forks, additions to favorite lists for recurrent reading, as well as general views, indicates that someone is using the publication as a basis for their current work. This may be a notable indicator of future more formal and academic citations. This claim is supported by the result of the "Capture" indicator, which yields a total of: 18 (PlumX).

With a more dissemination-oriented intent and targeting more general audiences, we can observe other more global scores such as:

    Leadership analysis of institutional authors

    There is a significant leadership presence as some of the institution’s authors appear as the first or last signer, detailed as follows: Last Author (RUBIA RIAZA, ALFONSO DE LA).