Handball Game Day: Tournaments, Fueling and Hydration

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Gothenburg in early July: thousands of young players from around the world, team tracksuits everywhere, a schedule taped to the hotel door with three games tomorrow. At the Partille Cup, the world’s biggest youth handball tournament, every game is 2 × 15 minutes, and teams play everyone else in their group of six or seven before the playoffs. College club teams in the US know the same rhythm at USA Team Handball’s College Nationals, a round robin and then knockout games over one weekend. And at the top, national teams play match after match on back-to-back days at European and world championships. Handball game day is often a tournament day. This page is about eating, drinking and staying sharp from the first throw-off to the last game.

General information, not medical or dietary advice. Players with diabetes, heart conditions or other health issues should plan game day with their doctor or a registered dietitian. Back to the handball hub.

How long a handball game is

Level	Playing time	Breaks
Age 16 and older (IHF rules)	2 × 30 minutes	Half-time normally 10 minutes (15 at most)
Youth 12–16 (IHF rules)	2 × 25 minutes	Half-time normally 10 minutes
Youth 8–12 (IHF rules)	2 × 20 minutes	Half-time normally 10 minutes
Partille Cup (all groups)	2 × 15 minutes	Older playoffs 2 × 20 minutes
Tied knockout game	Overtime: 2 × 5 minutes	5-minute break before, 1 minute between halves

Each team can also call team time-outs (up to three per game under the IHF’s standard regulations, no more than two in a half), which are a chance for a quick drink. Local leagues and tournaments can set their own formats, so check the schedule.

Why tournament days are hard on the body

Norwegian researchers tested players from the women’s national team during a three-day international tournament with a match each day. Sprint and jump performance fell by 4–7%, and players didn’t fully recover between matches. Their advice to coaches was to think about each player’s load and recovery time when sharing out playing time at tournaments. For everyone else, the lesson is that what you do between games (eating, drinking, resting, sleeping) decides how you play in the last one.

Fueling: before, between and after games

The pre-game meal

The joint position statement of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and Dietitians of Canada recommends 1–4 grams of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight in the 1–4 hours before exercise that lasts more than an hour, and suggests going easy on fat, protein and fiber right before play to avoid stomach trouble. In everyday terms: a familiar carb-based meal 3–4 hours before (rice or pasta with a little lean protein, a bagel with banana, oatmeal with fruit), then a small snack an hour or so before if you’re hungry. Game day is not the day to try something new.

Between games

When there’s less than 8 hours between sessions, the same statement recommends starting to refuel soon after the first one and eating carbohydrate regularly. With 1–2 hours between games, stick to easy snacks: bananas, orange slices, pretzels, a sandwich, a granola bar, a sports drink. With 3 hours or more, a proper small meal fits. Pack food in the team bag; tournament halls don’t always sell much that’s useful.

After the last game

The ACSM statement suggests about 0.25–0.3 g of protein per kilogram (around 20 g for many players) with carbohydrate after exercise to help muscles recover, and topping up fluids. A real meal with rice or potatoes, meat, fish, eggs or beans, and vegetables is ideal. More on the night after on our handball recovery page and on daily eating on the handball nutrition page.

Hydration in a hot sports hall

Handball is played indoors, but summer tournaments in crowded halls can get warm, and players sweat a lot in 60 minutes of sprinting and contact. The National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) recommends limiting fluid loss to no more than 2% of body weight and warns against drinking so much that you gain weight, which can lead to dangerously low blood sodium (hyponatremia). Sweat rates differ a lot between players. A simple check: weigh yourself before and after a hard practice; each kilogram lost is roughly a liter of sweat. The ACSM statement suggests drinking about 5–10 mL per kg of body weight in the 2–4 hours before play, aiming for pale-yellow urine.

• Bring your own bottle, labeled, and refill it between games.
• Drink at breaks: half-time, team time-outs and on the bench.
• Add electrolytes on long tournament days or if you’re a heavy, salty sweater; NATA notes high sweat-sodium athletes may benefit from extra sodium. Choose a product tested by a third party (NSF Certified for Sport or Informed Sport/Choice), and check with a doctor first if you have high blood pressure or a heart or kidney condition.
• Skip energy drinks for kids: the American Academy of Pediatrics says they have no place in children’s and teens’ diets.

Heat illness can happen indoors too. Headache, nausea, dizziness, unusual tiredness or confusion during a game mean stop, cool down and get help; confusion or collapse is an emergency (call 911), and NATA’s rule for exertional heat stroke is “cool first, transport second” when medical staff are on site.

Between games: the tournament checklist

• Get off your feet: sit or lie down, legs up, rather than watching other games standing.
• Stay warm and loose: a jacket and dry shirt, then a short warm-up again before the next game (and your shoulder routine, if you throw a lot).
• Resin: if your league allows it, keep it on the ball and your fingers. IHF rules say you may put resin on your shoes but not store it on your hands or wrists, because it can get into an opponent’s eyes or face.
• Tape and check: re-tape fingers and ankles that need it, and tell a coach or athletic trainer about any new pain.
• Head knocks: a player with a suspected concussion is out for the rest of the tournament day, not just the game, says the CDC’s HEADS UP guidance, until a health care provider clears them. See handball injuries.
• Sleep: on multi-day tournaments, bedtime is part of the game plan. Teens need 8–10 hours, adults 7 or more (CDC).

What’s in a smart tournament bag

Two water bottles (a big one like the Nalgene 32 oz), an electrolyte mix such as Nuun Sport tablets (Informed Choice tested) or Skratch Labs Hydration powder, snacks, a dry shirt, tape, and your ball, such as a resin-friendly Kempa Gecko. More hydration picks in our best electrolyte powder guide.

Soccer families doing tournament weekends will find a similar plan on our soccer game day page.

Handball game day: FAQs

How long is a handball game?

Under IHF rules, two 30-minute halves for players 16 and older, with a half-time break of normally 10 minutes. Youth games are 2 × 25 minutes (ages 12–16) or 2 × 20 minutes (ages 8–12), and many tournaments, like the Partille Cup, play shorter games.

What should I eat between handball games at a tournament?

Easy carbohydrate you know agrees with you: fruit, pretzels, a sandwich, a granola bar or a sports drink, plus water. With 3 hours or more, a small real meal. The ACSM statement recommends regular carbohydrate when there’s less than 8 hours between sessions.

How much water should a handball player drink?

It depends on your sweat rate. NATA’s guide is to lose no more than 2% of body weight during play and never to gain weight from drinking. Weighing before and after practice tells you roughly how much you lose; drink at every break.

Do handball players need electrolyte drinks?

For one game, water and normal meals are usually enough. On long tournament days, in hot halls or for salty sweaters, an electrolyte drink can help replace sodium. Pick a third-party-tested product and check with a doctor if you have blood pressure, heart or kidney issues.

Why do I feel slower in the last game of a tournament?

Fatigue builds up. In a study of national-team players over three games in three days, sprint and jump performance dropped 4–7% and didn’t fully recover between games. Eating, drinking, resting and sleeping well between games all help.