V.I. Mikhalev, professor, Dr.Hab.
O.S. Shalaev, associate professor
N.P. Filatova, professor, Ph.D.
O.N. Kudrya, associate professor, Dr.Biol.
A.Yu. Aseeva, Ph.D.
Siberian State University of Physical Culture and Sport, Omsk

Keywords: training process, regular season, microcycle, microblock, load orientation, skilled handball players.

Introduction. The Russian Handball Championship of the Premier League has a tour structure. The duration of the multi-tour system of competitions in the Premier League of the Russian Handball championship is about 8-9 months [1]. It is difficult for athletes to obtain the state of complete readiness for competitions for the short period of preliminary period (2-2.5 months) [5]. In the long-term season it is hard to maintain the acquired condition, so the problems of maintaining and improving all kinds of preparedness have to be inevitably solved in the course of training [3, 4].

The problem of the study was the scientific substantiation of the microstructure of the training process of skilled handball players in the context of expanding competitive practice.

The purpose of the study was to specify the orientation of training loads and the order of using different types of microcycles in the regular season in order to develop the microstructure and content of the training process for men's handball teams.

Materials and methods. The phased research was carried out in 2008-2012. Pedagogical observations of the training and competitive activities of the Premier League handball players were carried out to study the characteristics of the training process of handball players in the regular season of the teams “Skif” (Omsk region), Handball Club Kaustik Volgograd, Handball Club “Chekhovskiye Medvedi”, “Tekhnolog-Spartak”. In addition, a pedagogical testing of physical fitness and working capacity of the “Skif” team players (Omsk region) was carried out. Efficiency of the competitive activity was calculated with regard to the expert assessment of videos of games in the competition rounds. An experimental structure of the training process in the regular season of the “Skif” team was developed, and its efficiency was tested in a comparative educational experiment.

Results. No differences were found in the indices of the competitive performance of the teams on the top and in the middle of the standings of the Russian championship at the beginning of the preliminary phase (Table 1). The unfancied team had significantly lower rates of the number of attacks in various forms of attack and the failure rate.

At the end of the preliminary phase of the championship it was revealed that a similar history of the studied parameters of the competitive activities of the handball players is observed in all the teams. In particular, the parameters recorded at the beginning of the preliminary phase of the championship, decrease by the end of it. In the teams that are in the middle and at the bottom of the standings, this reduction is statistically significant (р<0.05). In the team that tops the standings changes of the parameters during the preliminary and final phases are not statistically significant.

An exception is the failure rate of game actions which increases significantly, indicating a decrease in competitive performance by the end of the championship. However, by the end of the regular season the failure rate of the leading team players is significantly lower than that of the players of the unfancied team (р<0.05).

Table 1. Competitive performance of the Premier League teams players during the preliminary and final stages of the 2009-2010 season,

Note. a – indices at the beginning/end of the preliminary phase; 

b – indices at the beginning/end of the final phase.

·  – indices at the beginning/end of the phase differ significantly when р<0.05;

# – indicators at the beginning/end of the regular season differ significantly when р<0.05.

         The index of the total number of actions increases from the beginning to the end of the championship phases, which can be regarded as an increase in the players’ activity. However, against the backdrop of the failure rate increase it can look negative and indicate an increase of inefficient actions.

The number of erroneous actions of players in defense increases in all the teams, which leads to an increase of the failure rate, both from the beginning to the end of the phase and from the beginning to the end of the regular season. The latter is likely to be interconnected with the accumulation of fatigue during the regular season. 

          A significant improvement in the speed and strength abilities, overall endurance, special speed qualities was noted from the beginning to the end of the preliminary phase of the championship of Russia (Table 1). Indicators of complex manifestation of speed abilities remained unchanged, no significant changes were observed in special endurance indicators.

         After the preliminary phase of the championship in December and the subsequent training for the final phase were over, we studied the data sheets of the physical fitness test of the players of the teams qualified into the final four. As seen form the statistical comparison of the test data, the studied indicators worsened in February compared with December.  

          At the same time it was detected that the indicators of all special physical qualities of the handball players were significantly decreasing in the February-June interval, most indicators decreased to a level characteristic of the preliminary period of the annual cycle.

During the preliminary studies it was found that the indicators of the overall physical working capacity of skilled handball players and working capacity in the submaximal mode (according to cycloergometric test PWC₁₇₀) increase at the preliminary phase of the regular season, while no significant increase of the studied indicators was noted in the final phase.

            The dynamics of relative working capacity indices of athletes obtained from the data of biomedical examinations during an annual training cycle shows a descending part of the graph from January to June. This fact proves that even before the onset of the final phase of the championship the athletes had objective signs of fatigue that aggravated by the end of the regular season [6].

            The obtained information consolidated shows a combined change in the competitive performance and the physical fitness of skilled handball players against the background of the data about training process characteristics. The descending dynamics of the physical qualities indices suggests the ways of improvement of the training process in the direction of essential maintenance of their development level throughout the regular season.

It is necessary to plan short-term training impacts in the training process in between rounds of the championship, aimed at both maintaining and improving the quality of functioning of individual processes and significant physical qualities that ensure competitive activities of handball players [2, 5].

