Type of game practiced in handball according to the positions of the attackers: analysis of the Women’s World Handball Championship 2015

The present study aimed to analyse the relationship between the location, direction and effect of the finalisation with the position of the attacker in handball and to predict the offensive behaviour of attackers in relation to these variables. The sample consisted of the observation of 1450 attack actions from the finals of the Women’s World Handball Championship of 2015. It was observed an association between the location of the finalisation and the attacker’s position (x2 = 1721.93, p < .001, Φ = 1.00), the effect of finalisation and the attacker’s position (x2 = 50.18, p < .001, Φ = .19) and the direction of the finalisation and the position of the attacker (x2 = 119.12, p < .001, Φ = .29). In addition, multinomial logistic regression showed the position of the attacker presented as predictive factors the direction and effect of the finalisation (x2 = 140.20, p < .0001). In this context, the situational constraints have demanded the backcourts finalisations from long distance towards to extremities of the goal, making them more predictable and reducing the effectiveness of the finalisation. However, the wings and the pivots varied the types and direction of the finalisation without presenting predictive factors of the type of game practiced.