THE INFLUENCE OF TAPING TECHNIQUES APPLIED TO THE PHALANGES OF THE DOMINANT HAND ON THROWING ACCURACY AND ACCELERATION IN HANDBALL

Introduction: the study addressed the potential influence of finger taping on handball performance, considering that both power and accuracy are essential for success and that athletes often rely on preventive strategies when facing finger or hand injuries.Objective: the objective was to examine whether different finger taping configurations affected acceleration, applied force, and throwing accuracy during standardized handball throws. Material and methods: ten participants between 19 and 23 years of age were recruited. each performed forty throws under four distinct Conditions: without taping, with the little finger taped to the ring finger, the ring finger taped to the middle finger, and the middle finger taped to the index finger. all throws were executed from a standing position at nine meters, following an auditory signal. a precision net was used to restrict the throws to the corners of the goal. Results: the analysis showed only minor differences across the four conditions. these differences appeared to be related to the limited sample size, the reduced number of repetitions, and the natural variation in skill level among the participants. Discussion: although the variations were small, the findings aligned partially with previous research suggesting that external support strategies may subtly influence throwing mechanics. the results indicated that the potential effects of taping may not be fully captured within small-scale trials. Conclusions: finger taping did not substantially alter throwing performance in this study. however, further research with larger samples and extended protocols is recommended to clarify its role in competitive handball.