Are we moving towards a point in handball where we judge the outcome of a contact more than the action itself?
Situations many of us probably recognize:
- Clearly over-aggressive fouls with no visible consequence → little or no punishment
- “Normal” actions with unfortunate outcomes → suddenly severe decisions
The challenge with this trend:Players start to adapt.
👉 Do I need to “show more” to make sure a foul is called?
👉 Should I exaggerate my reaction when a hard foul doesn’t look serious?
This creates a vicious cycle:Decisions → behavior → stronger reactions → new decisions
And we’re almost at a point where players deserve an award for being honest and saying:
👉 “It wasn’t a head contact.”
My questions to you:
- Do you see this trend as well?
- How do you deal with it as a coach – in training and in games?
- What can we do to shift the focus back to evaluating the action rather than the outcome?
Really curious to hear your thoughts and experiences 👇