A thorough study of the mental skills of young handball referees has been published by the University of Debrecen.

In total 28 young referees – 20 male and eight female – at an average age of 22.8 were nominated by EHF.

The paper, led by Brigitta Kiss at the University of Debecen, explores the decision-making strategies of handball referees, the aspect of visual orientation performance involved in tracking simple visual elements in a relatively complex environment, as well as their reactive stress tolerance and their attention and concentration skills.

The aims of the research was to examine the specific sports-related skills of handball referees, to explore the relationship between competencies, to learn their cognitive abilities, and to focus on decision-making, situational-awareness and concentration.

The aim of the study was to also open up a new way of objectively measuring cognitive abilities by analysing the performance of referees individually and then according to the position of peers.

To read the 12-page study in full detail, download the pdf below.