A Study on the Optimal Defense Position of Handball Goalkeeper: Facing a Forward Jump Shot Made from 9m

The purpose of the study was to derive an optimal defense position for goalkeepers through calculating ideal defense area and actual defense area when blocking forward jump shots from 9 m distance. A total of 9 men’s handball matches were captured with 4 digital video cameras from the 94th Korea National Sports Festival with consent from the Korea Handball Federation. Video clips with 78 forward jump shots from 9 m distance which included the whole movements of goalkeeper were analyzed. The ball’s speed in the forward jump shot, release point of the ball, goalkeeper’s defensive stance, and defensive position were analyzed. The actual defense position of goalkeeper was 1.10±0.37 m and the optimal defense position calculated through the movements of goalkeeper was 1.45 m from the goal line.