Biomechanical Analysis of Anticipation of Elite and Inexperienced Goalkeepers to Distance Shots in Handball
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Journal of Human Kinetics volume 34/2012, 41-48 DOI: 10.2478/v10078-012-0062-0 41 Section I – Kinesiology Biomechanical Analysis of Anticipation of Elite and Inexperienced Goalkeepers to Distance Shots in Handball by F. Javier Rojas1, Marcos Gutiérrez-Davila1, Manuel Ortega2, José Campos3, Juan Párraga4 The objective of this study was to evaluate the anticipation time and kinematic factors in the movement of goalkeepers’ center of mass when making a long-distance throw in handball. The sample group was composed of 14 goalkeepers and field players. A force platform was used to measure the force of the goalkeepers’ reaction movements, while the throwers’ movements were recorded with high-speed cameras. The expert goalkeepers began to move 193 ± 67 ms before the ball was released, with a 67% success rate of interception. The inexperienced goalkeepers began their movement 209 ± 127 ms with a 24% success rate. The time taken by expert goalkeepers to begin a vertical movement of their CM, relative to the moment of the ball’s release, was less than the time taken by inexperienced goalkeepers (77 ± 70 vs. 141 ± 108 ms respectively). The analysis of the velocity and movement indicates that expert goalkeepers wait longer before moving than do inexperienced goalkeepers. Key words: biomechanics, anticipation, handball, goalkeeper, throw Introduction The ability to intercept objects, which indicators (Savelsbergh et al., 2002; McRoberts et al., requires highly refined motor abilities and 2009; Cañal-Bruland et al., 2011) as well as adjusting perception skills, is one of the most complex tasks of the temporo-spatial motor response used for elite athletes in team sports. Numerous studies interception (Cañal-Bruland and Schmidt, 2009; confirm that this skill is based on the ability to Nabil and LaRue, 2011; Gutiérrez-Dávila et al., efficiently use cues from the opponent’s movements 2011). in order to predict a precise technical action Goulet et al. (1989) analyzed the visual (Williams et al., 1999; Abernethy and Zawi, 2007; reactions of expert and novice tennis players Vignais et al., 2009). receiving a serve to identify directionality In this sense, one aspect distinguishing indicators. Expert tennis players focused their eye better performance of elite players compared with on the movement of the racket and the opponent’s less experienced ones is a superior ability to arm, while novice players focused only on the ball. anticipate the opponent. Previous studies have Similarly, Cañal-Bruland et al. (2011) indicated that shown that the ability to anticipate the path of an expert tennis players were better than object in motion is related to the capacity of inexperienced ones in predicting the direction of the searching for and identifying directionality serve, using cues from the arms and the racket. 1 - Faculty of Sports Sciences, University of Granada, Spain. 2 - Faculty of Education Sciences, University of Seville, Spain. 3 - Faculty of Physical Activity and Sports Sciences, University of Valencia, Spain. 4 - Faculty of Education Sciences, University of Jaen, Spain. Authors submitted their contribution of the article to the editorial board. Accepted for printing in Journal of Human Kinetics vol. 34/2012 on September 2012. 42 Biomechanical Analysis In Handball Savelsbergh et al. (2002; 2005) using eye- this study is to analyze certain behavioral and movement analysis techniques, examined different biomechanical differences in the movement of the strategies to identify directional cues in expert and player’s center of mass (CM), related to ball release, novice soccer goalkeepers. The expert players fixed in elite vs. inexperienced goalkeepers. In this their attention on the kicker’s supporting leg and context, we hypothesize that expert goalkeepers will foot, and thereby identified the ball’s direction more maintain a predetermined and efficient anticipation easily than its height. In starting a movement, the strategy, while inexperienced goalkeepers will show novice goalkeepers reacted 479 ms before the random anticipatory behavior. kicker’s foot made contact with the ball, contrasting with only 230 ms for elite goalkeepers. In these Method studies, novice players varied in their reactions with Participants hasty movements during the anticipation phase. Seven elite and seven inexperienced team- However, expert and novice goalkeepers did not handball goalkeepers and four field players were significantly differ in reaction time. recruited for this study. The elite group was Bideau et al. (2004) and Vignais et al. (2009) composed of team-handball goalkeepers who had used virtual reality to study the response of elite played in the first division of the Spanish League handball goalkeepers, manipulating the amount of (total experience = 19 ± 8 years, age = 28 ± 5 years, information that