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The Referee as an Educator: Assessment of the Quality of Referee-Players Interactions in Competitive Youth Handball.

ABSTRACT: Sport does not automatically generate educational benefits for players. For a sports field to become a child-friendly educational environment, it is essential that all actors involved in the organization of youth sport take deliberate educational measures. Among these actors are referees, who should be taken into account during the research on the educational value of sport for the youngest. The subject of the present study was handball referees, who interact with the players during matches. Assuming that the referee is an important actor in sport education and that referee-players interactions are the basic mechanism of the referee's educational influence, this study aimed to assess the quality of his or her interactions with players during handball matches for children aged 9 to 12 years. The research was conducted in a group of 25 handball referees who refereed matches of children in the region of Mazowieckie Voivodeship in Poland. The referees surveyed had current licenses issued by the Warsaw-Mazovian Handball Association. To assess the quality of referee-players interactions, the authors' direct observation tool (Referee-Players' Interaction Assessment Scoring System) was used. The educational referee-players interaction was studied in six dimensions: Positive climate, Responsiveness, Behavior management, Proficiency, Instructing, and Communicating. Data were statistically analyzed using chi-squared test, Mann-Whitney U test and exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Cronbach's alpha values were higher than 0.90 in the factors, showing adequate levels of reliability. The results of the research demonstrated that the assessment of the quality of the referee's educational influence on players was neither affected by the referees' experience nor by the outcome of the match. The quality of educational referee-players interactions in five of the six dimensions studied was assessed as average, whereas positive climate was assessed as poor (three-step scale: poor, average, good). If referees are to support coaches and parents in achieving their educational goals, the results indicate areas where they can improve. The research provided empirical evidence that could be used as a basis for the modification of previous training programs for referees developed by local and national sports associations. The referees should be trained to build a positive climate on the sport field, which consists in creating emotional ties with players (physical proximity, social conversation), expressed in an enthusiastic attitude and joy of contacts (smiling, engagement, positive affect reaction, positive comments, respectful and inclusive language, using players first names, listening to players). In addition, referees must be taught to actively monitor players' emotional, cognitive, social, and health needs, as well as to respond to the players' needs and solve problems.

SUBMITTER: Ploszaj K

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7313078 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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The Referee as an Educator: Assessment of the Quality of Referee-Players Interactions in Competitive Youth Handball.

Płoszaj Katarzyna K Firek Wiesław W Czechowski Marcin M

International journal of environmental research and public health 20200604 11

Sport does not automatically generate educational benefits for players. For a sports field to become a child-friendly educational environment, it is essential that all actors involved in the organization of youth sport take deliberate educational measures. Among these actors are referees, who should be taken into account during the research on the educational value of sport for the youngest. The subject of the present study was handball referees, who interact with the players during matches. Ass ...[more]

PMID: 32512779

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Project description:Talent development is integral to the policy and organizational practice of competitive sport, but has also been associated with excessive amounts of training and competition, and athlete injuries and illnesses. The lack of available prospective data on the training and match activities of youth athletes and their health problems is therefore of concern. The aim of this study was two-fold: (a) to examine the amount and frequency of training load, match activities, injury and illness incidence, and prevalence among Norwegian youth elite handball players over the course of the 2018-2019 competitive season; and (b) to explore whether the injury rates are related to the sex or competition level of players, or their membership of the youth international team. We recruited 205 handball players (64% female, 36% male), aged 15-18 years (17.2 years ± 0.9) from five different sport school programs in southeast Norway. Data were collected daily from September 2018 to May 2019, during the competitive handball season. The variables included types of athlete activities, the number of activities, the rating of perceived exertion (RPE), and the duration of training and matches. Injury and illness data were collected weekly using the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center (OSTRC) questionnaire. The mean number of matches per week per player was 0.9 ± 1.29; the number of weekly training events was 6.1 ± 4.4; and the mean weekly session RPE was 986 ± 1 412 arbitrary units. The players reported a total of 472 injuries, and the mean number of injuries per player was 2.3 ± 2.9. The results demonstrated a 53% weekly injury prevalence, of which 38% were categorized as substantial injuries. Male players and players who participated at the highest level of senior competition and/or the youth international team reported significantly lower weekly incidences of health problems, compared to other players. Our findings showed that players enrolled in sport school programs are exposed to high training and competition loads, and that both general and substantial health problems are common. The potential implications for talent development and future research are discussed.

