The IHF Commission of Coaching and Methods (CCM) plays a central role in the development and dissemination of handball expertise worldwide. The CCM is responsible for:
- defining coaching standards,
- developing training methodologies,
- and supporting educational programs for coaches at all levels.
Its mission is to ensure the continuous evolution of the game through research, innovation, and the promotion of best practices in coaching and performance analysis.
To support this mission, IHF analysts tag all senior, junior, and youth national team matches during the IHF World Championships and the Olympic Games. Each season, 108 matches are tagged for senior competitions, with more than 400 matches processed overall. All content is uploaded to a central platform — Dartfish TV — with an average of 190 video sequences recorded per match.
One Panel, One Language, Unified Analysis
IHF analysts rely on a dedicated Dartfish tagging panel, specifically designed to align with the IHF’s performance analysis objectives. It ensures that every key event on the court is captured consistently and accurately, creating a common analytical language — essential for building effective and reliable insights.
Each tagged match is uploaded to Dartfish TV, where the structured data automatically feeds into a Power BI report, providing enriched, visual insights for coaches, analysts, and decision-makers.
To fully harness this ecosystem, teams must:
- Clearly define their performance objectives
- Customize reports to reflect their specific analytical needs
- And most importantly, ensure all users apply a shared vocabulary, with consistent definitions of actions and events across the board.
Design your own tagging panel — the first step to structured, high-impact analysis.
See the Whole Picture — Combine Statistics and Video in Context
The Dartfish Power BI’s report seamlessly connects detailed statistical analysis with the corresponding video sequences. Every tactical action can be explored through data and instantly reviewed in video context — ensuring that numbers always tell the full story.
All match situations can be visualized on demand, with selected video clips automatically displayed in chronological order, making navigation and review fast and intuitive.
Users can choose how they want to analyze performance:
- Video-only, for qualitative review
- Statistics-only, for pure data analysis
- Fully synchronized data and video, for deeper, contextual insights
By combining interactive statistics with synchronized video, analysts and coaches can conduct precise, multi-level analyses — from individual actions to team-wide tactical patterns.
Salim BELMESSAOUD
Paris Saint-Germain handball & IHF analyst
“Thanks to Dartfish’s multi-angle capability, each action can also be viewed simultaneously from up to four synchronized camera angles — offering a complete and contextual understanding of the play, whether for coaching, performance analysis, or education.
Ask Better Questions, Get Better Answers
It’s not just about tracking stats — it’s about asking the right questions and getting precise, actionable answers.
🧠 Which players contribute most to successful offensive actions?
⚡ How does the team perform during different phases of play (e.g., fast breaks, set plays)?
📉 Where is the team consistently strong — or vulnerable?
🎯 Which shot types or offensive combinations deliver the best results?
Educate to Grow Handball Worldwide
Beyond performance analysis, this rich database of tagged videos and statistics is a powerful educational and preparatory resource. It supports the development of handball coaches and referees across all IHF Continental Confederations — providing real game situations to illustrate tactical concepts, decision-making, and rule interpretation.
For referees, it also serves as a tool to prepare for upcoming matches by reviewing game intensity, playing styles, and typical tactical patterns — helping them anticipate key dynamics and make informed decisions on the court.
By sharing a unified analytical framework, the IHF strengthens global handball education and fosters a common understanding of the game at every level.
The implementation of Dartfish within the IHF ecosystem continues to support performance analysis and knowledge sharing across competitions. We sincerely thank Salim Belmessaoud (Paris Saint-Germain Handball & IHF Analyst), Dietrich Späte (IHF Chairman), and Paul Landure (CCM IHF) for their trust and support in adopting Dartfish within the IHF.
