Finding the right pair of shoes is a real headache for any handballer ! Each position requires different qualities and therefore different technical characteristics for findind right shoes. We wrote this article in order to give you the best possible guidance in your choice.
Wingman : Light and aerial profiles
The wingman are aerial players, twirling, looking for lightness. They will therefore look for light shoes so as not to slow them down and allow them to save their energy.
The wingman are explosive and their position requires agility including changes of directions. They therefore need a shoe with a very good grip and a good hold.
As said before, the wingman is a jumper. He will therefore need a good cushion for the reception of his jumps.
The desired characteristics are therefore :
- Lightness
- The adhesion
- Maintains
- The depreciation
Rear: A hybrid profile
The rear role is a fusion between the wingman and the half center. Indeed he must be able to organize the game but also to take 1-on-1. This is a position that requires a great versatility, a real Swiss knife! The rear are often powerful players looking for a sole that allows a significant return of energy.
The rear is often the scorer of the team, so it will go to contact and multiply the jumps. You need a shoe with a very good cushioning.
The rear must have solid support to challenge the defense but also to stop the opposing attackers, so it needs stability and a good maintains. Stability usually results in a wide sole at the front, which allows for greater contact with the ground.
Just like the wingman, the rear will cause the 1-on-1, so it will need a shoe capable of withstanding steering changes, this requires excellent grip.
The desired characteristics are therefore :
- The depreciation
- Stability
- Maintains
- The adhesion
The half center : the Maestro :
The half center is often physically powerful, it is also the team organizer, it must give the rhythm, know when to speed up the game and when to temporize. It is the person who announces the tactics and distributes the game, the conductor in person.
The half center moves quickly on the entire front of the attack, it will provoke, accelerate, go in contact so it will need stability and grip.
The half center can also trigger shots from afar, a shoe with a good cushioning is therefore advised.
Being often in motion or in contact with the opponent, the half center needs a shoe that holds him well, a shoe with a good hold.
However, some half-centers have a style of play close to the wingman, so it is better to steer towards shoes bearing the characteristics of a winger!
The desired characteristics are therefore :
- The depreciation
- Stability
- Maintains
- The adhesion
Pivot : the brawl :
The pivot is at the heart of the battle, whether in defence or attack. This requires a lot of stability, strength and balance. The pivot is at the service of the team, it takes blows, create spaces for its partners, intercepts and harasses the opposing team.
The pivot must therefore protect itself from shocks as much as possible, even at the ankles, so it needs to cushion its movements as much as possible.
The pivot must be compared to an anvil when it takes position in attack and to a hyena when it harasses opponents in defense. He therefore needs a shoe that offers stability and grip.
Like its namesake in basketball, the pivot plays a lot on the rotation movement, so it will need a shoe promoting this movement. The pivot shoes have an easy-to-move sole.
The desired characteristics are therefore:
- The depreciation
- Stability
- The adhesion
- The movement in rotation
Goalkeeper : the last bulwark :
The goalkeeper is the last wall to cross to score a goal. A goalkeeper must know how to read the game and anticipate the trajectories of the shots. It’s a post that requires lightness, agility and precision.
The guardian is therefore the protector of his temple which is the goal. It must therefore be protected and thus have solid shoes in order to cushion the impacts of the shots that it could stop with the feet.
The goalkeeper moves in a small area and his supports are powerful and explosive to cover the goal as quickly as the opponent triggers a shot. It therefore needs shoes with good grip and a good foothold.
The desired characteristics are therefore:
- The solidity
- The adhesion
- Maintains