Handball Techniques

Lessons

Senior 4 · Physical Education

Handball Techniques

4 lessons

Lesson 1 of 4

Reception and passing

25 min

Six passes in ten seconds

Handball is played on a 40 m court by seven players a side, and a good team moves the ball from one wing to the other in a few seconds, faster than any defender can shuffle across. Each player may hold the ball for at most 3 seconds and take at most 3 steps with it, so every catch must flow straight into the next pass or shot. In Senior 1 you learned the basic shoulder pass and the two-handed catch, and in Senior 2 and 3 you used them in tactics. This lesson refines catching on the move and the main passes, and shows how to aim a pass at a team-mate who is running.

Definition

Reception: catching and controlling the ball, usually on the move, so it can be passed or shot at once.

"Funnel" catch: the two-handed catch with the thumbs and index fingers forming a triangle behind the ball, fingers spread and elbows bent so the hands give.

Shoulder (overarm) pass: the basic handball pass: ball held in the spread fingers above and behind the throwing shoulder, step with the opposite foot, rotate the trunk and whip the arm through.

Wrist pass: a short, quick pass made mainly by snapping the wrist, often without a wind-up.

Jump pass: a pass thrown in the air at the top of a jump, to pass over or round a defender.

Lead pass: a pass aimed ahead of a running team-mate, at the point where the ball and the receiver will meet.

Step (handball): under IHF Rule 7:3, a foot is put down after catching the ball; a player may take at most 3 steps with the ball. A landing on one foot or both feet together, after catching the ball in the air, does not count as a step.

Catching on the move

Show a target: hands up at chest or head height, fingers spread, thumbs nearly touching.
Watch the ball into the hands; catch it in front of the body, not against the chest.
Give: bend the elbows as the ball arrives and bring it towards the throwing shoulder in the same movement.
Count your steps: if you catch the ball in the air, your landing does not count; then you have 3 steps and 3 seconds to pass, shoot or start a dribble (IHF Rules 7:2–7:4).

The passes

Pass	Key points	Use it for
Shoulder pass	Ball high behind the shoulder, elbow at shoulder height or above; step with the opposite foot; turn the trunk; whip the arm and snap the wrist; follow through towards the target.	Most passes of 5–15 m; switching play.
Wrist pass	Little or no wind-up; the wrist flicks the ball sideways or forwards.	Quick, short passes when tightly marked; passing to the pivot.
Bounce pass	Shoulder-pass action aimed at the floor in front of the receiver.	Passing past a defender's raised arms, often to the pivot.
Jump pass	Take off as for a jump shot and pass at the top of the jump.	Passing over the defence; the threat of a shot draws defenders first.
Behind-the-back pass	Arm swings behind the trunk and releases the ball to the far side.	Surprising a defender at close range; use only when the simple pass is blocked.

The ball. IHF Rule 3 sets the ball size by age and sex. For balls played with resin: size 3 (58–60 cm round, 425–475 g) for men and boys aged 16 and over; size 2 (54–56 cm, 325–375 g) for women, girls aged 14 and over and boys aged 12 to 16; size 1 (50–52 cm, 290–330 g) for younger players. Balls played without resin are slightly smaller and lighter.

Worked example

Worked example 1: leading a running team-mate. A wing is 10 m from the passer and sprints at right angles to the line between them at $6\,\mathrm{m\,s^{-1}}$ . The pass travels at $15\,\mathrm{m\,s^{-1}}$ (speeds illustrative). Where should it be aimed?

Aimed at where she is now, the ball takes $\frac{10}{15} = 0.67\,\mathrm{s}$ ; by then she is $6 \times 0.67 = 4\,\mathrm{m}$ further on. The pass arrives behind her.
For the ball to meet her after time $t$ , the ball's path is the hypotenuse of a right-angled triangle with sides $10$ and $6 t$ : $(15t)^{2} = 10^{2} + (6t)^{2} \;\Rightarrow\; 189\,t^{2} = 100 \;\Rightarrow\; t = 0.727\,\mathrm{s}$
She has run $6 \times 0.727 = 4.36\,\mathrm{m}$ . The angle ahead of the direct line is $\tan^{-1}\frac{4.36}{10} = 23.6^{\circ}$ .

A passer judges this by eye, not by calculation, but the result explains the rule of thumb: pass to the space in front of a runner, and the faster the runner or the slower the pass, the further ahead it must go.

Worked example

Worked example 2: choosing the right ball. A school is organising a tournament played with resin. Team A is boys aged 15 and 16; team B is girls aged 15 to 17. Which ball should each use?

