Athlete Monitoring in Handball (ATHMON HB): Relationship Between Well-Being and Match Performance in Elite Male Handball Players.

Sleep and recovery ratings were significantly lower prior to away matches compared to home matches.

• 18 male handball players competing in the first German national league (Handball-Bundesliga) were investigated over an entire season (September 2023 to June 2024)
• Well-being was assessed on matchday mornings using a customized, nonvalidated questionnaire with three 5-point Likert-type items: 'physical condition,' 'mental freshness and energy level,' and 'sleep and recovery'
• The difference in 'sleep and recovery' ratings between home and away matches was statistically significant (p < .001)
• Cumulative link models for ordinal regression and linear mixed-effects models were used to analyze the relationships

Physical and mental well-being interacted with match type (home vs away) to influence team match outcomes.

• Interaction effect of 'physical condition' × 'match type' on team performance was statistically significant (P = .019)
• Interaction effect of 'mental freshness and energy level' × 'match type' on team performance was statistically significant (P = .001)
• The effect of well-being on match outcomes was weaker in away matches compared to home matches
• Team performance was evaluated based on the points scored in each match

No significant effects of well-being were observed on individual player performance metrics.

• Individual performance was assessed using 4 data aggregates of positive and negative offense and defense playing actions
• The individual performance metric used was the Handball Performance Index (version 2.0), the official individual match performance metric in the Handball-Bundesliga
• Neither well-being subscales nor match type produced significant effects on individual performance
• This dissociation between team and individual performance outcomes represents a key finding of the study

This study is described as the first to investigate the relationship between athlete well-being, contextual factors (home vs away matches), and performance in elite team handball.

• The study used a novel approach to individual performance assessment based on 4 data aggregates of positive and negative offense and defense playing actions
• The well-being questionnaire used was customized and nonvalidated
• The authors note important limitations regarding validity, applicability, and transferability of findings
• The study covered an entire competitive season from September 2023 to June 2024