Polish handball summer camp back for the fifth year

The summer handball camp is taking place in Gdansk from 10-20 August and welcomes 125 boys from schools around Poland.

“The programme is directed at boys born in 1999 and younger who came from schools under the aegis of the PHF and spend 10 days here.

“It is already the fifth edition and it is supported by the EHF, but the first time for boys only. It’s in connection with the Men’s 18 EHF EURO,” explained Wojciech Nowiński, member of Polish Coaching Association.

"Besides normal handball trainings, lead by EHF coaches, the young players have specific gymnastic classes and outdoor sessions. Every group has two coaches who are teaching a special program, while goalkeepers also have extra trainings."

The participants are training in different groups to the ones they arrived with, exposing them to different players and coaches.

Away from the handball court, the players spoke with a member of the Polish Ministry of Sport and Tourism about doping in sport, visited Sopot and Gdynia as well as watching some of the action at the Men’s 18 EHF Euro. 

There’s a focus in the camp of individual development of technical skills, an area which has been identified as a problem for young Polish players.

“We should concentrate on motor coordination, which is very important. Handball is becoming a faster sport in which players have less time to make decisions and less space to play. Technical skills are necessary and here they are not as we want them to be. This is the reason why this project was created. In my opinion technical skills are a problem,” explained Nowiński, who is keen to emphasise the importance of such camps,

“Camps such as this are not very common and it is hard to gain a reputation. We have very few young players in Poland and this is the way to address the problem,” he concluded.

Photo credit: Jakub Gucma