• Handball Performance Index
• Positions
  • Goalkeeper
  • Left wing
  • Left back
  • Centre back
  • Right back
  • Right wing
  • Pivot
• Calculation of HPI
• MVP Task Force

Who will be DKB Player of the Month? Which player can look forward to the coveted MVP award at the end of the season? And what criteria are actually used to select these players and put them to the vote of the fans? LIQUI MOLY HBL, in cooperation with Deutsche Kreditbank AG (DKB) and a renowned task force made up of several experts from competitive handball and academia, has devoted itself to all these questions over the past few months. With the help of the multitude of different data and statistics collected during all LIQUI MOLY HBL matches, an index was calculated that makes it possible to transparently evaluate and compare the performances of all players.

Big Data as basis for a fair performance evaluation

For several years now, LIQUI MOLY HBL has been collecting relevant basic statistics for all players in all matches, such as goals, assists and saves. The season statistics provide a basic overview of these values. In addition, innovative tracking technology was introduced for season 2019/20 with the help of the technical data-provider KINEXON, which automatically records further performance and position data for all LIQUI MOLY HBL players in real time. An overview of selected tracking metrics, such as running distance or running speed, is stored in the individual game data.
All of this information and data will be taken into account with immediate effect to calculate the newly defined Handball Performance Index.

What is the Handball Performance Index?

The Handball Performance Index (HPI for short), which was introduced for all LIQUI MOLY HBL players for the 2020/21 season, is an innovative evaluation and analysis tool that represents an absolute novelty in world handball. The basic idea is to measure and illustrate a player's performance during a game, a month or an entire season with the help of a concrete numerical value. With each action during a game (e.g. goal, technical error, save), a player collects plus and minus points that can affect his personal Handball Performance Index:

 

• At the start of the game, each player is assigned the initial value of 100 HPI points.
• For each positive action (e.g. goal, assist or save), the player is assigned the initial value of 100 HPI points.
• As soon as a player causes a negative event (e.g. technical error, missed shot), his HPI value also decreases.

 

This allows a value to be calculated for each player per game, per month or per season, which is used as a basis for MVP selection, for example.

How is the weighting of the points carried out?

With the help of the data sets collected by LIQUI MOLY HBL in previous years, the probability of each action was calculated individually. The weighting of the plus and minus points is also based on this calculation. For example, a goal scored right after a fastbreak is statistically much more likely than a goal which is scored from a backcourt-position. As a result, a player receives fewer plus points for a fastbreak-goal than for a backcourt-goal. With the introduction of the Handball Performance Index, a player's successful defensive actions, among other things, are also taken into account statistically. For example, blocks or steals are also rewarded with plus points.

Position-specific comparability is ensured

In modern handball, every player has to deal with different requirements: Depending on the position, the conditions and circumstances under which a player must operate can differ significantly. A Winger, for example, usually has less possession and thus fewer assists than a player from the back. A Pivot, on the other hand, has a higher scoring probability than a Right Back in the action of a free chance of throwing. The HPI takes these position-specific requirements into account and therefore groups all players into separate categories in its calculation, depending on their position. However, this has the consequence that the HPI of a Goalkeeper is difficult to compare with that of a Pivot. Nevertheless, the position-specific comparability is guaranteed.

Handball Performance Index 2.0

The HPI 2.0 was decisively further developed by LIQUI MOLY HBL in cooperation with partner Deutsche Kreditbank AG (DKB) as part of a workshop involving renowned experts from the fields of competitive sports, science and the media.

In the interests of easier access for those interested in sports and in order to be able to compare the performance of different positions even more effectively, players' scores will in future be mapped on a scale between 50 and 100. The calculation from positive and negative actions remains. The minimum and maximum value of the respective position group from the previous season form the corridor in which all new values are put into relation. For example, "DKB MVP" Jim Gottfridsson had the best HPI of a back player in the 2020/21 season against the Eulen Ludwigshafen with 205. This value represents the magic 100 for the back players in the 2021/22 season.

In addition, based on the expertise of the workshop participants, the evaluation of individual actions was also adjusted selectively. Technical errors, for example, now carry less negative weight, while time penalties carry somewhat more. The same applies to the weighting of saves and goals. Slight adjustments were made here as well due to slightly changed scoring probabilities.    

How are the points weighted?

With the help of the comprehensive data sets collected by LIQUI MOLY HBL in previous years, the probability of each action was calculated individually. The weighting of the plus and minus points is also based on this. For example, a goal scored from a tempo counterattack is statistically much more likely than one scored from a position-bound backcourt play. As a result, a player receives fewer plus points for a counterattack goal than for a backcourt goal. With the introduction of the Handball Performance Index, a player's successful defensive actions, among other things, are also taken into account statistically. For example, blocks or steals are also rewarded with plus points.

Position-specific comparability is ensured

In modern handball, every player has to meet different requirements: Depending on the position, the conditions and circumstances under which a player must perform can differ significantly. A winger, for example, usually has less possession and thus fewer assists than a player from the back. A circle runner, on the other hand, has a higher scoring probability than a back player in the event of a free goal.

The HPI takes these position-specific requirements into account and therefore groups all players into separate categories in its calculation, depending on their position. However, this has the consequence that the HPI of a goalkeeper is difficult to compare with that of a circle runner. However, the position-specific comparability is guaranteed.