How to prevent one-sided stresses and injuries in handball.

A strong side automatically leads to a weak side

Handball players are known to have a stronger arm with which they throw particularly hard, precise and often. This dominant side is used more often than the other and feels more natural in the movement. As a result, the "worm farm" becomes increasingly dominant and stronger, while the other side is neglected. This imbalance of the two extremities can often be detected with the naked eye. The strong arm, as well as the associated shoulder, neck and chest muscles are larger and stronger.

The problem on an extremely strong side

The resulting imbalance of the muscles, ligaments and tendons can cause health problems. Your body muscles vary in strength, which can lead to improper posture of some parts of the body, as our muscles also have a supportive and protective function. In handballers, it is often seen that one shoulder is positioned higher than the other. The well-trained worm muscles manage to hold the adjacent shoulder in position, while the neglected side including the shoulder is more likely to hang.

Consequences of muscular differences

These muscular differences and associated misalignments lead to an increased susceptibility to injury. Think of your body like a boat: if a boat is loaded on only one side, it cannot travel quickly and efficiently. It is also more vulnerable to capsizing. Your body is subject to a similar principle. If you have two strong arms with balanced muscles, you will be more powerful and better protected against falls or unexpected movements. It also makes you a stronger and better player if you have two strong sides. This gives you an advantage over your opponents and a lower risk of injury.

Strengthening the weak side: this is how

To bring your body back into balance, it is important to perform the right exercises. You should train your body sides individually instead of focusing on exercises like normal pushups or pull-ups. In these movements, the body would by itself prefer the strong side, and the problem of imbalance would not be solved.

Archer push-ups: A good alternative

A good alternative to normal push-ups are the archers push-ups. This exercise helps to train the muscles of both arms individually and in a balanced manner. So you can work specifically on strengthening your weaker side and compensate for your muscular imbalance.

Clean execution for optimal results

With archers pushups, it is crucial to learn clean execution on both sides to counteract your muscular inequalities. If you find that you can do more reps with your strong side than with your weak side, you should try to adjust the rep number on both sides.

Pay attention to the repetition number on both sides

If it is not always possible to adjust the repetition number, start with your weak side and count how many repetitions you can do. Then do the same number of reps with your strong side. This is how you work to balance both sides.

Training Plan: Balanced and Progressive

Your training plan should always challenge you in a balanced way to prevent dysbalances. It is also important that you increase from training to training and continuously expose your muscles to new stimuli.

Functional exercises and individual training plans

If you are still looking for a suitable training plan that works versatile, takes your imbalances into account and includes functional exercises, then have a look at our training program.

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