Jörg Madinger - From warm-up to handball team play

- The players need to perform different running and dribbling variants (such as dribbling with the throwing hand, dribbling with the non-throwing hand, dribbling with both hands alternately; hopping, sidestepping, running backwards, etc.)

- Once the coach whistles, the players try to throw their handball into the goal from their current position (B).

- Afterwards, the players fetch their handballs and start dribbling again.

Topic:General warm-up

Minimum number of players:8

Difficulty level:

Equipment required:2 handballs

Course 1:

- The team is divided into two groups. The players of each group are given numbers (figure: 1 to 5).

- The players crisscross throughout the court at relaxed pace.

- Each group passes a handball (A and B) according to the predefined order (1-2-3-4-5-1 etc.).

- Following each pass, the player who passed the ball sprints to one of the side lines (C) and then crisscrosses throughout the court again at a relaxed pace until he receives the next pass.

- The players may choose a side line for their sprint; however, they are not allowed to choose the line that is closest (D).

Course 2:

- The course remains the same as course 1.

- Additionally, the players of the opposing team who are currently not involved in passing or sprinting to one of the side lines are now allowed to steal the other group’s ball (E).

Variant:

- The players need to perform different running variants (hopping, sidestepping, arm rotation).

Topic:General warm-up

Minimum number of players:6

Difficulty level:

Equipment required:Sufficient number of colored bibs, blindfolds for each pair of players

Course 1:

- The players form pairs.

- One player shows the running path and running moves, the other player copies the moves.

- Switch roles after 2 to 3 minutes.

Course 2:

- One of the two players is wearing a blindfold.

- The “blind” player runs ahead swiftly across the court. The second player guides his teammate by touching him (left shoulder → turn left / right shoulder → turn right / soft patting on the back → stop) (A).

- Switch roles after 2 to 3 minutes.

Course 3 (figure):

- Put some objects (e.g., colored bibs) on the court floor.

- The players perform course 2 and try to collect as many objects as possible (B).

- Only the “blind” player is allowed to pick up the objects (sign: patting on both shoulders).

- Switch roles after 2 to 3 minutes.

The players should run across the court at pace, even though they are blindfolded; they must trust their teammate.

The players are not allowed to talk during the exercise.

Topic:General warm-up

Minimum number of players:6

Difficulty level:

Equipment required:Different balls (e.g., handballs, soft balls, tennis balls), 1 balance bench, 5 cones

Setting (see figure):

- Put different balls (handballs, soft balls, tennis balls, etc.) on the floor of one half of the court.

- Put a balance bench into the goal zone and place cones on top.

Course:

- The players move swiftly around the balls throughout the entire half of the court (A). They are not allowed to enter the goal zone. They perform different running variants.

- Once the coach whistles, each player fetches a ball (B), runs to the 6-meter line (C), and tries to shoot a cone (D).

- After throwing, the players fetch the remaining balls and shoot until no cone is left or until all balls have been thrown into the goal zone.

- The players then start to run again while the coach prepares the next shooting sequence (distribution of balls on the floor in one half of the court) and then, once again, gives the sign for shooting.

Vary the distance between the shooting line and the bench, i.e. adjust to the players’ level of performance.

Each player is only allowed to pick up one ball at a time in order to shoot.

The players are not allowed to pass the balls; they need to shoot with the ball they picked up themselves.

Topic:Short warm-up games

Minimum number of players:8

Difficulty level:

Equipment required:Two large vaulting boxes, 1 handball, 6 cones

Setting:

- Position two large vaulting boxes diagonally and use cones to define the shooting line.

Course:

- Two teams play against each other.

- By passing quickly (A and B) and moving in a well-coordinated manner (C), the attacking team tries to put a player in a good shooting position (D).

- The team scores if the shooting player hits one side of the vaulting box.

- The shooting player is not allowed to step into the defined area around the vaulting box.

- Following each shooting attempt, the other team gets the ball and starts an attack on the opposite vaulting box.

- As soon as one of the teams has scored two (three) times, remove one of the intermediate parts of the vaulting box.

- The team that takes down their vaulting box first wins the game.