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The following article recommends the implementation of more 'in-game decision making' work within youth Handball. I have attached 2-3 research studies, from which much of the following has been taken - I recommend every coach to take a read.
Technical vs Tactical
Throughout the years I have been coaching and educating Handball coaches, the debate regarding best-practice for coaching in Handball has, in the main been a matter of technical vs tactical.
Technical training, which is a behavioural approach, consists of mastering a series of technical skills to be exploited later in game situations, and is of course absolutely vital in a child's development as a Handball player.
In the technical (behaviour) training example given below, the player is learning the movements in attack with and without the ball in the hand. It is a technical (behavioural) approach on the basis that through a repetitive drill, without opposition (in isolation), the player will master the specific technique - there is one way to do it and the objective is to do it as best possible.
(Video credit: Handball Star Academy, YouTube)
"The tactical approach, which is a constructivist and cognitive approach, emphasises tactical awareness as a basis for making game play decisions, with learners discovering when and why skills are needed in a game context" (Lensen, Theunissen & Cloes, 2009).
In the tactical (constructive) training example, the player is also learning the movements in attack with and without the ball in the hand. Can you spot the key difference between the two examples, besides there being an opposition player in the way of the goal in the tactical version?
(Video credit, The Handball Academy)
Most will hopefully have spotted the key difference. In the technical version of the exercise, the technique was being learnt in isolation with only one possible solution - it is a typical drill, whereby the player passes the ball, receives the ball, feints, & shoots. There is no requirement to have to assess the best solution of a number of of possibilities in the moment because there is only one possible outcome - it is rigid to the extent where there is simply one outcome.
In the tactical version of the exercise, the technique was being learnt in a match based situation whereby the player must carry out the same scenario of moving with and without the ball, but this time the player has additional decisions to make at the same time;
1. Shall i shoot or shall i pass back to the centre player if the possibility to face the duel and shoot is not the best solution
2. Is the best solution to feint and beat the defender, or to shoot right away after receiving the ball
3. Did I receive the ball in high enough speed to even properly win the battle with the defender?
(Please watch both videos again, and try to see how much of assessment and in-decision making exists in both examples, and decide which example might be more useful to prepare players to make effective decisions in a Handball match..)
Hopefully you have come to the same conclusion as I have, hell, its why I created The Handball Academy coaching portal in the first place. I would recommend every Handball coach checking it out and signing up to the Handball Academy web portal where you will receive 100's of training exercises in one place, with the ability to create and manage your own sessions and session planning.
Enough of the promo. Handball is changing, and there is increasing need to adapt our coaching if we want to continue producing young players for a future at the elite end of the sport. In my experience, technique has often been over-emphasised within training sessions. While drill-based technical training is an important part of learning the overall skill - I have even written an article about the necessity to include this type of training in the practice.
However, while technique is an important part of the overall skill, it has too often taught in isolation, without requiring players to think and apply the techniques to the situations required in the game. I am of the belief that in order to become a good Handball player, a child must (alongside skills & techniques) learn to assess many in game situations: the speed and position of the ball, teammates and opponents on the move, location of the goal, space on the court, and so on. Small Sided Games provide aid players in the learning of these perception skills, as well as providing an opportunity for them to assess game situations and make correct decisions.
Small Sided Games
Small-sided games (SSG's) are awesome. I love them and use them in every junior training session I deliver. I think you should too. SSG’s are simply 'match-like' games with fewer players. For us coaches of Handball, that means Handball games with fewer players than the traditional 7v7. This can mean games of 3v3, 2v2, 4v3, etc. All the different combinations are effective in their own unique way.
By using a game approach, I am challenging my players to think about what they are actually doing, and why. Through the game, my instruction, and my use of feedback, players are taught to use the appropriate technique at the right time and place, while under the pressure situations created by a game.
Here are the additional benefits;
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1. More time with a Handball in their hand!
Fewer players on the court means each player will receive more time with a ball in their hand, and subsequently more opportunity to make decisions and work on their skills in a competitive situation.
The more opportunity a player has to make decisions and work on their skills in a competitive situation the quicker they improve at making intelligent decisions when it comes to the real match.
How many times do you see junior teams playing 6v6 in training, and the wing attackers and defenders (4/12 players) literally standing still getting cold meanwhile the backcourt have all the fun? Always..
So, the more touches the better, for everyone!
2. Easier decision making
As there are less players on court, there are less complex decisions to make. (but isn't that the point of SSG's? Many decisions to make?). Yes, but in a controlled, structured environment. Can we expect a 10 year old to consistently make the right decision with already lacking skills and experience? No.
