Athlete monitoring in handball (ATHMON HB): a systematic review protocol.

Abstract

Background: Athlete monitoring has become an important aspect of demanding indoor team sports like handball. Monitoring external and internal load and well-being should help coaches to optimize load management and recovery strategies to improve athletic performance and maintain athlete health. However, there is a large variety in the methods described, their coherence, and their effect on performance and health. This systematic review will summarize the methods currently used to monitor external and internal load and well-being during training and competition in team handball.

Methods: This systematic review will follow the current Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A comprehensive search of electronic databases, including MEDLINE, Embase, and Web of Science, will be conducted until 30 April 2024. Original articles in English, German, or Spanish that assess methods for monitoring the external and/or internal load and/or well-being of healthy team handball players during training and/or competition will be considered. In addition, a backward search of all relevant full-text articles identified through the search will be conducted. Two reviewers will independently perform study selection, data extraction, and risk-of-bias assessment for included studies. Included studies will be assessed for risk of bias using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. It is anticipated that the number of eligible studies will be limited, and that the data extracted from them will be highly heterogeneous. Consequently, a narrative synthesis of the extracted data will be presented.

Discussion: This systematic review will provide the current evidence on methods for monitoring external and internal load and well-being in competitive team handball players. The results may assist practitioners in implementing an athlete monitoring. We will share our findings through scientific conferences, educational meetings for coaches and medical staff, expert meetings, and publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42024540676.