Beach Handball — Glossary

Every Beach Handball term explained in plain language: technique, equipment, rules and slang – with tips on avoiding the classic mistakes.

Braced Lead Leg (Movement)

The hard, almost straight plant of your front leg on a run-up throw. It brakes you abruptly and converts the energy of the approach into torso rotation.

Double Dribble (Rule)

You dribble, catch the ball — and start dribbling again. That is illegal: once you catch it you have three steps and three seconds to pass or shoot, or the other team gets a free throw.

Flying Substitution (Rule)

Substituting without stopping play, as often as you like — but only through your own 4.5-metre-wide substitution zone. Step on too early and you get two minutes.

GIRD (Internal Rotation Deficit) (Cheat code)

Your throwing shoulder loses internal rotation compared with the other side. The working convention is: keep the side-to-side difference under roughly 20 degrees.

Knee Valgus (Movement)

The knees collapsing inward during squats, jumps and landings. One of the key risk markers in technique analysis.

Set Format (Beach Handball) (Rule)

You win by sets, not by goals: two sets of ten minutes. If a set is level at the end, the next goal settles it immediately — the golden goal.

Thrower's Shoulder (Movement)

The overload pattern of the throwing shoulder: thousands of throws build up the internal rotators and leave the external rotators as the weakest link.

General

Terms from training theory that apply in every sport.

1RM (One-Repetition Maximum) (Rule)

The maximum weight you can move for exactly one clean repetition. The reference value behind almost every training plan.

BMR & TDEE (Rule)

BMR is your basal metabolic rate at complete rest; TDEE is total daily expenditure including everyday movement and training. Nutrition targets always work off TDEE.

Cadence (Movement)

Steps per minute when running, or pedal revolutions when cycling. For most runners, 170–180 steps per minute sits in the sweet spot.

Core Tension (Movement)

Active stabilisation of abdomen, back and pelvis — the bridge that lets force travel between legs and arms at all.

Deload (Cheat code)

A deliberately lighter week with volume or intensity clearly reduced, so adaptation can catch up.

DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) (Cheat code)

Delayed muscle soreness 12–72 hours after unfamiliar load. Not a measure of training quality.

Progressive Overload (Cheat code)

The one principle no training works without long-term: the stimulus has to grow over time, otherwise adaptation stops.

RIR (Reps in Reserve) (Rule)

How many clean reps you had left at the end of a set. RIR 2 means two more were available.

RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion) (Rule)

A scale for perceived effort. In strength training it usually runs 1–10, where RPE 8 means you had two more reps in the tank.

Zone 2 (Aerobic Base) (Cheat code)

The easy endurance zone where you can still hold a conversation in full sentences. The base of almost every endurance plan.