the test subject was able to gather body height = 1.86 ± 0.03 m, body mass = 89.79 ± during the ball’s throw. The results indicated that a 9.93 kg). The inexperienced group was composed of movement’s precision diminishes when the amount students from the Faculty of Sport Sciences who had of information during the anticipation phase is never participated as goalkeepers in team-handball reduced, highlighting the relation between the (age = 25 ± 5 years, body height 1.80 ± 0.04 m, mass = information gathered during the anticipation phase 77.42 ± 7.29 kg). The throwers were four team- and the technical execution of movements, handball players, who were specialists in shooting especially the arms. Cañal-Bruland and Schmidt and belonged to first division teams of the Spanish (2009) and Cañal-Bruland et al. (2010), also using League (age = 24 ± 1 years, body height = 1.86 ± 0.05 virtual-reality technology, showed that elite m, mass = 86.36 ± 6.13 kg). The study was approved goalkeepers, compared to inexperienced ones or by the institution’s ethics committee and carried out field players, have a superior ability to determine under its ethical guidelines. All participants signed the ball’s direction, responding appropriately, even an informed consent. against fakes. Materials and apparatus In addition, the anticipatory movement by The throws were made 10 m from the goal handball goalkeepers must take into account the after a running start in a zone previously delimited fakes a thrower might employ. According to Fradet by a reference system of 2.32 x 1.58 x 2 m. A force et al. (2004) and Van den Tillaar and Ettema (2009), platform 0.8 x 0.8 m (Dinascan/IBV Valencia, Spain) the kinetic chain of handball throwers does not was situated in line with the center of the goal and behave in a typical proximal-distal (P-D) sequence, one meter in front of the shooting zone. The throws since the direction of the throw can be changed at were filmed using two high-speed digital video the last instant. Therefore, even if the goalkeeper cameras, Redlake MotionScope PCI 1000S (San can anticipate the direction of the throw, movement Diego, CA, USA), at a frequency of 500 Hz, situated should ideally be delayed until it is difficult for the on the thrower’s dominant side at 25 m from the player to change the direction of the throw (Schorer geometric center of the shooting zone and 30 m et al., 2007; Gutiérrez-Dávila et al., 2011). apart. This same frequency was used to record the The purpose of this study was to analyze reaction force coming from the force platform. To the anticipation strategies of elite team handball synchronize the two cameras and the force goalkeepers vs. inexperienced athletes. The platform, an electronic signal was used to activate methodology was based on data measured from the the start (Figure 1). force of the goalkeeper’s reaction synchronized with The three-dimensional coordinates of five high-speed cameras that analyze the goalkeeper’s body points of the thrower (point of the left foot, anticipation in a situation where the relation center of the articulations of the hip, shoulder, between movement perception and action is elbow and wrist) plus the point corresponding to preserved (Araujo and Davids, 2009). The aim of the geometric center of the ball were determined for the throws chosen for analysis. Journal of Human Kinetics volume 34/2012 http://www.johk.pl by Rojas F. J. et al. 43 10 m Force Z Y Platform X 25 m 25 m Synchronization Electronic Signal Camera 1 Camera 2 Figure 1 The experimental set-up used to collect data The calculations were made in three phases: the differences between elite and inexperienced a) the position of the six points (landmarks) were goalkeepers. digitalized from the image received from the two The field players were instructed to perform high-speed video cameras, at a frequency of 125 Hz, 10 throws from a running start 10 m from the goal, b) the method of direct linear transformation was with the sole of the front foot firmly on the ground, used (Abdel-Aziz and Karara, 1971) to establish the seeking to reach maximum velocity when releasing three-dimensional coordinates and c) Quintic spline the ball and aiming the throw to the corners of the functions were applied to the spatial coordinate goal. The field players were told that they could established at this stage to smooth and interpolate make their usual moves before throwing, as well as the spatial coordinates at the same frequency at changing direction during the throw if they which they were filmed (500 Hz). considered it beneficial. Throws were considered valid when the player threw the ball at the goal, Procedures including the posts and the ground delimiting it. All goalkeepers were instructed to situate Dependent variables themselves in their habitual position on a force The time of the throw (T(THROW)) was defined platform and not to move prior to the definitive as the period between the end of the player’s run action to save the ball.