Perfil psicológico de los jugadores profesionales de balonmano y diferencias entre puestos específicos.

This study aims to determine the psychological characteristics for athletic performance in high-level handball players, and whether there are differences between the psychological profiles of these players in terms of their tactical position. The sample was composed of 80 professional handball players, with a mean age of 24.83 (± 5.21) years. As regards their position, 30% played in the back positions, 25% wings, 16.3% centre, 18.7% pivot, and 10% were goalkeepers. Assessment of the psychological profile used the scales in the Psychological Characteristics Associated to Sports Performance Questionnaire (Cuestionario de Características Psicológicas relacionadas con el Rendimiento Deportivo [CPRD]) by Gimeno & Buceta (2010). The results indicate that the specific position of goalkeepers obtained the highest scores in all the psychological characteristics assessed, i.e. it has a better psychological profile for athletic performance than the other player positions, and that those who play in the back positions get the worst scores on this profile. Differences in the psychological profile of professional handball players, depending on the tactical position, may be helpful to coaches and managers in order to enhance their human resource management, both in training and competition, as well as in their non-sport social environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]