Introduction to offensive play: the counter-attack and the positional attack

1Two ways to score

Handball teams score in two ways. The fastest is the counter-attack: win the ball and sprint past the defence before it is organised, for an easy shot against the goalkeeper alone. When that is impossible, the team builds a positional attack against a set defence, moving the ball and the players until a gap opens. In Senior 2 you practised the counter-attack and goalkeeping; now you learn the positional attack, its six positions and its basic moves, and how the rules on passive play force you to keep attacking.

2The positional attack

Figure: the six attacking positions against a 6-0 defence. In the cross, the defenders must decide in a moment whether to stay with their own attacker or switch; any hesitation leaves a shooter free.

3Basic moves

1. Attack the gap. A back player runs between two defenders. If both close on him, one teammate is free; if only one comes, he can shoot or break through.
2. Piston movement. Back players move forward and back in turn, like the pistons of an engine, passing on the run so that every defender has to step out.
3. Cross. The player with the ball runs diagonally; a teammate runs behind him in the other direction and receives the ball, ready to shoot.
4. The pivot. The pivot works among the defenders, sets screens for the back players and receives passes close to the goal area line.
5. The wings. Wing players stay wide to stretch the defence, and shoot from narrow angles by jumping into the goal area and landing inside it after the ball has gone.
6. The jump shot. From beyond the 9 m line, take off on the foot opposite to the throwing arm, rise above the block and throw at the top of the jump.

4Rules that shape attacking

• A player with the ball may take at most 3 steps and hold the ball for at most 3 seconds (IHF Rules of the Game, 2025 edition).
• Only the goalkeeper may stand in the goal area. An attacker may jump into it to shoot, as long as the ball has left the hand before he lands.
• Passive play: if a team does not try to attack, the referees raise an arm as a warning. After the warning the team has at most 4 passes in which to shoot; if a teammate receives a 5th pass, the opponents get a free throw.
• After a goal, play restarts with a throw-off from the 4 m throw-off area in the centre, so a fast restart can catch the defence out.

Exercises

• 3 v 2 counter-attack: three attackers against two defenders from the halfway line, finishing within 3 passes.
• Piston drill: three back players against three defenders on the 6 m line; each back must run at the gap before passing.
• Cross and shoot: CB and RB cross; RB shoots from beyond 9 m against a goalkeeper.
• 6 v 6 with passive-play rule: after the coach's signal the attack has 4 passes to shoot.