A full-body spin in the air or a catch-and-shoot without landing: the spin shot and in-flight are the two throws that double your points in beach handball.
The spin shot is the throw that sets beach handball apart from every other ball sport: a full 360-degree body turn in the air, with feet and hips required to face the goal at the exact moment of release. It only counts double in beach handball - on a hard indoor floor, spinning simply makes no sense, because there are no extra points for it there.
The second signature throw is the in-flight (also called an alley-oop): a teammate lofts the ball high, and instead of catching it first, you finish it directly in the air, without landing beforehand. Both throws earn two points instead of one - and both need clean timing before you even think about speed. A kinematic analysis shows the key difference between advanced and beginner players is not power, it is the flight phase - the exact moment the rotation has to be cleanly completed.
### 1. Practise take-off and rotation separately First practise the jump alone, with no throw - just jump up, complete a full body rotation in the air, and land under control. Only once the pure rotation feels solid do you add the ball.
### 2. Keep the rule in mind: feet and hips toward goal The spin shot only counts if feet and hips face the centre of the goal at release - a half-turn is not enough. Advanced throwers complete the full 180-degree turn cleanly within the flight phase, while beginners typically release too early or too late.
### 3. Drill the in-flight in pairs A teammate throws a high, precise pass to a spot in front of you; you jump to meet the ball and throw it directly out of the air, without catching it or landing first. Timing between passer and shooter matters more here than jumping power.
### 4. Build throw speed deliberately A six-week sand jump-and-sprint training programme raised throwing velocity in a study by 5.4% (plus 4.2 km/h) for the jump shot and by as much as 6.1% (plus 4.3 km/h) for the 360-degree jump shot - the biggest gain of all throw types tested. For comparison: elite players already throw at around 21.1 m/s for men and 19.2 m/s for women - that is over 76 and 69 km/h respectively, faster than many city speed limits.
Both throws end with a landing in the sand - so practise the landing under control before combining full rotation and speed. Especially on repeated jumps, make sure the sand is deep and soft with no firm base underneath, so your ankles and knees are not braked abruptly on landing.
Film your spin shot from the side and specifically watch the flight phase - that is exactly where kinematic analyses show the difference between advanced and beginner players lies. Often it is enough to start the take-off a fraction earlier, so the full rotation is completed in time before release.
### What exactly makes a spin shot valid? A full body rotation in the air, with feet and hips required to face the centre of the goal at the moment of release. A half-turn or a release with the wrong body orientation only counts as a regular one-point throw.
### What is the difference between an in-flight and a regular jump shot? On an in-flight you finish a pass directly in the air without catching the ball or landing first. On a regular jump shot, you already have the ball securely in hand beforehand.
### How long does it take to learn the spin shot? That depends heavily on your jumping and rotation experience, but the pure movement - take-off, full rotation, controlled landing - can be drilled cleanly within a few sessions. Reliable timing under competitive pressure takes considerably longer.
### How fast do pros throw in beach handball? Elite men throw at around 21.1 metres per second on average, elite women around 19.2 metres per second. That is over 76 and nearly 70 kilometres per hour respectively - faster than the speed limit in most city centres.
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