Table 3 Characteristics of the included studies

Hoff & Almasbakk (1995)

RCT

11 females competitive handball players from second division

1)Barbell training (n = 6)

2) Traditional handball training (n = 5)

1)Standing throw velocity

2)Running throw velocity

(Video-camera)

Barbell training group had a greater improvement only in running throw compared to control group

Sabido et al. (2016)

RCT

28 junior team handball players

1)Barbell training with unknown load

2)Barbell training with known load

3)Traditional handball training

1)Standing throw velocity

2)Jumping throw velocity

(radar gun)

The barbell training group with unknown loads showed a greater improvement in both types of throws compared to the other two groups

Loken et al. (2021)

RCT

16 males amateurs handball players

1)Barbell training without bounce(n = 8) with traditional handball training

2)Barbell training with bounce (n = 8) with traditional handball training

1)Standing throw velocity

2)Running throw velocity

(radar gun)

Both resistance training groups showed significant improvement in the standing throw velocity. The group without bounce showed greater improvement in running throw velocity compared to the group with bounce

Manchado et al. (2017)

RCT

30 males handball players

1)Core training (n = 15)

2) Traditional handball training (n = 15)

1)Standing throw velocity

2)Running throw velocity

3)Jumping throw velocity

(radar gun)

Core training group showed a greater improvement in all types of throwing velocity than the control group

Kuhn et al. (2018)

RCT

20 non-elite females handball players

1)Core training(n = 10)

2 Traditional handball training (n = 10)

1)Standing throw velocity

2)Jumping throw velocity

(opto-electric timing system)

No statistically significant differences were found in standing throw between the core training and control group. A significant improvement in jumping throw was observed in both the core training and control group

Maroto-Izquierdo et al. (2020)

RCT

18 males elite handball players

1)Weight machine training using iso-inertial flywheel training (n = 9)

2)Weight machine training using pneumatic resistance training (n = 9)

1)Standing throw velocity

2)Sitting throw velocity

(radar gun)

A significant improvement in standing throw and sitting throw velocity was found in both iso-inertial flywheel training group and pneumatic resistance training group. There were no statistically significant differences between groups

Hermassi et al. (2010)

RCT

26 males elite handball players

1)Barbell training with heavyresistance (n = 9)

2)Barbell training with moderate resistance (n = 9)

3) Traditional handball training (n = 8)

1)Standing throw velocity

2)Running throw velocity

(digital video-camera)

The heavy resistance training group showed a significant improvement in standing throw and running throw compared to control group. The moderate resistance training group showed a significant improvement only in running throw compared to control group

Abuajwa et al. (2022)

RCT

22 males active collegiate handball players

1)Barbell training with low-movement velocity

2)Barbell training with high-movement velocity

Standing throw velocity

(wearable wireless accelerometer)

A significant increase in throwing velocity was observed in the low-movement velocity group and high-movement velocity group compared to baseline. There were no significant differences between groups

Madruga-Parera et al. (2022)

RCT

34 young males handball players

1)Weight machine training using Isoinertial resistance training (n = 17)

2)Weight machine training using cable resistance training (n = 17)

Standing throw velocity

(radar gun)

Isoinertial resistance training group showed a greater improvement in throwing velocity than cable resistance training group

Hermassi et al. (2015)

RCT

34 elite males handball players

1)Medicine ball training (n = 12)

2)Regular throwing training (n = 12)

3) Traditional handball training (n = 10)

1)Standing throw velocity

2)Running throw velocity

3)Jumping throw velocity

(digital video-camera)

The medicine ball training group significantly increased throwing velocity in all types of throws

The regular throwing training group improved only in the jumping throw. There were no significant changes in throwing velocity in the control group

Ignjatovic et al. (2012)

RCT

21 young females handball players

1)Medicine ball training (n = 11)

2)Traditional handball training (n = 10)

Various medicine ball throws

The medicine ball training group showed a statistically significant increase in all medicine ball throwing tests than control group

Raeder et al. (2015)

RCT

28 competitive amateur females handball players

1)Medicine ball training (n = 15)

2)Traditional handball training (n = 13)

1)Standing throw velocity (radar gun)

2)Throwing accuracy (target mark)

The medicine ball training group showed significantly higher throwing velocity compared to the control group. No significant differences were found in throwing accuracy

Hammami et al. (2020)

RCT

34 young females elite handball players

1)Plyometric training (n = 17)

2)Traditional handball training (n = 17)

Medicine ball sitting shot put throw test

Both groups significantly increase medicine ball throw compared to baseline. Plyometric training improved more (27.6 vs 8.2% on average)

Van Den Tillar et al. (2020)

RCT

42 competitive males (n = 30) and females (12) adolescents handball players

1)Strength-Plyometrics (n = 21)

2)Plyometrics-Strength (n = 21)

1)Standing throw velocity

2)Running throw velocity

(radar gun)

There was no significantly differences in throwing velocity between groups

Ettema et al. (2008)

RCT

13 females experienced handball players

1)Weight machine training using pulley device mimicking throwing (n = 7)

