”Winning isn’t everything.” A Mixed-method study of a Swedish female handball team throughout a competitive season

Abstract: The purpose of the present study was to (1) examine throughout the season dynamics of the handball team's performance and related factors (i.e. emphasizing leadership, emotions and concentration) as perceived by the coach and the captain. The analysis was used to motivate the emotions being studied in objective two (2) examine the handball team during successful and less successful games in terms of the dynamics of the players’ emotions, concentration and performance between two halves of the game and after time-outs. Informants for objective 1, was the team coach and the team captain. Objective 2 of the study consisted of 15 women all playing in the same team. The study includes longitudinal data over a ten game period containing five successful and five less successful games. Data was collected after games using the ECPP(H) developed by Olausson and Vallmark-Jansson (2013). In-depth narrative interviews were used. Three analyses were made: (1) sjuzet- fabula, (2) holistic- content and (3) categorical-content analysis. Poetic representation was used to present parts of the results. The results showed shifts in the dynamics of performance, possible explanation to the shift of dynamics of emotions, concentration and performance and different types of leadership styles demonstrated throughout the season. Furthermore, similarities and diversities were found between the coach and captain’s perceptions of the season in focus. Finally, practical team-specific applications are suggested, such as working with emotional control in order to help the team enhance their performance.