Scientific networking for the benefit of handball
The EHF Scientific Conference 2017 has brought together the world’s top handball scientists.
Close to 100 experts gathered in Vienna on Friday and Saturday, discussing in detail the conference’s main topic ‘Scientific Approach to the Player’s Environment – From Participation to the Top.’
“As we strive for the intellectual knowledge that in turn leads us to a deeper comprehension, we can hope to attain significant advancements when it comes to the prevention of injury and the safeguarding of our athletes,” said EHF President Michael Wiederer in his opening speech on Friday.
“Creating networks”
Sessions on Friday covered the monitoring and supporting of the player as well as aspects of the traning and the game. Medical sessions focused on the lower limb and the shoulder whereas a physiology session dealt with anthropometric factors.
“The most important thing for us is to develop handball and on the other hand protect the players’ health,” said EHF Methods Commission Chairman Jerzy Eliasz who has also been part of the conference’s organising committee.
“Of course, this includes medical care on a very high level for our top players, but when we are talking about lower level players, the most important is prophylactic training which we address and try to convey to the coaches who train these teams,” said Eliasz.
Helmut Höritsch, Coordinator of the EHF Competence Academy & Network (EHF CAN), was very pleased with the conference’s rundown, which marked the fourth EHF Scientific Conference since 2011.
“From the very beginning we said that we have to create networks of experts helping our sport and I hope that with this fourth scientific conference we have done another major step towards that direction,” Höritsch said.
“It’s so important to help the sport of handball and all the people involved in it with all the scientific capacity we have.”
The final sessions on Saturday covered biomechanical aspects, scientific approaches to game implementation, education and analysis, psycho-social aspects in handball as well as physical training aspects.
“A global effect on handball”
The next EHF Scientific Conference will take place in 2019. As the fifth edition, it will mark a small anniversary and the planning has already started.
“2019 would mark the perfect opportunity to make something bigger; to also invite the coaches to join forces and to get into direct contact with the scientific experts,” said Höritsch.
“I really hope that the 2019 conference will become a big event with a global effect on the development of our sport.”
A full documentation of the 2017 conference will be made available in early 2018 on eurohandball.com.
For selected interviews with participants also visit http://www.facebook.com/EHFCan
TEXT:
EHF / ts