Effectiveness of Male Handball Goalkeepers: A historical overview 1982-2012

In this article, an analysis of the historical evolution of the effectiveness of goalkeepers in high level world competitions is carried out. To this end, 32 men’s handball finals have been analyzed to record and classify effectiveness rates and goalkeeping actions in relation to opponent players’ throw areas and positions from 1982 to 2012. Analysis included throws from areas of 6, 7, 9 m and counterattack, performed from center or side positions. Results show no clear trend in effectiveness values registered throughout the time sample, both generally and specifically in terms of throwing position. The Kruskal-Wallis H test did not establish statistically significant differences (p>0.05) in goalkeeping effectiveness between any of the different analyzed periods, with a confidence interval of 95%. The findings of this study suggest that the ability of goalkeepers to prevent the goal from different throwing areas and positions has changed little over the past 30 years, although the game has incorporated more offensive actions and therefore more attacks. This lack of progress can be attributed to that handball has not updated their game rules to make it faster and more spectacular.