         This fits the concept of block periodization introduced by V.B. Issurin [5], according to which the training process should be divided into shorter periods (microblocks) and ensure a higher rate of abilities development.

          In our study while solving the issue of developing an experimental microstructure of the training process in the regular season of a male handball team an option of microblocks distribution was suggested, both during the phases and in between the rounds of the preliminary and final phases of the championship of Russia (Tables 2, 3). An experimental verification of the effectiveness of the suggested training process organization was conducted while training the “Skif” team (Omsk region).

        When structuring the training process we assumed that an interval between competitive rounds (two-four weeks) does not allow for efficient work to be conducted in order to achieve a wide range of goals. It was therefore decided to implement a targeted impact by means of high-intensity training loads within load and high-powered microblocks, each time choosing their duration in accordance with the length of the time interval between rounds.  

         We identified training priorities based on the targets of the corresponding moment of time, put sequences of the microblocks in groups under the following conditions of implementation:

– high concentration of specialized training loads within the microblocks;

– division of microblocks by load orientation;

– identification of key training activities;

– identification of the parts for rehabilitation and the microblocks.

         While ordering the microblocks we also took into account effects that occurs after training activities of particular orientation, a possible duration of the retentivity of the load implemented [4].

         According to the draw the 3^rd round was chosen at the preliminary phase as the most important one for the “Skif” team. That is why it was expected to obtain the highest level of development of the significant physical qualities of handball players at this phase of the competition (Tables 4, 5).

Later in the course of the study we developed an experimental microstructure of the training process in the competitive period (Tables 2, 3). The intervals between the 1^st and the 2^nd, the 2^nd and the 3^rd rounds were 21-25 days. We created a process scheme in accordance with the following strategy: implementation – rehabilitation – conversion – accumulation – implementation.

Table 2. Training process structure of skilled handball players during the preliminary phase of the Russian Federation championship

One fitness peak was to take place during the second round of the competition, and the second, most important, one – during the third. We regarded the fourth round as the final one of the long phase of training, during which the residual effects of the development of significant physical qualities were to be used and the physical load was to be gradually reduced, assuming there would be a subsequent increase in the intensity of training impacts in the long period before the final phase of the championship (Table 3).  During the interval between two phases of the championship that lasted 53 days and represented a mesocycle, we implemented the scheme of the final phase of training in accordance with V.B. Issurin (Table 3). During the final phase after the February round not more than 10 days were left till the next round. Therefore it was decided to implement the load microblock with maintenance properties and the pre-competitive microblock after the rehabilitation one. After the sixth round of the championship according to the calendar of competitions a long 45-day break was planned during which the scheme of the final phase of training was also applied (Table 3).

Table 3. Training process of skilled handball players during the final phase of the Russian championship

The effectiveness of the proposed microstructure of the training process in the season of training of the men’s handball team was tested using a comparative educational experiment. The results of the pedagogical testing of the players of the CG (“Tekhnolog-Spartak”, Belgorod) and the EG (“Skif”, Omsk region) teams were compared at the beginning and at the end of the experiment.

According to the comparison of the physical fitness indicators of handball players of two teams of approximately same skill and fitness levels after the experiment, the players of the “Skiff” team had an advantage in terms of speed, overall and special endurance. An experimental option of the training process design used in the season made it possible to avoid a significant reduction in overall working capacity of the team players.

After the educational experiment was over, the number of actions performed by the players of the compared teams per game on average significantly differed. At the end of matches against the background of fatigue the players retained the ability to adequately assess the situation, created and used scoring situations to shoot a goal into the opponent’s goalposts.

The compared CG and EG teams carried out a different number of swift attacks in the game after the educational experiment. Players of the “Skif” team performed on average significantly more attacks of this kind per game. They also scored significantly more goals during such attacks. The compared teams did not differ in terms of the number of quick central attacks or set offense ones. A significant difference in the number of goals scored during set offense attacks was detected. During the educational experiment the EG testees carries out more set defense attacks than the CG players.

The total number of actions per game performed by the players of the CG and the EG differed significantly by the Fisher’s ratio test. In the EG the standard deviation of this indicator was smaller than in CG (Table 6), this suggests that the indicator in the EG was distributed more closely, thus, the EG and the CG belonged to different general totalities in terms of the number of actions per game.

During the educational experiment no significant differences were detected in the failure rate of the CG and the EG.

In general, thanks to the integration of the physical fitness level and the competitive activities results the “Skif” team could get higher places in the standings of the Premier League Handball championship of Russia. 

Conclusion. Owing to using the proposed type of the microstructure of the training process in the competitive training period of the men's handball team within the main educational experiment we managed to avoid a significant reduction in the overall working capacity of the team players, the players' indicators of speed-strength abilities, general and special endurance which had been stable throughout the season. At the end of the educational experiment a decline was marked in speed abilities, but the indicators of competitive activity of the team players have not changed significantly on the whole, which enabled the team to outstrip its nearest opponents in the league table based on the results of the championship.

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Corresponding author: finina@yandex.ru