The timely and correct anticipation of an opponent's action based on (movement) information available prior to the ball flight is a central component of goalkeeper tactics and an essential prerequisite for outstanding defensive performances by handball goalkeepers. The anticipatory demands found at the top national and international level in the adult sector pose a great challenge, especially for junior goalkeepers in their transition to the adult sector.

The aim of this project, which is funded by the Federal Institute of Sport Science (duration April 2021 to March 2023), is to diagnose the defensive tactical behaviour of handball goalkeepers - and in particular their anticipation performance - and to improve it through supplementary training measures, thus reducing the gap between the perceptive-cognitive requirements at junior and adult level. The project is being carried out in co-operation with the German Handball Federation.

Project partners:

• Research area "Sport and Exercise" (Prof. Dr. Jörg Schorer, PD Dr. Florian Loffing, Kim Huesmann)
• Department of "Sport and Training" (Prof. Dr. Dirk Büsch)
• German Handball Federation

Project funding by the Federal Institute for Sport Science (ZMVI4-070716/21-23)

Contact person: Kim Huesmann

Within the framework of a co-operation between Prof. Büsch and the German Handball Association (Deutscher Handballbund e. V.), which has existed since 2008, and with the support of the Handball Section of the Institute for Applied Training Science, the talent assessment and talent development system in handball was developed and has been evaluated and systematically developed further every year since then. The formative and summative evaluation of this research project combines sports science and sports practice expertise and is regularly presented, discussed, documented and further developed in national and international short reports, lectures, scientific papers as well as in national and international trainer education and further education.

Contact person: Prof. Dr. Dirk Büsch

During their studies, sports students have to perform not only cognitively but also in terms of sports motor skills, for which certain physical prerequisites are necessary not only for their own realisation but also for the prevention of sports injuries. This project will examine the extent to which these prerequisites are available to prevent injuries that could prolong study time or can be supported by additional exercise and training programmes. In the long term, it is hoped that this will contribute to the continuous improvement of study quality in sports studies.

One part of the project is preventive diagnostics for sports students during the orientation week. The sports students are given the opportunity to have their potential risk of injury assessed as part of a preventive screening right at the beginning of their studies. Various tests are used to examine possible risk factors for knee, ankle, shoulder or back injuries and to classify the student's potential risk of injury.

Results in poster format:

Survey conducted during the orientation week in the winter semester 2019/20.

Contact: Jessica Heil

Partners:

• Research group "Sport and Movement Science" as well as "Sport und Training Science" (Prof. Dr. Jörg Schorer, Prof. Dr. Dirk Büsch, PD Dr. Florian Loffing, Nicolas Bloß)
• German Handball Association

Promotion through the Federal Institute of Sport Science (BISp; ZMVI4-071001/19-20)

Contact: Nicolas Bloß

In co-operation with the Landesunfallkasse Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony State Accident Insurance Fund ), the project Prevention of Sports Injuries in University Sports (duration January 2020 - December 2020) will compare various training and prevention programmes and evaluate their effectiveness on the basis of the available results on preventive diagnostics for sports students. The aim of the project is to be able to offer sports students one or more effective programmes to reduce the risk factors that occur in the long term. This should reduce the injury rate and increase the quality of studies.

Project funding by the Landesunfallkasse Niedersachsen (Project 20 B04)

Contact person: Jessica Heil