Girls aged 14 and over use size 2 (54–56 cm, 325–375 g).
Boys aged 12 to 16 use size 2; men and boys aged 16 and over use size 3. A team with 15-year-olds should play with size 2, the size its youngest players are allowed.
Its diameter is $d = \frac{C}{\pi}$ : from $\frac{54}{\pi} = 17.2\,\mathrm{cm}$ to $\frac{56}{\pi} = 17.8\,\mathrm{cm}$ , against 18.5–19.1 cm for size 3.

A ball that is too big for the hand cannot be gripped for a one-handed shoulder pass, so players push it with two hands and their passing becomes slow. Using the right size is a matter of technique as well as rules.

Video: "Preparatory passing exercice | Training", IHF Education Centre. As you watch, notice where the catch is made, how the ball is brought up to the throwing shoulder, and which foot steps forward on the pass.

Tip

"Catch high, pass high." Catch the ball in front of you at chest or head height and carry it straight up to the throwing shoulder: the pass is then ready the moment you land.

Warning

Common mistakes. Catching the ball against the chest, then lifting it (slow, and the step count runs out). Stepping with the same foot as the throwing arm. Passing to where a runner is instead of where she will be. Taking a fourth step or holding the ball for more than 3 seconds.

Safety. Warm up the throwing shoulder (arm circles, band or partner exercises) before hard passing. Never aim a pass at a team-mate's face at close range. A jammed finger: stop, cool with a cold pack wrapped in cloth for no more than 10 minutes, and do not pull a deformed finger straight.

✦

Practice

Describe the four teaching points of catching on the move.
A player catches the ball in the air, lands on both feet, then takes three more steps and passes. Is this legal? Explain.
Give the step sequence (which foot steps forward) for a right-handed shoulder pass, and explain why.
A receiver 8 m away runs at right angles at 5 m s⁻¹ and the pass travels at 13 m s⁻¹. How far does she run before a pass aimed at her present position arrives?
For question 4, calculate the time for a lead pass to meet her and how far ahead of her present position it must be aimed.
Which ball should a team of girls aged 15 use in a resin tournament? Give its circumference range.
Explain why a jump pass is often used to reach the pivot.
A coach bans the behind-the-back pass in matches. Evaluate this decision.

Show answersHide answers

Show a target; watch the ball into the hands in front of the body; give with the elbows and bring the ball to the throwing shoulder; count steps and seconds (3 and 3).
Yes. A landing on both feet after catching in the air is not counted as a step, so the three steps that follow are allowed.
Step forward with the left foot. Stepping with the opposite foot lets the hips and trunk rotate, adding speed and keeping balance.
Time = 8 ÷ 13 = 0.62 s; distance = 5 × 0.62 = 3.1 m.
(13t)² = 8² + (5t)², so 144t² = 64, t = 0.667 s; she runs 5 × 0.667 = 3.33 m, so aim 3.33 m ahead.
Size 2: 54 to 56 cm in circumference (325 to 375 g).
At the top of the jump the passer is above the first line of defenders, and the threat of a shot makes them step up, opening space behind them for the pivot.
Partly fair: it is risky and is often used for show when a simple pass would do. But it has a real use when every simple passing line is blocked at close range. A better rule: allow it only when the shoulder pass is blocked, and practise it until it is accurate.

Quick check

Remember

Catch in front of the body, give with the elbows, carry the ball straight to the throwing shoulder.
3 steps and 3 seconds with the ball; a landing after catching in the air does not count as a step.
Shoulder pass: ball high, opposite foot forward, trunk rotation, wrist snap; choose wrist, bounce or jump passes for the situation.
Lead a runner: the ball and the receiver must reach the same point at the same time.

Sources and credits

International Handball Federation (IHF), Rules of the Game: Indoor Handball (edition of 1 July 2025): Rules 1, 3 and 7 summarised, not copied.
Handball, Wikipedia contributors, Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0: the passes and the court. Adapted by Ganzaa.
Photo: 2024-02-22 Handball Bundesliga TVB Stuttgart - MT Melsungen, Max Petershans, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Video: "Preparatory passing exercice | Training", IHF Education Centre, embedded from YouTube.
Court and lead-pass diagrams (drawn to scale), tables, worked examples, practice and quick check: written by Ganzaa. Pass and running speeds are illustrative.

This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.

1Six passes in ten seconds

2Catching on the move

3The passes

Six passes in ten seconds

Catching on the move

The passes