Learn stepping out in handball: disrupt the backcourt shot on the throwing-arm side, stay within the rules and fall back into the line cleanly afterwards.
Stepping out means that as a defender you leave your position near the 6-metre line, move up to meet the backcourt player on his throwing-arm side, disrupt the shot with raised arms and then fall back into the defensive line. It is one of the basic movements of the 6:0 defence.
The honest answer to "How far do I step out?": Far enough to disturb the shooter, but little enough that you do not tear open the gap behind you. This has to be agreed within the team. How long it takes to become automatic depends on the team. There are no solid study figures for it, that is coaching experience.
Why it pays: In 119 handball players at three levels, jump-throw ball speed fell as the degree of opposition rose (no opposition, goalkeeper, goalkeeper and defender) [2]. So your intervention measurably changes how the shot looks. And at the 2015 World Championship, shots from 9 metres went in only 37% of the time, against 65% for shots from the 6 m line [6].
Stepping out is not an attack on the body but on the throwing lane.
Stand in the 6:0 line, shoulder to shoulder with your neighbours, feet about shoulder-width apart. Your eyes are on the ball carrier in the backcourt. Milestone: You can keep an arm's length to both neighbours without looking.
When the backcourt player gets ready to throw, your feet step forward onto his throwing-arm side. The front foot lands there, your body comes in front of the throwing lane, your arms go up. You stand so that you disturb the shot but do not run into the shooter's body. Milestone: In 8 of 10 attempts you are on the throwing-arm side before the shooter takes off.
After the pass or shot you go straight back into the line. Do not turn around but go backwards or sideways so the ball stays in view. Milestone: You are back in the line before the next pass has arrived.
Two defenders practise together: when A steps out, B shifts half a step towards the gap so that no space remains for a pass to the pivot. Milestone: 10 step-out actions in which the pivot can never be passed to freely.
Now the backcourt player really throws. You disturb the throwing lane with raised arms, not the throwing arm itself. Milestone: 10 throws in which you are in front of the throwing lane every time and commit no foul.
Stepping out puts you in direct contact with the shooter. The rules are clear here: hits to the head, throat or neck, hard hitting of the torso or throwing arm, and jumping into an opponent are forbidden. That can mean an immediate 2-minute suspension, and a disqualification in cases of special danger [1]. This applies all the more when the shooter is in the air and cannot protect himself [1].
The video analysis of the 2015 World Championship shows where it goes wrong: defenders most often hit injured attackers on the throwing arm (7 cases) or in the head/face region (6 cases). Referees judged the situations considerably more leniently than an expert panel [3]. In 580 injuries in men's professional handball (only absences of more than 7 days), head injuries came from direct contact in 87.5% of cases and shoulder injuries in 70.2% [4]. This guide explains and motivates; it does not replace supervised training or a coach.
Do not step straight at the shooter, step slightly diagonally onto the throwing-arm side. That takes away his angle and space without running into his body. This is practical experience; we have not read a study that measures it. Also, the further out a defence plays, the more it runs overall: an analysis of 11,863 defensive phases in the Bundesliga shows more distance, accelerations and decelerations for 5:1, 4:2 and 3:3 than for 6:0 [5].
A defender steps out of the defensive line towards the ball-carrying backcourt player, disrupts his throw and then falls back in. It is a basic movement of the 6:0 defence.
When the backcourt player starts the throw, not already on the pass. Out too early lets the shooter pass to the pivot, too late and you no longer reach the throwing lane. This is a practical rule.
Bent arms and trunk may be used for body contact and blocking. Hits to the head, throat and throwing arm, holding and jumping into the opponent are forbidden [1].
An opponent changes the throw: in 119 handball players, jump-throw ball speed fell with the degree of opposition [2]. How many goals that prevents we have not found documented.
Blocking in Handball: Close the Throwing Lane With Raised Arms