An Analytical Study of Some Defensive Skills of Diyala Handball Club for the 2024-2025 Sports Season

Abstract

Handball is considered one of the high-paced sports, where defensive performance plays a significant role in influencing the course of the match and determining superiority and victory. The current study aims to analyze the defensive skills of the players of Diyala Handball Club, focusing on various defensive formations and the players’ performance within those formations. The study compares the application of defensive skills in different systems, such as the (6-0) and (5-1) formations, with the aim of identifying the advantages of each type.To achieve this, the researchers adopted the descriptive method using the survey style, as it suits the nature of the research problem and its objectives. The research community consisted of players participating in the Iraqi Elite Handball League for the 2024-2025 season, totaling 200 players. The sample was represented by Diyala club players, numbering 20 players, or 10% of the total. Diyala and Karbala clubs were selected because neither the coaching staff nor the players changed during the two matches, unlike other clubs which saw changes in coaching and player rosters.After reviewing relevant sources and studies and conducting interviews with experts, the most commonly used defensive skills and formations—(6-0) and (5-1)—were identified. A performance evaluation form prepared by Mohammed Kazem (2020) was used, and the researchers employed the statistical software package to process the data and analyze the results. Through this analysis, the researchers concluded the importance of the specified defensive formations (6-0) and (5-1) and recommend enhancing collective defensive organization through varied training methods.