Investigation of the Relationship Between Peak Power, 30-Meter Sprint Performance, and BMI in Male Handball Players
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15662255Keywords:
Explosive strength, Anthropometry, Performance assessment, Motor abilities, Training individualizationAbstract
In the literature, the relationships between body composition, sprint speed, and explosive power have been extensively examined across various sports disciplines. However, studies specifically addressing these interrelationships within the context of handball remain limited. Given the unique physical demands of handball, sport-specific assessments are essential. Accordingly, the aim of the present study is to investigate the relationships among peak power, 30-meter sprint performance, and body mass index (BMI) in male handball players. This cross-sectional study included a total of 42 male handball athletes. Anthropometric measurements, including height (cm) and body weight (kg), were collected from participants, and BMI (kg/m²) was calculated accordingly. Motor performance assessments were conducted under standardized conditions using a vertical jump test (to measure peak power) and a 30-meter sprint test (to assess sprint performance). The findings revealed that 30-meter sprint performance was not significantly associated with either peak power or BMI. However, a statistically significant and strongly positive relationship was found between peak power and BMI. These findings suggest that peak power is closely related to body composition, whereas sprint performance is influenced by more complex and multifactorial determinants. Therefore, a comprehensive assessment of physical fitness in handball players, along with the development of individualized training programs and detailed analysis of body composition, is critical for performance enhancement. Future research is recommended to explore these relationships across larger sample sizes and with more comprehensive test batteries.
References
Asadi, A. (2016). Relationship between jumping ability, agility and sprint performance of elite young basketball players: A field-test approach. Revista Brasileira de Cineantro-pometria & Desempenho Humano, 18(2), 177–186. https://doi.org/10.5007/1980-0037.2016v18n2p177
Barbieri, D., Zaccagni, L., Babić, V., Rakovac, M., Mišigoj-Duraković, M., & Gual-di-Russo, E. (2017). Body composition and size in sprint athletes. The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, 57(9), 1142–1146.
Ben Brahim, M., Sal-de-Rellán, A., Hernaiz-Sánchez, A., Yasin, H., & García-Valverde, A. (2023). The relationships between body mass index, reciprocal ponderal index, wa-ist-to-height ratio, and fitness in young adult males. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1250913. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1250913
Bubbs, M. (2019). Peak: The new science of athletic performance that is revolutionizing sports. Chelsea Green Publishing.
Correas-Gómez, L., Benítez-Flores, S., Calleja-González, J., & Carnero, E. A. (2023). Quality of lean body mass and jump capacity in high performance young basketball players. Journal of Sports Sciences, 41(18), 1667–1677. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2023.2291294
Diker, G., Müniroğlu, S., Ön, S., Özkamçı, H., & Darendeli, A. (2021). The relationship between sprint performance and both lower and upper extremity explosive strength in young soccer players. Pedagogy of Physical Culture and Sports, 25(1), 10–14. https://doi.org/10.15561/26649837.2021.0102
França, C., Gouveia, É., Caldeira, R., Marques, A., Martins, J., Lopes, H., Henriques, R., & Ihle, A. (2022). Speed and agility predictors among adolescent male football players. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(5), Article 2856. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19052856
Freitas, T. T., Pereira, L. A., Alcaraz, P. E., Comyns, T. M., Azevedo, P. H., & Loturco, I. (2022). Change-of-direction ability, linear sprint speed, and sprint momentum in elite female athletes: Differences between three different team sports. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 36(1), 262–267. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000003860
Galvan-Alvarez, V., Gallego-Selles, A., Martinez-Canton, M., Perez-Suarez, I., Gar-cia-Gonzalez, E., Martin-Rincon, M., & Calbet, J. A. L. (2024). Physiological and mole-cular predictors of cycling sprint performance. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Sci-ence in Sports, 34(1), e14545. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.14545
García-Sánchez, C., Navarro, R. M., Karcher, C., & de la Rubia, A. (2023). Physical de-mands during official competitions in elite handball: A systematic review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(4), Article 3353. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20043353
Harman, E. A., Rosenstein, M. T., Frykman, P. N., Rosenstein, R. M., & Kraemer, W. J. (1991). Estimation of human power output from vertical jump. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 5(3), 116–120.