A great Small Sided Game will there provide the space, the a small number of players, and the desired outcome, and the players involved will need to normally choose from 2-4 possible decisions which can lead to the desired outcome. It happens within the controlled game situation, without bombarding them with the full version of the game, and thus providing ample opportunity for decision making, but still include low risk of confusion.
With young players, I usually work a hell of a lot in 2v1, 3v2 game based situations. I provide options for suitable decisions, and then a period whereby players can simply practice without worry of failure or mistakes. I build up progressively to 4v3 and 5v4 when players get a feel and understanding for the game and are able to consistently make the correct decisions.
3. More opportunities to score
What kid doesn’t love to score a goal? Or at least the opportunity to score a goal for their team?
As a junior Handball coach, there is nothing I enjoy more than seeing one of my kids sprinting up to their parents after a training or a game with a smile on their face, enthusiastically telling them how many goals they scored.
(Doesn't that tell us that they are bad team mates and only care about how many goals they score? - From 6-12 years old, absolutely not. During this ages our objective is to want them to love the game.
4. Increased space
This has a lot to do with point #2. An increase in space or decrease in players allows players to try their skills out without running into a wall of defenders or team-mates, all screaming for the ball. As i am sure you have all experienced, young players are drawn to the ball like a magnet, often leaving little room for the player with the ball to be under control and practice anything. SSG's remove this problem as there is ample space and opportunity to try to be creative and practice skills and techniques out.
5. Involves all players
Similar to point #1, its easy for players to hide in a 6v6 Handball match. Think of wing defenders and attackers. It is very uncommon in youth Handball for the back-court to h
ave the vision and ability to effectively bring the wing players into the match. What usually happens is only a couple of players will dominate. They’ll control the ball most of the time and take by far the most shots (usually because of coaches that wants to win). Furthermore, it will normally be the weaker players who find their way into the non-exciting positions on the court, and they will rarely have the chance to bring the ball down the court or take a shot.
The risk with full versions of the game for junior players is that the dominant players will continue to receive good opportunity to make decisions and enjoy the fun stuff, and the weaker players will end up shying away from the game and standing in the corner.
It won't be long before these players quit handball forever...
SSG's can remove this problem as its not so easy for them to hide in a game of 3v3 or 2v2. Small sided games give all players an opportunity to develop and everyone has to be involved!
(On this point, at the London 2012 Olympics I had the amazing opportunity of speaking to players including Mikkel Hansen (Denmark), Ivano Balic (Croatia), and Kim Andersson (Sweden) - I asked each of them what was the key factor in becoming world class Handball players, and they all told me the same thing; that they always managed to play in the positions on the court which gave them the most opportunity to have the ball in their hands and take the important decisions)
6. Breaks the game down into bitesize chunks
It is near impossible and completely unreasonable to expect kids to understand the full version of the game right away. This won't happen for many many years of training.
To avoid confusion the coach must break the game of Handball down into bitesize chunks when teaching it. Mikkel Hansen and Kim Andersson did not become world class over night. They became world class through many years of high quality training where they could progressively develop their skills and understanding of the game.
You cannot and must not try to teach the full 7v7 version of the game to kids. There are too many options, too many complex situations where young players will simply get lost. I have seen many instances where youth coaches try to teach complex systems and strategy to young players, and while it might make them more tactically prepared at that particular moment, it will do nothing for their development in the long term.
7. Teaches players when to use a skill
This is a fundamental point, and one where I hope to bring us back to the technique vs tactical approach of training exercises. If all coaches do is run drills that work on technique without any opponents and without the need to assess multiple decisions in a game like scenario, then when the player eventually faces competition they simply will not know how to use the skill they have been taught.
Technique drills are great for just that… technique. And it is vital that these exercises are used to introduce and practice the techniques. Here is an example of me coaching some feints to a group of 9 year old players using simple drill based technique exercises in isolation.
Looks advanced, right? Well thats the thing. Teaching this technique using a series of technical drills is very simple; 1-step here 2-step there, 3-go past. HOWEVER, try asking these kids to perform these feints in a game like scenario, with defenders and team mates screaming for the ball, or a ball being passed to them, then they would not look so advanced.
The next step for these kids is to begin to try to use these techniques within controlled small sided games where they will develop their ability to put the skill they learnt in technique and practice drills into competition and then learn from experience.
Conclusion
Im not saying we must replace technique training. It is vital and must not be removed for anything. However, we as coaches must provide pla
yers with the opportunity to further develop and hone these techniques and skills, within a controlled match environment, beforewe shoot straight into the full 7v7 version of the game.
That is why small sided games are important and that is why i recommend every coach to start including more SSG based exercises into their training.
Happy coaching.