Learn the hip shot in handball: throw from hip height low past the block, stay hard to read for the goalkeeper and protect your shoulder well.
The hip shot is a variation of the standing overarm throw in which the ball leaves the hand at hip height. It goes sideways under the block and is harder for goalkeepers to read than a normal throw over the shoulder. It is an additional tool for situations where the defender's arms are up.
The honest answer to "Is the hip shot better than the overarm throw?": No, it is different. We found no study that examines the hip shot in handball itself. What is documented is in this introduction. The rest is practice standard from training and labelled as such.
What research on handball throws says: in 14 elite players the standing throw with a run-up reached the highest ball speed. The jump throw reached 92%, the standing throw without a run-up 93% of it, and the players could use the throwing arm similarly in all four tested techniques [1]. And the more opposition there was (no opponent, goalkeeper, goalkeeper and defender), the slower the jump throw of 119 players became [2]. A throw that goes under the block has an easier time bypassing that slowing effect. That is our conclusion, not a measurement.
How long it takes to get a reliable hip shot depends on where you start; there is no solid study figure for it, that is coaching experience.
The hip shot is not a replacement for the overarm throw, it is the answer to high arms.
Throw ten normal overarm throws at the goal to warm up the arm. Remember how the throw feels. Milestone: 8 of 10 throws hit the goal wall in target zones.
Instead of leading the ball over the shoulder, lead it in a sideways arc lower, the elbow stays slightly bent, the hand comes forward from hip height (practice standard). The upper body leans slightly to the side opposite the throwing arm. Milestone: You throw 8 of 10 balls low and controlled onto a line on the floor.
As with the overarm throw, speed does not come from the arm alone: in 14 elite players, ball speed depended markedly on the run-up and on pelvis and trunk movement [1]. We have not seen it measured for the hip shot itself. Milestone: Your throw does not come only from the arm, you feel the impulse from your standing leg.
Agree with the goalkeeper where the corners are and throw low into the lower corner. The hip shot belongs in the lower areas because the flight path is low. Milestone: 6 of 10 low throws hit the lower corner.
Throw from 9 metres against a blocker with high arms. The blocker should not intervene, only hold his arms up. Milestone: At least 6 of 10 throws get past the block onto the goal.
Throw only at a target, not at people. Unfamiliar throwing angles load the shoulder differently than usual, so warm up well and build up slowly. A shoulder programme, done three times a week in the warm-up, lowered shoulder problems from 23% to 17% (odds ratio 0.72) in a study of 660 elite handball players [6]. A meta-analysis of prevention programmes in handball found an odds ratio of 0.60 for shoulder injuries [7]. That is not evidence for the hip shot, but the best hint on how to protect the shoulder.
If you have shoulder pain when throwing, stop and have it checked. This guide explains and motivates; it does not replace supervised training or a coach.
Use the hip shot as a surprise, not as the standard. Before the throw, goalkeepers use cues such as the thrower's take-off and the position of block and defence [4]. A throw that starts differently from what the goalkeeper expects is harder to read. Against long-distance throws, goalkeepers start on average about 193 ms before ball release [3]; an unfamiliar start of the throw takes cues away from them (our conclusion). Experts disguise so that fake and real throw look very similar, beginners are easier to see through [5]. That means: start the hip shot with the same approach movement as your normal throw. That is practical experience; we have not seen it measured.
A throw in which the ball leaves the hand at hip height, usually low and sideways past the block. It is a variation of the overarm throw.
When the block has its arms up or the goalkeeper is covering the upper corner. The low throw then goes under the defence (practice standard).
We have not found documentation on whether it is slower. Among the four measured throwing techniques, the standing throw with a run-up was fastest [1].
Warm up and do a shoulder programme in training. Such a programme lowered shoulder problems in 660 elite handball players from 23% to 17% [6].
Lob Shot in Handball: Chip the Ball Over the Advancing Goalkeeper