Learn the 7-metre throw in handball: rules of the 7-metre line, throwing technique without run-up, target zones and why rhythm deception beats gaze tricks.
The 7-metre throw is a penalty from the 7-metre line: you throw at the goal without a run-up within 3 seconds after the whistle, and one foot stays on the floor until release [1]. It is awarded when a clear scoring chance has been illegally destroyed [1].
The honest answer to "How often does it go in?": at the highest level about three times out of four. In the Danish top leagues (38,480 penalty events from 2,978 matches) the success rate was 73.4 to 78.1 % for women and 75.6 to 77.7 % for men; 74.6 % of all unsuccessful throws were goalkeeper saves [2]. So you do not have to be perfect on the 7-metre throw, but secure.
How long it takes until the 7-metre throw sits under pressure depends on your starting level; there is no reliable study figure, it is coaching experience. Important: the throw is not a special technique, but a standing throw in a rules corset.
If you master the rules, you do not give away throws to technical errors.
The thrower stands behind the 7-metre line, at most 1 m behind it, and after the whistle may touch or cross the line only once the ball has left the hand. Throw within 3 seconds after the whistle [1]. One foot must have constant floor contact until release, the other may move [1]. Teammates stand outside the free-throw line, opponents outside the free-throw line and at least 3 m from the line [1]. The goalkeeper may cross the 4-metre line only once the ball has left the hand; however, he may move the second foot in the air over it as long as the first stays on or behind the line [1]. Milestone: You explain the rules in 5 sentences.
Set the opposite leg forward, your standing leg stays on the floor. Throw from standing with pelvis and trunk rotation, as in the standing overarm throw. Milestone: 10 throws at a target from 7 m without crossing the line.
Divide the goal into four corners and a middle. Throw ten times at the same corner, then the next. Milestone: 6 out of 10 throws in the chosen corner, with 8 out of 10 free of line errors.
A review of deception in penalty situations in football and handball found that changing spatial information (gaze, body direction) brings less in real situations than in video tests. The authors advise manipulating temporal information, i.e. varying the rhythm [4]. Try it: wait briefly, then throw quickly. Milestone: Your goalkeeper cannot predict your release moment.
Do the same thing before every throw: ball on the thumb, deep breath, choose the corner, wait for the whistle. Milestone: 8 out of 10 throws under simulated game conditions (a teammate watches, the result is counted).
7-metre throws are hard, goal-directed shots from short range. Never throw at the goalkeeper's head: the rules punish it with an immediate 2-minute suspension unless the goalkeeper moves his head toward the ball [1]. In training: goalkeeper with suitable protective equipment, soft balls for children (practice).
The shoulder needs protection too. A shoulder programme, three times a week in the warm-up, lowered the risk of shoulder problems in 660 elite players by 28 % (OR 0.72) [7]. This guide explains and motivates; it does not replace supervised training or a coach.
Pick your shooters by ability, not superstition. In 10,593 seven-metre throws from the Icelandic elite, the data showed: a fouled player may safely take the throw himself, and a player who missed may safely shoot again. Neither had a negative effect on the chance of scoring [3]. That applies to the elite. If you carry responsibility in the team: let the best shooter throw. And watch how long the goalkeeper looks: in a study of 40 goalkeepers the last still gaze phase was significantly longer on successful saves [5].
The thrower stands behind the 7-metre line and throws at the goal within 3 seconds after the whistle. One foot must stay on the floor until release, and the line may not be touched or crossed until then [1]. The goalkeeper stays behind the 4-metre line until the ball has left the hand [1].
When a clear scoring chance is illegally destroyed, for example by a foul or by a defender who ruins a scoring chance in the goal area [1]. If the attacker keeps full control of ball and body despite a foul, no 7-metre throw is awarded [1].
At elite level around 73 to 78 %. In the Danish top leagues the rate was 75.6 to 77.7 % for men and 73.4 to 78.1 % for women [2]. That means about three out of four throws go in.
At elite level, in 10,593 throws it had no negative effect when the fouled player took it himself or when the same player tried again after a miss [3]. So the best shooter may shoot.
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