Who are the best at taking penalties in handball?

“The best penalty taker has both a calm head and a good throwing arm,” says Aron Laxdal. He researches sports and physical education at the University of Agder.

The answer that you must both keep a calm head and shoot well may seem simple.

But this is merely Laxdal's assumption. His research, however, shows that neither strength, power, nor other physical factors  set good penalty takers apart from the less effective ones. It is something else.

Laxdal asked several questions before drawing that conclusion, including these:

• Is it the player in the back position or on the wing who shoots the best penalties? 
• Is it the tall or short player? 
• Is it the heavy-built or the lighter player who has the best throwing arm? 
• Is it the left-handed or the right-handed player?
• Is it gender specific? Is he or she more effective from the seven-metre mark? 

Statistical analysis of 199 players

Laxdal has conducted five studies to find out what truly characterises the best penalty taker.

In the study we focus on here, he conducted a statistical analysis of 12,000 penalty throws. He analysed 199 high-level players. Each player had taken at least 25 throws in the World Cup, European Championship, and the Olympics from 2007 to 2024.

The study shows no physical differences among those taking penalty throws. Neither their position on the court, height, weight, throwing arm, nor gender provided Laxdal with clear answers. 

In other words, you can be tall or short, strong or a little weaker, and so on. 

“The results show that all players at this level have roughly the same skills and that it’s something other than physical factors that determine whether you're a good penalty taker,” says Laxdal.

Physique and strength play little role

The conclusion is both comforting and encouraging for everyone: It is neither physique nor position on the court that determines whether you are or can become good at taking penalty throws.

“Usually, we think if you're tall and strong, you will shoot harder. And the one who shoots hard is the best at taking penalties. But that's not true,” says Laxdal.

He also finds no clear evidence that those who shoot with the left hand are better than those who use the right.

“That's likely one of the myths that handball holds onto. Since there are so few who use their left hand, the goalkeeper is less accustomed to reading those players. But I find no clear signs that this is true,” says Laxdal.

It's about the desire

When it’s not physical differences that set the best shooters apart from the rest, what is it about the mindset and mentality of the best players?

“I could say it’s about keeping a calm head and executing what you’ve trained, but it’s probably more than that. It likely also involves the desire to take penalties. You need to thrive under pressure,” says Laxdal.

Many of the players Laxdal has studied tend to perform better in important matches.

“Some players are triggered to bring out their best when something's at stake,” he says.

He also has examples of players who succeed in club teams but fail in national teams. Laxdal believes this has to do with how comfortable they feel.

“The Icelander Ómar Ingi Magnússon is among the world’s best penalty takers. When he occasionally performs worse in the national team, I think it’s because he feels more comfortable in the club team,” the researcher says.

The penalty throw is a special event

Handball is characterised by teamwork, but during a penalty throw, you stand alone.

“That's why the penalty throw is a very special event in the game. It’s one of the few tasks you have to complete alone on the handball court. The situation is characterised by pressure, so a penalty taker must handle that,” says Laxdal.

He now knows that physical attributes do not determine whether you become an excellent shooter. And he assumes it has something to do with psychology. It has to do with the mindset towards the throw – the ability to stay calm, focus, and perform under pressure.

But these are still assumptions. In his next study, he aims to test these assumptions. He will study what it is about the psychological mindset of the penalty taker that makes them succeed.

“I will, among other things, interview the best penalty takers in the world. I will have long and in-depth conversations with them to find out how they handle the pressure and deal with the stress of the seven-metre mark better than others,” says Laxdal.

Reference:

Aron Laxdal and Tommy Haugen: Playing position, height, weight, and preferred throwing arm do nót differentiate between more and less effective 7- metre throwers at the highest level of international handball. International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, 2024. Doi.org/10.1080/24748668.2024.2399402

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Read the Norwegian version of this article at forskning.no

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