2)Traditional handball training (n = 6)

Standing throw velocity

(3-dimensional digital video movement analysis system)

Both groups significantly increase throwing velocity compared to baseline without significant differences between groups

Hermassi et al. (2019c)

RCT

22 males elite handball players

1)Barbell training plus handball specific drills (n = 12)

2) Barbell training (n = 12)

1)Jumping and running throw velocity

(digital video-camera)

2)Medicine ball standing overhead throw test

Both groups significantly increase jumping throw velocity and running throw velocity without differences between them. No significant improvement was found in medicine ball throw in any of the groups

Hermassi et al. (2019d)

RCT

22 males elite handball players

1)Resistance type circuit training (n = 12)

2)Traditional handball training (n = 10)

1)Running throw velocity

2)Jumping throw velocity

(digital video-camera)

The circuit-training group showed significant improvement in all types of throws. Control group showed a decrease in throwing velocity for both measures with negative effect sizes

Ozmen et al. (2020)

RCT

20 males adolescents handball players

1)Core training

2)Traditional handball training

1)Standing throw velocity

2)Running throw velocity

3)Jumping throw velocity

(sports radar)

No significant difference was found for throwing velocity between groups

Aloui et al. (2019)

RCT

30 national adolescents males handball players

1)Elastic band training (n = 15)

2)Traditional handball training (n = 15)

1)Standing throw velocity

2)Running throw velocity

3)Jumping throw velocity

(digital video-camera)

The elastic band training group demonstrated greater improvement in all three types of throws compared to the control group

Bauer et al. (2021)

RCT

22 males adolescents handball players

1)Elastic band training (n = 16)

2)Traditional handball training (n = 16)

Standing throw velocity

(radar gun)

Elastic band training group showed a significant improvement in throwing velocity compared to the control group

Hammami et al. (2022)

RCT

26 young females handball players

1)Elastic band training (n = 13)

2)Traditional handball training (n = 13)

Medicine ball sitting shot put throw test

Both groups showed a significant improvement in the medicine ball sitting shot put throw test, but the elastic band training group had a higher increase compared to the control group

Kusuwamati et al. (2022)

RCT

28 males university handball players

1)Elastic band training (n = 14)

2)Traditional handball training (n = 14)

1)Standing throw velocity (radar gun)

2)Throwing accuracy (goal success)

The elastic band training group showed significantly greater improvement in throwing velocity compared to the control group. No significant differences in throwing accuracy were found between the elastic band training and the control group

Mascarin et al. (2017a)

RCT

39 females handball players

1)Elastic band training (n = 21)

2)Traditional handball training (n = 18)

1)Standing throw velocity

2)Jumping throw velocity

(radar gun)

The elastic band training group showed a greater improvement in standing and jumping throws

No differences were observed in the control group

Mascarin et al. (2017b)

RCT

25 young females handball players

1)Elastic band training (n = 15)

2)Traditional handball training (n = 10)

Standing throw velocity

(radar gun)

The elastic band training group showed a significant improvement in throwing velocity compared to the control group

Genevois et al. (2014)

RCT (crossover)

25 elite female high school handball players

1)Body weight training using Sling exercise in regular training (6 weeks) + regular training (6 weeks) (n = 12)

2)Regular training (6 weeks) + Body weight training using Sling exercise in regular training (6 weeks) (n = 13)

Standing throw velocity

(radar gun)

There were no significant differences in throwing velocity between groups

Hermassi et al. (2011)

RCT

24 elite males handball players

1)Barbell training with heavy resistance (n = 12)

2)Traditional handball training (n = 12)

1)Standing throw velocity

2)Running throw velocity

3)Jumping throw velocity

(digital video-camera)

The heavy resistance training group showed significantly greater improvements in all types of throw compared to the control group

Hermassi et al. (2019a)

RCT

20 males elite handball players

1)Barbell training (n = 10)

2)Traditional handball training (n = 10)

1)Standing throw velocity

2)Running throw velocity

3)Jumping throw velocity

(digital video-camera)

4)Medicine ball throw test

Weight lifting training group showed significantly greater improvement in throwing velocity in all types of throw and significantly higher values during the medicine ball throw test compared to the control group

Hermassi et al. (2019b)

RCT

20 males elite handball players

1)Barbell training (n = 10)

2)Traditional handball training (n = 10)

1)Jumping throw velocity

2)Running throw velocity

(digital video-camera)

The weight lifting training group showed greater improvements in both types of throws compared to the control group

Liu & Li (2021)

RCT

20 females elite handball players

1)Functional training (n = 10)

2)Traditional handball training (n = 10)

Standing throw velocity (radar gun)

The functional training group showed a significantly greater improvement in throwing velocity compared to the control group

Bouagina et al. (2022)

RCT

26 males adolescents handball players

1)Weight machine training using arm/shoulder strength device (n = 15)

2)Traditional handball training (n = 11)

1)Standing throw velocity

2)Running throw velocity

3)Jumping throw velocity

(radar gun)

The weight machine training group showed significantly greater improvements in all types of throws compared to the control group