Exploration of the Shoulder Internal Rotation's Influence on Throwing Velocity in Handball Players: A Pilot Study

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Nov 29;19(23):15923. doi: 10.3390/ijerph192315923.

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to test the relationship between shoulder internal rotation strength and standing throwing velocity. A repeated measures cross-sectional study was conducted with 20 professional handball players (mean ± SD; age: 19.28 ± 2.55 years, weight: 81.52 ± 9.66 kg, height: 185 ± 6 cm, BMI: 23.74 ± 1.69). The participants were instructed to perform eight standing throws from the 7 m line of the handball court at maximum velocity to calculate the mean and maximum throwing velocity. An incremental test was performed to calculate the repetition maximum (1-RM) of internal rotation shoulder strength. A Pearson's correlation analysis with a 95% confidence interval (95% CI) was performed to determine whether correlations existed between dominant arm internal rotation strength characteristics and maximum and mean ball-throwing velocity. There is no correlation between the internal rotation strength of the throwing shoulder and the velocity of the ball in the standing handball throw.

Keywords: athletic performance; dynamometry; handball; internal rotation; shoulder strength; throwing velocity.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Athletic Performance*
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Humans
  • Muscle Strength*
  • Pilot Projects
  • Upper Extremity
  • Young Adult

Grants and funding

This study has been partially supported by FEDER/Junta de Andalucía- Consejería de Transformación Económica, Industria, Conocimiento y Universidades /Project B-CTS-184-UGR20. The postdoctoral researcher Darío Martinez-Garcia and Daniel Jerez-Mayorga has a contract through the program “Recualificación del Profesorado Universitario. Modalidad Margarita Salas”, University of Granada/Ministry of Universities and Next Generation Funds of the European Union.