{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,1]],"date-time":"2026-05-01T01:28:52Z","timestamp":1777598932709,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":45,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2020,7,27]],"date-time":"2020-07-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1595808000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100010198","name":"Ministerio de Econom\u00eda, Industria y Competitividad, Gobierno de Espa\u00f1a","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["DEP2013-44160-P and DEP2016-79395-P"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["DEP2013-44160-P and DEP2016-79395-P"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100010198","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Entropy"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Postural control is considered a key variable in team sports, such as handball, which require abilities strongly related to balance. However, postural control and its relationship to the performance of handball skills according to the players\u2019 skill level and age has not been evaluated to date. This study analyzes the relationship between balance ability and team-handball performance according to age and expertise, applying a non-linear approach to balance assessment. Postural control from 114 male team-handball players was analyzed through the center of pressure (COP) during a balance task. Sport performance was measured by the accuracy and speed in throwing. Expert players threw faster, but not more accurately than recreational players. Balance performance was better for 18+ players (older than 18 years old) than those U12 (under 12 years old), but no differences were found according to their skill level. Players who threw with less accuracy showed slower COP velocity during the balance task and their moves were less irregular. Players who threw faster displayed more irregular and less auto-correlated COP movements. In conclusion, experienced team-handball players exhibited better balance performance, and this seems to be related to the maturation of the motor system more than to sport performance level. Nevertheless, non-linear measures of COP excursion revealed an exploratory behavior during balance in expert players, exhibiting more motion adjustments to reduce motor output error. Traditional variables measuring balance performance did not show sensitivity to this motor control process. A non-linear approach to balance assessment revealed functional variability during balance as an intrinsic characteristic of individuals\u2019 motor control according to age and skill level.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/e22080822","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2020,7,28]],"date-time":"2020-07-28T10:16:49Z","timestamp":1595931409000},"page":"822","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":12,"title":["Functional Variability in Team-Handball Players during Balance Is Revealed by Non-Linear Measures and Is Related to Age and Expertise Level"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"22","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7624-232X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Carla","family":"Caballero","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Sport Sciences, Sport Research Center, Miguel Hernandez University of Elche, 03202 Elche, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4314-9185","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"David","family":"Barbado","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Sport Sciences, Sport Research Center, Miguel Hernandez University of Elche, 03202 Elche, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Tom\u00e1s","family":"Urb\u00e1n","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Sport Sciences, Sport Research Center, Miguel Hernandez University of Elche, 03202 Elche, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Juan Antonio","family":"Garc\u00eda-Herrero","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Didactics of Musical, Plastic and Corporal Expression, Faculty of Education, University of Salamanca, 37008 Salamanca, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2520-892X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Francisco J.","family":"Moreno","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Sport Sciences, Sport Research Center, Miguel Hernandez University of Elche, 03202 Elche, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2020,7,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"43","DOI":"10.2165\/00007256-200535010-00004","article-title":"The Impact of Instability Resistance Training on Balance and Stability","volume":"35","author":"Anderson","year":"2005","journal-title":"Sports Med."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"83","DOI":"10.1016\/S0304-3940(01)01722-0","article-title":"The effect of expertise in gymnastics on postural control","volume":"303","author":"Villuerme","year":"2001","journal-title":"Neurosci. 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