OPERATIONALIZING THE TACTICAL THOUGHT PROCESSES AND COMPETITIVE ACTIVITY PARAMETERS AMONG JUNIOR FEMALE HANDBALL PLAYERS THROUGH THE UTILIZATION OF BASIC GAME ROLES

Abstract

The objective of this study is to convey the findings from an empirical investigation into the tactical thinking and competitive activity parameters of junior female handball players, followed by their operationalization based on fundamental game roles. The study entails a comparison and operationalization of empirical results pertaining to key content parameters, intended for integration into the educational and training processes, as well as competitive engagements of handball players. The research involved junior female athletes aged 15 to 19, regardless of their qualification level, representing women’s handball clubs in the Ukrainian Championship (the Junior League). Methods. The method “Examination of the profile of athletes’ thinking” (Hanzen et al., 2001) was applied; the key content parameters of competitive activity: intensity, activeness, preciseness, fault, efficiency and reliability were determined by a proprietary complex of tested indicators of handball players’ attack/defense given in the studies by L. Latyshkevich & L. Manevich (1990); F. Terzy et al. (2009); I. Turchyn (1988). Results. Statistically significant differences (p<.050; p<.010; p<.001) were registered using the Kruskal–Wallis H test by all the types of thinking: subject thinking (SbTh), symbolic thinking (SmTh), logical thinking (LgTh), visual thinking (VsTh) and creative thinking (CrTh) of junior handball players by the basic game roles. Statistically significant differences (p<.050; p<.010; p<.001) were found using the Kruskal–Wallis H test by all the parameters of junior handball players’ competitiveness by the basic game roles. It was found and substantiated that the most important types of handball players’ thinking in the context of competitive activity are: logical thinking – four statistically significant correlations (p<.050) with the parameters of competitiveness (the coefficient of precise passes; the coefficient of a player’s efficiency; the coefficient of a player’s reliability; a complex indicator of competitive activity); creative thinking – three statistically significant correlations (p<.050; p<.010) with the parameters of competitiveness (the coefficient of precise passes; the coefficient of a player’s efficiency; a complex indicator of competitive activity) and subject thinking – two statistically significant correlations (p<.050) with the parameters of competitiveness (the coefficient of precise passes; the coefficient of a player’s reliability). Discussion and conclusions. The study explains that the obtained high indices of subject and logical thinking of team center players (fullbacks, centers, center-halves) are determined by educational-training process. The study regards a high level of development of the above types of thinking as a technological game construct of a team. Attention is paid to high levels of visual and creative thinking of line players which are determined by a situation of development which encourages them to play in attack through achieving a desirable image and scoring a goal unconventionally. The study found a considerable number of scientific facts which should be introduced into educational-professional activity of women’s handball teams.