Current trends in the formation of men’s national handball teams, taking into account the age and weight indicators of players

Relevance. An increase in the number of tall extreme players in the best foreign national teams and club teams led to an increase in the effectiveness of the attacking actions of representatives of this role. The correctness of determining the trend of recruiting men's teams with tall central (point guard) players was also confirmed. Currently, Russian athletes are deprived of the opportunity to compete in major official tournaments, but it is advisable to analyze the principles recruitment of the Russian national team in comparison with world analogues and outline ways to improve the performance of the national team at major international tournaments. The purpose of the study is to identify current trends in the formation of national men's handball teams based on the analysis of 15-year changes in the age and weight parameters of players of various roles. Methods. The following methods were used in the study: study and analysis of scientific and methodological literature, pedagogical observation, analysis of data from the IHF website, methods of mathematical statistics. The results of the study are due to a large time period of analysis of the peculiarities of recruiting national handball teams, covering 15 years (2008-2023), during which 4 Olympic tournaments were held. The article analyzes the model characteristics of highly qualified players of various roles in men's teams. The comparative values of the players of the national teams who performed at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing and the 2023 World Championships in Poland and Sweden. The correctness of the definition of some trends in the development of world handball, identified and characterized earlier, has been confirmed. It was revealed that over the past 15 years there have been noticeable changes in the values of age and weight indicators of handball players of various roles in national teams, caused by changes in the technical and tactical features of the game. Conclusion. The analysis of the identified age and weight changes in the leading players of various roles in domestic and foreign national teams increases the possibilities of recruiting Russian national teams in accordance with world trends in the development of handball.