Healy, R., Smyth, C., Kenny, I. C., & Harrison, A. J. (2019). Influence of reactive and maximum strength indicators on sprint performance. The Journal of Strength & Condi-tioning Research, 33(11), 3039–3045. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000002635
İlbak, İ., Yasul, Y., & Akçinar, F. (2023). Bireysel ve takım sporlarında aktif spor yapan bireylerin performans düzeylerini belirlemek amacıyla hazırlanan lisansüstü tezlerde-ki ölçüm yöntemleri. Kilis 7 Aralık Üniversitesi Beden Eğitimi ve Spor Bilimleri Dergisi, 7(1), 115-145.
Ishida, A., Travis, S. K., & Stone, M. H. (2021). Associations of body composition, maximum strength, power characteristics with sprinting, jumping, and intermittent endurance performance in male intercollegiate soccer players. Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology, 6(1), Article 7. https://doi.org/10.3390/jfmk6010007
Kapsis, D. P., Tsoukos, A., Psarraki, M. P., Douda, H. T., Smilios, I., & Bogdanis, G. C. (2022). Changes in body composition and strength after 12 weeks of high-intensity functional training with two different loads in physically active men and women: A randomized controlled study. Sports, 10(1), Article 7. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports10010007
Kim, H.-Y. (2013). Statistical notes for clinical researchers: Assessing normal distribu-tion (2) using skewness and kurtosis. Restorative Dentistry & Endodontics, 38(1), 52–54. https://doi.org/10.5395/rde.2013.38.1.52
Kukolj, M., Ropret, R., Ugarkovic, D., & Jaric, S. (1999). Anthropometric, strength, and power predictors of sprinting performance. Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fit-ness, 39(2), 120–122.
MacKenzie, B. (2005). Performance evaluation tests. Electric World plc.
Mishra, P., Pandey, C. M., Singh, U., Gupta, A., Sahu, C., & Keshri, A. (2019). Descrip-tive statistics and normality tests for statistical data. Annals of Cardiac Anaesthesia, 22(1), 67–72. https://doi.org/10.4103/aca.ACA_157_18
Muñoz, A., López-Samanes, Á., Domínguez, R., Moreno-Pérez, V., Sánchez-Oliver, A. J., & Del Coso, J. (2020). Use of sports supplements in competitive handball players: Sex and competitive level differences. Nutrients, 12(11), Article 3357. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12113357
O’Donoghue, P. (2009). Research methods for sports performance analysis. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203878309
Marfell-Jones, M., Olds, T., Stewart, A., & Carter, L. (Eds.). (2006). Kinanthropometry IX: Proceedings of the 9th International Conference of the International Society for the Advan-cement of Kinanthropometry. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203970157
Radu, F. L., & Abalasei, B. A. (2015). 101 team handball. Bloomsbury Publishing.
Rami, A. (2022). A comparative study of the speed, agility, flexibility, and explosive power in basketball and handball players. Journal of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, 5(5), 97–99.
Santos-García, D. J., Valdivielso, F. N., Rubio, R. M. A., Ravé, J. M. G., Blázquez, A. A., & Fernández-Arroyo, V. M. (2008). Relación entre la fuerza máxima en squat y accio-nes de salto, sprint y golpeo de balón [Relationship among maximal strength in squat exercise, jump, sprint and kicking ball performance]. RICYDE. Revista Internacional de Ciencias del Deporte, 4(10), Article 10. https://doi.org/10.5232/ricyde.2008.01002
Sedeaud, A., Marc, A., Marck, A., Dor, F., Schipman, J., Dorsey, M., Haida, A., Berthelot, G., & Toussaint, J.-F. (2014). BMI, a performance parameter for speed improvement. PLOS ONE, 9(2), e90183. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0090183
Silva, A. M. (2019). Structural and functional body components in athletic health and performance phenotypes. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 73(2), 215–224. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-018-0261-0
Singh, C. B. (2014). Weight loss calculators for motivation – Before and after weight loss programs: Know your body mass index (BMI) and calorie intake for quick weight loss results. A book with tips to keep motivated. Chandra B. Singh.
Young, W., Cormack, S., & Crichton, M. (2011). Which jump variables should be used to assess explosive leg muscle function? International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance, 6(1), 51–57.
Zaras, N., Stasinaki, A.-N., Spiliopoulou, P., Hadjicharalambous, M., & Terzis, G. (2020). Lean body mass, muscle architecture, and performance in well-trained female weightlifters. Sports, 8(5), Article 67. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports8050067
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Zeynep İnci Karadenizli

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.