Peculiarities of perfomance and fitness of the goalkeeper Acme-Žalgiris female team handball

Aim. To assess the level of fitness and peculiarities of perfomance of goalkeeper of ACME- ZALGIRIS in semi-professional female team handball. Methods. Sport perfomance according International Handball Federation (www.ihf.info) and European Handball Federation (www.eurohandball.com) system of notational analyses in Team Handball was analysed in the years 2016–2017 & 2017–2018 by the goalkeeper of the female semiprofessional handball team ACME-ZALGIRIS. The body composition, legs‘ muscles power, aerobic and anaerobic endurance, dynamic and isometric strength, ball throwing velocity was assessed as well. Performance and fitness by the goalkeeper of the female semi-professional handball team was compared to elite goalkeepers fitness. The statistical analyses were performed using Statistica software Excel 2003 and statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results. Sport perfomance of goalkeeper ACME-ZALGIRIS increased by 2.77 % in the season 2017–2018 (31.81 ± 12.95 %) compared to previous season (34.58 ± 11.8 %). In both cases sport performance were not stable because of wide range of coefficient variation (40.97 % and 34 % respectively). Alteration of fitness during two seasons were controversy. It was found positive changes of specificity fitness: ball throwing velocity increased by five km . h–1 (from 84 to 89 km . h–1). Controversy, hands isometric strength and trunk dynamic strength increased while trunk isometric strength decreased. Aerobic and specific endurance decreased as the fat body mass as well. Discussion. Controversy alteration of different indices of fitness and sport performance during two sport seasons do not allow to make assumptions whether physical or technical fitness had a positive or negative relationship to ACME-ZALGIRIS goalkeeper‘s perfomance. The sport perfomance of the goalkeeper‘s of the female handball team ACME-ZALGIRIS is adequate to the perfomance of elite goalkeepers, newertheless level of competitions was different. Finding results are in line to international researches. Findings suggests to state: 1) that overall physical fitness does not have a direct impact for the goalkeeper‘s of ACME- ZALGIRIS perfomance. 2) the performance effectiveness depends on specific fitness and the experience. Final conclussion: the goalkeeper of the female handball team ACME-ZALGIRIS has prerequisites to become an elite goalkeeper