The main purpose of this thesis is to compare the handball goalkeepers’ role with the goalkeepers’ role in some other sports. The thesis is based on a systematic review of expert and scientific literature from different perspectives. These include morphological characteristics of goalkeepers, their psychological attributes, physical load and exertion, technical characteristics and match performance. Data was collected, analysed, summarised and translated. PubMed, CrossRef and Google Scholar were the primary used data sources. The sports whose goalkeepers’ data was analysed were handball, football, futsal, ice hockey, field hockey and water polo. Based on the review, it was concluded that all goalkeepers have greater body height and mass compared to players from other playing positions. Their most important psychological attributes are aggression and foresight. Handball goalkeepers were found to be exposed to the least amount of load from activity, while ice hockey and water polo goalkeepers were found to be exposed to the greatest load. However goalkeepers from all sports had lower physiological capacities compared to outfield players. Technical characteristics were similar among goalkeepers from sports with the similarly sized goals. Some equal technical characteristics were also found in goalkeepers from sports with similar shot execution styles. The ice hockey goalkeepers save the most shots per game and are the most efficient. Handball goalkeepers receive the most goals per match, even though they receive the similar amount of shots as the ice hockey goalkeepers. Based on the gathered information we conclude that it is sensible to include a broad spectre of abilities and characteristics in the goalkeeper training and selection.
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