Project description:ContextWhen playing handball, the preservation of the subacromial space, which can be quantified by the acromiohumeral distance (AHD), plays a crucial role for shoulder health of handball players. Acute effects of handball-specific loading on the subacromial space with consideration of individual adaptions resulting from long-term handball-specific loading experience have yet to be determined in order to prevent injuries such as e. g. an impingement of the supraspinatus tendon.ObjectiveTo (1) assess the acute effects of handball-specific loading on the AHD in healthy experienced handball players (HB) and non-handball experienced athletes (CG) and (2) to assess the AHD behavior in relation to individual intrinsic factors to identify possible risk factors and the effect of handball-specific experience associated adaptations.Participants20 HB (10m; 10f) and 20 CG (10m; 10f); 24 ± 5 years.InterventionHandball-specific loading protocol.Main outcome measuresThe AHD was measured by ultrasonography at 0° and 60° abduction pre and post intervention. Isometric shoulder strength was measured with hand-held dynamometry. Shoulder range of motion (ROM) was measured with goniometry.ResultsHandball-specific loading led to significantly reduced AHD in the dominant shoulder in the 60° abducted position in both groups (HB: -1.7 ± 2.0 mm; p = 0.001, d = 0.69; CG: -1.1 ± 2.0 mm; p = 0.024, d = 0.37) and in the non-dominant shoulder in 0° (-0.7 ± 1.5 mm; p = 0.038, d = 0.35) and 60° abducted position (-1.3 ± 1.8 mm; p = 0.004, d = 0.69) in HB only. Handball-specific loading enhanced AHD reduction when elevating the shoulder from 0° to 60° in both groups and arms. Larger shoulder abduction strength affected the maintenance of the AHD positively. HB demonstrated less shoulder strength compared to CG, while ROM did not differ.ConclusionsHandball-specific loading can affect the ability to preserve the subacromial space which might put handball players at risk for shoulder injuries. Poor shoulder strength can aggravate this mechanism. Therefore, implementation of strengthening exercises of the external rotator and abductor muscles in the training schedule may improve shoulder health of handball players.

Project description:The aims of the present study were (1) to determine the differences in body composition and the physical and physiological profile of handball youths across age categories, and (2) to analyze the mediation effect of different categories on the relationship between lean mass or fat mass and specific physical handball capacities. Fifty-four young handball players aged 13 to 18 were assigned to U14 (13- and 14-year-olds), U16 (15- and 16-year-olds), and U18 (17- and 18-year-olds). Body composition was measured using multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance (Inbody®, 230). Handball physical fitness was assessed using handgrip force, jumping tests (squat jump, countermovement jump, countermovement jump with aimed arms), a 30-m sprint, a change-of-direction test (T-half agility test and modified Illinois test), and a Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test level 1. Simple mediation analysis was performed to analyze whether the category mediated the relationship between lean mass or fat mass and physical capacities. No significant differences were observed according to category for the majority of the measured parameters, except for height, lean body mass, and arm span. Lean body mass increased significantly as player category increased (p < 0.05; ? = 4.66-9.38; effect size (ES) = 0.96-1.92). The increase in handball category enhanced the majority of the physical capacities evaluated; however, these differences were reduced between the U16 vs. U18 categories. The indirect mediation effect suggests that handball category mediated the relationship between lean mass and upper and lower strength, velocity, agility, and cardiorespiratory fitness. In contrast, an indirect effect suggests that category mediated the relationship between fat mass only in agility and cardiorespiratory fitness. We conclude that U18s showed better body composition parameters, as well as better physical performance scores. Handball category clearly mediated the relationship between body composition through lean mass and fat mass and the physiological profile in handball youth, but lean mass proved to be more relevant when mediating physical performance.

Dataset Information

The Referee as an Educator: Assessment of the Quality of Referee-Players Interactions in Competitive Youth Handball.

Publications

The Referee as an Educator: Assessment of the Quality of Referee-Players Interactions in Competitive Youth Handball.

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