The 2016 IHF Women’s Youth (U18) World Championship title will be decided today in Bratislava – but the event has been about so much more than which team will raise the trophy. There have been inspiring performances from players and squads from all over the world, whether they were fighting to finish first, 14th or 23rd, and few people have been closer to the action than IHF lector Marta Bon. 

For fans Bon is a familiar presence in handball, most notably for her regular appearances in the Women’s EHF Champions League as former coach of RK Krim Mercator, her time leading her native Slovenia as national coach, and even a period working with the Switzerland national team. Off the side line Bon is an assistant professor at the University of Ljubljana, where she earned her PhD and focuses her research on player load and effort during matches, is a member of the Women’s Handball Board, and has received the highest award from the government of Slovenia, the Bloudek Award, for her outstanding contribution to the development of sport in the country. Now she attends her first IHF World Championship as part of the tactical analysis team. 

As one of the selectors for best players of each match at Slovakia 2016, Bon has been closely observing and is very positive about what she has seen on and off the court – and she has noticed far more than which athletes have scored the most goals:

“I have to say that I am really happy that I am part of this sport because – there are many things why – first of all I see that women's handball has made big progress. I am so happy that I see so many different kinds and variations of playing, and it is very good that we have teams with really strong players who are nearly ready to play, for example in Champions League,” says Bon. 

“On the other side we have players who are not so well prepared tactically, not physically, but they are playing with such emotion and they are so dedicated, so devoted to handball. I think this is so good and guarantees that our sport will have a nice future. I am sure of this, and that's why I think all the people who are working in handball can be satisfied.” 

A Youth World Championship is largely about the development of players, so Bon has been pleasantly surprised to see the high-level preparation and focus evident in athletes of such a young age. 

“Here I recognise and I can say many of the players are really near [the top level]. This means they are first physically prepared, because this is the really important part: not only that they can play now on a high level, but this is a question that they are protected, that they are not injured.  

“What is of nearly similar importance is their emotion and that they are psychologically grown enough that they can play because we know that the top level is really special. It's not good if somebody is coming too early to this world, because this can also hurt the human personality. But I have a feeling – after seeing tactical parts and technical parts – I saw, and I know from body language many of them are also prepared to play in the near future.”

One interesting and enjoyable aspect for Bon to observe at Slovakia 2016 has been the styles of handball played by different continents, and what it means for the future of the sport around the world – including in Europe. 

“I really enjoyed to see this. In one part they all try to run fast, and score, but these tactical variations which are coming out, which are different…I really like how, Korea as a first example, but also Japan and this part of Asia, what is typical is that these teams are playing with not so tall players – with small players – but what they do, how they made these adaptations to this, this is so nice. How they are changing rhythm, and direction, or moving for example getting the ball in the same moment – this anticipation. 

“I have to underline that the big step is that these players are using anticipation a lot. Also others, but maybe in these Asian and for sure in the Korea team, it's unbelievable. For me this is so nice and really a high level how they adapt and how they can, at this age, do this. They are so fast in this – this is really a thing that makes me happy.

“It was also nice to see how these players from South America, how they are playing also with so big emotions, and they have taken big steps in technical and tactical preparation – a big step. For example, Paraguay and so on, and I have to say it again! This is really good for the future of handball. Also, this is so good for the European teams. 

“We really have to have so many things that we use so we can have these synergetic influences. For example, in this part – in my part, in the Balkans and this part of Europe, we used to say 'ah she's too small for handball. She cannot reach top-level handball. She's not good enough. She's only good for a young age category’ and so on, but now we see how also these small players can adapt and play quite good, and even use this as an advantage – it can also be an advantage if you adapt and use this. 

“What is also very nice is that I recognise such different coaching styles, and we can learn from each other. In this world there is so much space for different ways of coaching, of playing, and this all together gives such a nice picture of handball.

“We all have to know one advantage of handball – handball is so similar to life. I try to express this – it is quite similar to life, that's why we have this power. Our children can learn for life out of our sport, because it’s dynamic. We have some that say that handball is too tough, but I used to say 'no it is not too tough, it is like life.’ Also in life it can happen that somebody pushes you, or someone is unfair against you, but if you are strong enough to stand up to continue. These elements – we have so many in our sport, and we have to know this advantage and to build on this.”

 

Naturally as a coach Bon’s focus has been on what happens on the bench almost as much as the activity on court, commenting that the different coaching styles on display are just as beneficial to learn from as the variations in play. 

“We all know that the world is really huge, and we have differences – thank God that we are different! And that we can learn from each other. I also count always that we are so different in language, in culture, and gender, and so on, and I really respect that people are coaching in different ways concerning their culture and so on.

“Here where we are working with young people, and if I am speaking as a coach, we must support development of the person, not only on their sport career. Our part is in this part, but in general that they will be successful, healthy, mental and physical persons for the future.”

There is a noticeable trend for former players to become coaches, and that is evident especially at a youth and junior level. One notable example at Slovakia 2016 is Korea coach Seong Ok Oh, who was part of the 1995 IHF World Championship-winning team that was the first from outside of Europe to claim the world title, who won four Olympic medals in five Olympic Games representing her nation, and who played in the Champions League for Austrian club Hypo Niederösterreich. Bon actually coached Krim Mercator against Ok Oh, and has been pleased to see Ok Oh’s incredible influence on the game continue as she leads Korea’s Youth team. Bon knows part of Ok Oh’s success in reaching the semi-finals, where they were defeated by Russia, was the advantage of her history as a player. 

“This is the really big – maybe the biggest advantage you can have as a coach, because if you can share what happened with you as a player, that you know what happens when you are standing on the seven-metre line and the whole destiny of your team is in your hands, how this feels. If you have had this experience for the future as a player it's really important.

“I was really enjoying in this important [quarter-final] match Korea versus Sweden that I saw Seong Ok Oh, because I knew her. As a coach I played against her, and she was also as a player so focused and she was leading the whole team. Now it's so nice to have this example from such a player, now sharing her experience with these other girls and how they are connected. How she influences them, that they are so dedicated in this play, it really seems impossible to lose! It's really, really nice. 

“But I also want to underline that it's not enough to be an ex player, it's not enough to be a coach. I was also a player at a high enough level, but as a player I was sure of how clever I am, that I knew everything about coaches. But I saw how this view is different as a player than as a coach, and it's really important that you collect other knowledge. Not only about technique and tactics, but also about psychology and mental work – there are a lot of topics.”

Ok Oh has used one particularly unusual tactic at Slovakia 2016: when her team miss one player out on a two-minute suspension she will most often choose for goalkeeper Joeun Park to join the attack, rather than taking Park off and sending on an additional field player as most do. 

“Creativity was her strongest point, and also this anticipation. She was able to cover everything,” says Bon. “Some players you can analyse and prepare, but for her it was impossible to prepare to play against. She gives so much this part to her team, and this is really a big success. 

“So it is also here – she is so clever in this and this is a good tactical decision. What is the most important, and this is so clear and obvious, is that all her players believe in this, and this is the most important. She has such a goalkeeper who is able to play this, and I am sure that she is clever enough that if she has a different situation she will adapt in a different way.”

Off the court Bon has noted different aspects that she was pleased to see, most notably the variety of people she deems so important to continue working together to develop handball, particularly for women. 

“This is my first time so I have a little bit of a different look. Until now I was always so focused mostly on team or other parts, or exactly on tactics maybe more, but now I am trying to be focused and aware and have a whole view about everything that is going on in women's handball.

“The organisation is nice, and on the part of the IHF it's very good that I saw so many different people. There are men's couples and women's couples [referees], and this is the best solution for the future – that both genders are working together.”