In the last few decades, there has been a movement from individualistic and mechanistic notions of learning to approaches that turn attention to the significance of the context of learning. While these approaches have been utilized to point out the significance of the environment for skill acquisition, they have primarily been oriented towards performance-oriented milieus. Inspired by the theory of situated learning in \"communities of practice\" (CoP), the aim of the study is to analyze learning processes among members (participants, coaches, parents, etc.) of a diverse sporting community. The article is based on a multiple-case study of a Danish handball community named Lykkeliga (Happy League) that within a few years has attracted more than a thousand children with a remarkable diverse range of age, gender, diagnosis, and disabilities. The data collection included participant observation of training and tournament situations in two clubs over a 3-month period, along with informal interviews. The thematic analysis reveals a range of legitimate ways of participating for members of Happy League clubs, including sitting on the bench and even dating during practice. In sum, our case study sheds light on how situated learning in sporting communities may be directed towards inclusion and expansive understanding of what it means to be a sport participant.

In double refereeing, agreement between referees is fundamental for the achievement of a flawless and smooth refereeing activity. Nonetheless, the agreeement can be affected by several external and internal factors, with a negative impact on the consistency of the refereeing and the fluidity of the game. The referee\'s Decision Threshold (DT) is the limit above which the evidence of a foul results in the call of an infraction by the referee. It represents the individual refereeing style, and it is one of the factors that can contribute to low agreement between the referees. We present an application of a new Bayesian procedure to estimate referee\'s DT in a typical refereeing task. To this end, 56 italian professional handball (FIGH) referees were asked to evaluate 96 potential foul plays, belonging to four different infraction types: 7-m throw, passive play, offensive foul, disciplinary sanctions. The proposed method provides information about: (i) referee\'s individual DT; (ii) the agreement between pairs of referees (i.e., one-to-one); (iii) the agreement between each referee and all the other referees (i.e., one-to-total); (iv) the agreement between each referee and a reference referee (i.e., one-to-expert); (v) the proportion of agreement between the referees and a reference referee for each potential foul play. Sport federations would profit by this procedure in different ways: by using the information about the DT to train referees, by detecting referees with a low agreement with their colleagues or with the reference referee, by focusing training on specific plays to improve the arbitration class internal consistency.

Sport participation is considered a positive pastime endower that can offer a range of positive outcomes for children and youths. It has also increasingly been recognized as a potentially important context for fostering social inclusion for minority youths. Yet across Europe, minority girls are participating in sport to a lesser degree than their majority counterparts. Using self-determination theory (SDT) and the social ecological model as the framework, this study explored the reasons why a particular project aimed at recruiting minority girls to organized team sport succeeded in doing just that. A case study design was adopted to provide an in-depth analysis of how this project satisfied the basic psychological needs of minority girls. Nine girls, four parents, two coaches, and two project team members were interviewed about the project and sport participation in general. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Two main themes were identified, a sense of being facilitated and inclusion in the sport environment. The former emphasized the importance of aligning the participation with the girls\' cultural norms and values, particularly in the beginning. It also included practical issues such as finances, reminding us that participation in sport is not just a motivational issue. The latter focused on the importance of including the girls in the general sports program, regardless of their athletic abilities at the onset of their participation and creating a mastery environment. Moreover, by removing remediable differences between the minority and majority girls, such as having the right equipment, seemed important to fostering a sense of belonging in the sports club. Additionally, establishing meaningful relationships with coaches and majority counterparts seemed to be a major motivating factor.

The aim of this study was two-fold: (i) to analyze the variations in internal load and well-being in professional handball players between normal and congested weeks and (ii) to analyze the variations between training days within weeks. Twenty male players (26.5 ± 4.9 yo) were monitored during a full season. MD-1 (match day -1) revealed larger decreases in muscle soreness (-17.3%, [-26.6;-6.9]) and fatigue (-16.6%, [-24.8;-7.4]) in congested weeks. Regarding MD-2, larger decreases in DOMS (-19.9%, [-30.5;-7.6]), fatigue (-19.7%, [-30.0;-7.9] and the Hooper index (-16.7%, [-25.6;-6.7]) were found in congested weeks. The results of this study reveal that larger variations between normal and congested weeks occurred in MD-2 and MD-3, with greater values of load and lower levels of well-being occurring in normal weeks. Within-weeks changes revealed greater loads occurring on MD-3 and MD-2 in comparison to MD-1; in the opposite way, greater values of muscle soreness and fatigue occurred on MD-1.

The purpose of the present study was to identify the effects of a strength training program combined with specific plyometric exercises on body composition, vertical jump (VJ) height and strength development of lower limbs in elite male handball players. A 12-week program with combined strength and specific plyometric exercises was carried out for 7 weeks. Twelve elite male handball players (age: 21.6 ± 1.73) competing in the Portuguese Major League participated in the study. Besides the anthropometric measurements, several standardized jump tests were applied to assess VJ performance together with the strength development of the lower limbs in an isokinetic setting. No significant changes were found in body circumferences and diameters. Body fat content and fat mass decreased by 16.4 and 15.7% respectively, while lean body mass increased by 2.1%. Despite small significance, there was in fact an increase in squat jump (SJ), counter movement jump (CMJ) and 40 consecutive jumps after the training period (6.1, 3.8 and 6.8%, respectively). After the applied protocol, peak torque increased in lower limb extension and flexion in the majority of the movements assessed at 90ºs-1. Consequently, it is possible to conclude that combining general strength-training with plyometric exercises can not only increase lower limb strength and improve VJ performance but also reduce body fat content.

Identifying the anthropometric measures of successful and less successful handball players may be helpful in developing a talent identification and development model, allowing for the determination of key physical capacities required for elite performance. The purpose of the study was to describe the anthropometric characteristics, including age, standing stature, body mass and body mass index (BMI) in handball players who participated in the 2013 Men\'s Handball World Championships. Secondly, the objective was to identify the possible differences in these parameters in terms of individual playing positions (goalkeeper, back, center back, wing, line player). Rosters with handball player\'s age, standing stature, and body mass were obtained from the International Handball Federation website. The research material included 409 handball players (24 teams). National teams were organized by their ranks and sub-grouped using their continents and playing positions. The results of the analyses of variance demonstrated significant differences in age (F=2.30; p=0.044; Partial ŋ2=0.028), standing stature (F=14.02; p=0.0001; Partial ŋ2=0.148), and body mass (F=5.88; p=0.0001; Partial ŋ2=0.068) among the groups (G1-G6). Players in G1 had the highest standing stature and body mass, while players in G6 had the lowest age and body mass values. The backs and line players were the tallest. In addition, the measurement of body mass showed that the line players had the highest body mass and BMI values. In conclusion, this study presented anthropometric data that differentiated levels of success in male handball teams playing in the 2013 world championships. This information should serve as a reference for the average standing stature, body mass, and BMI of handball players for particular positions at the professional level.