Understand and build up the Kempa trick in handball: the rule basis, timing with the passer, build-up with mats and a coach and the risks in the air.
The Kempa trick is a rehearsed play: a teammate passes the ball into the airspace above the goal area, another jumps in from outside the goal area, catches the ball in flight and throws before landing. The rulebook allows touching the ball while it is in the air over the goal area [1], and entering the goal area after playing the ball is not penalised if the opponent gains no disadvantage [1]. If you catch in the air, the first touchdown after the jump does not count as a step [1].
The honest answer to "Can it be learned?": Yes, but not alone. The trick lives on timing between two players and on a jump and throwing technique you master securely. We have not read a dedicated study on the Kempa trick. Everything here rests on the rulebook and on data on jump throws and injuries. How long the build-up takes depends on your team; there is no solid study figure for it, that is coaching experience.
Why the effort pays off: at the 2015 World Championship, shots from the 6 m line went in 65% of the time, shots from 9 metres only 37% [3]. The Kempa brings you close to the goal out of the air. And in the jump throw, elite players reached 92% of the ball speed of the standing throw with a run-up [2]. So you lose hardly any speed.
The Kempa trick is not a show, it is millimetre work between two players.
You may touch the ball while it is in the air over the goal area. You may enter the goal area after you have played the ball, provided the opponent gains no disadvantage [1]. If you enter the goal area with the ball in your hand, the goalkeeper gets the ball [1]. Milestone: You can explain why the ball must have left the hand before you land.
The passer plays the ball to a marked point above the goal-area line. You run into the pass timing and catch on the ground. You practise tempo and meeting point. Milestone: 8 of 10 passes arrive exactly at your meeting point.
Jump from outside the goal area, catch the ball in the air and land before the goal-area line. No throw yet. Milestone: 8 of 10 times you catch cleanly and land stably.
Now you jump over the goal area, catch and throw before you land. Before the throw you have only what the flight gives you. Throw at a goal with no opponent. Milestone: 6 of 10 throws leave the hand before you touch the floor, with no contact with posts or goalkeeper.
Practise with a goalkeeper on court: he must not endanger you [1]. Agree the routine and signals. Milestone: 5 of 10 Kempa attempts run without a bad pass and without a near-collision.
This trick is not for beginners. You are in the air, cannot protect yourself, and often land near posts, net or goalkeeper. The rulebook stresses that endangering someone in the air is a serious foul because he cannot protect himself [1]. That applies to you too.
Knees and landing are the main risk. In a video analysis of 20 ACL tears in women's handball, 4 of 20 were one-legged landings after a jump shot with a nearly straight knee [4]. At the 2015 World Championship, attackers in jump shots most often hit injured defenders with the knee (5 cases), and defenders frequently tackled attackers on the throwing arm or head [5]. In 580 injuries in men's professional handball (only absences of more than 7 days), head, hand and shoulder injuries mostly came from direct contact [7]. Prevention programmes lowered knee injuries (odds ratio 0.53) and ACL injuries (0.66) in a meta-analysis [6]. Take part in your club's programme. This guide explains and motivates; it does not replace supervised training or a coach.
Practise the signal with the passer, not just the pass. A look, a word or a throwing cue tells the catcher when to take off. Without this agreement the pass only works by chance. That is practical experience; we have not read a study that measures it.
A play in which a teammate passes the ball into the airspace above the goal area and another jumps in, catches the ball in flight and throws before landing.
Yes, if the ball leaves the hand before you enter the goal area. If you catch the ball in the air, the first touchdown after the jump does not count as a step [1].
The goalkeeper gets the ball (goalkeeper throw) [1].
It is risky because you are unprotected in the air and often land near posts, net and goalkeeper. One-legged landings after a jump shot are a typical ACL situation [4].
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