Passing
The full range: straight pass (the reference), bounce pass (to feed the pivot under defensive arms), wrist pass (short, disguised), jump pass (over the line), weak-hand pass. Train in triangles, on the move, then under defensive pressure.
- Receiving: two hands cushioning, fingers up above the chest, move TOWARD the ball.
- Delivering: step into the pass, eyes on the game (not the ball), don't telegraph — peripheral vision decides.
Warm-up · triangle passing
U9→Senior · 8-10 min · 1 ball / trio · 4-5 m triangle.
Two-hand "cushioned" catch · step into the pass · eyes up.
Vary the passes (chest, bounce, wrist, weak hand) → passive then active defender.
Give-and-go to goal
Two lines at 9 m · 12 min · 4-8 players. The run starts after the pass.
Call for the ball with a high hand · finish with a jump shot. Harder: defender in the gap, 2-touch limit.
The jump shot
Handball's signature move, introduced from U11 and refined to the top level. The full sequence:
- During the run-up, bring the ball up to shoulder height.
- The third step is explosive and long — a right-hander steps left-right-left and takes off from the left foot (left-handers mirror).
- In the air: hip and throwing arm go back ("arming"), the free knee drives up to horizontal.
- The arm whips through; the hand "points" at the target after release.
- Land on the take-off leg.
Classic faults: straightening the arm too early ("like a fencer") and jumping off the wrong foot. Progressions: 3 → 2 → 1 step, take off from the "wrong" leg, add a blocker. Regressions: standing throw, bigger target, no keeper.
The 3-step rhythm · jump shot
Right-hander: left–right–left steps (1-2-3), take-off from the left foot.
Bring the ball to the shoulder during the run · explosive 3rd step · hip and arm cocked back · free knee high · the arm whips through · point at the target · land on the take-off foot.
Common fault: straightening the arm too early ("like a fencer") · jumping off the wrong foot.
The shooting repertoire
- Jump shot — the backcourt's weapon.
- Standing / hip shot — quick release from set feet, useful in traffic.
- Wing shot at a closed angle — the most demanding shooting position: open the angle by jumping into the court and delay the release over the advancing keeper.
- Pivot shots — turning shots, one-hand catches under contact, falling shots.
- Fast-break finishes — running finish, lob over an advancing keeper, the duel.
- Bounce and spin finishes — variants to add once the base is solid.
- 7-metre throw — deception, corner placement, reading the keeper.
Wing shot at a closed angle
Jump into the court to open the angle · delayed release over the keeper.
Gain space INTO the court (not along the line) · vary lob / cross / bounce.
Feints and 1-on-1
Feinting turns handball from a power game into a game of intelligence. The base: the breakthrough feint (hard commit one way — step + shoulder — explode the other), the shot fake (arm, lift the block, drive past) and the pass fake. Advanced: double feint, stop-and-go, spin move, step-back. Two golden rules: feint at arm's length from the defender, and it's the change of rhythm that beats them, more than the change of direction.
1-on-1 · the breakthrough feint
Commit one way (step + shoulder), explode the other. Work both sides.
Feint at arm’s length · change of rhythm > change of direction.
Screens and blocks
The pivot's screen for a back at 9 metres must be stationary to be legal. The pivot sets shoulder-to-shoulder on the defender, the back brushes past, and the pivot then rolls toward goal to become available. This is the building block of two-player combinations — see Tactics.
Sources
EHF Level 1 fundamentals · Sportplan technical notes (jump-shot sequence, cited in substance) · European handball school teaching conventions. Verified July 2026.
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