Impact of Muscle Strength and Sport Technique on Throwing Distance of Balls of Various Weights with a Dominant Arm

The respondent sample for researching the impact of force, strength and sport technique on the throwing distance of balls of various weights (a 350 g handball, an 800 g handball and 3 kg handball) with a dominant arm was composed of 54 male members of youth handball school, aged between 16 and 17. In order to estimate force and strength, 11 tests were used – seven dynamometer ones used to measure the force of musculature activated during the throw (back, stomach, inner rotators of the shoulder joint and hand flexor muscles) and four repetitive maximum tests to estimate the absolute strength of those muscles ( Bench Press , Shoulder Press , Pull Over and Lat Machine ). Three experts estimated the level of handball technique during a session of handball tossing and catching in pairs of two. In order to estimate the sample homogeneity, the respondents were measured for body mass and height to obtain a body mass index (BMI). Regression analysis ( Stepwise model) was used to estimate an impact of myogenic abilities and technique on throwing distance. It was established that with an increase of external resistance (throwing increasingly heavier balls) the role of force increases with a proportional decrease of impact of technique. Body mass was the most stable predictor of throwing length of any kind of ball. It existed in all regression models and most parameters of force and strength have indirectly affected dependable variables through it. The next most frequent predictor was handball technique. It showed to be significant during the use of two lighter balls, i.e. overcoming lesser external resistance and it was not present in the regression model for predicting the throwing length of the heaviest ball. Only inner rotators in shoulder joint were found to have a direct impact on throwing length, independent of body mass. It was found that the use of balls heavier than handball (up to 800 g) does not only represent a form of dynamic strength training, but that it can also be applied as a specific model of proprioceptive training for improving the handball technique.