Jörg Madinger - Training of defensive and semi-offensive cooperative defense strategies for handball teams

Difficulty level:

Minimum number of players:8

Equipment required:In course 2: 1 cone and 2-3 handballs

Course 1 (figure 1):

- Make two teams.

- Both teams start at the 6-meter zone; one team defending, the other team attacking.

- Upon the coach’s command, the defending players try to push the attacking players out of the 6-meter zone as fast as possible by getting into physical contact (A) and controlled pushing movements (C).

- The other players try to stay in the 6-meter zone for as long as possible (B). They must not enter the 6-meter zone once they have been pushed out, however.

- Stop the time as soon as all players have been pushed out of the 6-meter zone.

- Switch tasks afterwards. Which team has pushed their opponents out of the 6-meter zone fastest?

The defending players may collaborate and develop strategies on their own.

The defending players should not push but rather force their opponents to move (get into physical contact and move their opponent away by using bent arms and doing quick steps).

Course 2 (figure 2):

- Make two teams.

- The attacking players have two handballs and start in the goal. The defending players start in the 6-meter zone.

- Make the field smaller with a cone, so that not the entire 6-meter zone is available for playing (see figure).

- Upon the coach’s starting signal, the two attacking players with the ball try to cross the 6-meter zone as fast as possible (A) and to leave it (C) (while holding the ball in their hands).

- The defending players try to stop the attacking players from breaking through and out of the 6-meter zone by collaborating and by getting into physical contact (B).

- If an attacking player manages to break through (C), he passes the ball to a teammate in the goal (D) who then also tries to break through.

- As soon as all players except the last one have left the 6-meter zone, stop the time and switch tasks.

- Which defense team manages to prevent the attacking players from breaking through for the longest time?

Define the playing field with a cone and according to the players’ level of performance.

The attacking players may play a return pass to the next player in the goal anytime if they don’t manage to leave the 6-meter zone. If this is the case, they must go back into the goal, however.

The defending players must maintain a one meter’s distance to the goal and must not interrupt return passes nor the attacking players from starting their action.

Difficulty level:

Minimum number of players:8

Equipment required:2 cones and one handball per team of 4

Setting:

- Define the finish lines with cones (see figure).

Course:

- The defending players play against a single attacking player (here and ).

- ( )runs towards the defense holding a ball (A). The attacking player may do any number of steps without dribbling.

- The defending players try to prevent ( ) from breaking through between the two cones defining the finish line (B).

- The defending players must cooperate and get into physical contact with the attacking player.

- If the attacking player breaks through (C), he gets a point.

- Each attacking player must try to break through on each side. Afterwards, change the defending players, so that each player has played defense once (twice for smaller groups).

- Which attacking player has scored highest?

The defending players must be willing to get into physical contact and to collaborate to prevent the attacking player from breaking through.

Difficulty level:

Minimum number of players:8

Equipment required:2 cones, ball box with sufficient number of handballs

Setting:

- Make teams of three.

- Define the playing field with cones.

Course 1 (figure 1):

- One team of three starts as defending team, one team as attacking team, the players of the third team serve as feeders/receivers ( and ).