Notational analysis of beach handball

Purpose. One factor affecting successful performance in beach handball is the efficiency of shootings. As only few studies evaluated gender-related differences in shooting performance, the aim of this study was to analyse variations of shooting efficiency between males (M) and females (F) during beach handball matches. Methods. Nine matches were analysed. Overall, there were 559 (M: 353; F: 206) shots, of which 54.7 ± 9.4% were successful and 19.9 ± 7.1% were goalkeepers' saves. Type of shot, shooting area, and goal area were recorded. Percentages of differences between genders were also computed. Players' efficiency was calculated as (frequency of goals∗100)/frequency of shots. Goalkeepers' efficiency was calculated as (frequency of goalkeepers' saves∗100)/frequency of shots. Gender differences were ascertained by Pearson's chi-squared test for independence with Bonferroni corrections. Statistical significance of the results was accepted at p < 0.05. Results. No statistically significant gender differences were found for any parameter. Goalkeepers were most efficient (M: 23.0 ± 6.1%; F: 25.9 ± 18.0%) when receiving inflight shots. The most frequent shooting area was the front (M: 328 shots; F: 194 shots) and most shots reached lower corners of the goal (M: 139 shots; F: 77 shots). Conclusions. No differences between genders were found during semifinal and final phases of the tournament. Notational analysis proved to be a valuable tool for better coaching through the interpretation of shots in beach handball and it may be useful to examine all the aspects related to shooting, such as the shooting area and the goal area.