Vice-president of the French Handball Federation, in charge of the education and development of handballs, Pascale Jeannin explains why handfit was created in 2016. A practice that is taking its first steps with already 3,000 licensees throughout the country.
How was handfit born?
PASCAL JEANIN. The handfit has been in effect since 2016. It started gently in the clubs, even if it is not yet implemented everywhere. Since 2018, we can now deliver the handfit on medical prescription through the health sport device. To date, of the 460,000 FFHB licensees (French Handball Federation)there are 3,000 handfit licensees.
What was the purpose in creating the handfit?
We started from the observation that competitive sport no longer meets the demands of everyone. You have to know how to adapt to demand, which has evolved over time. Thus, it is our role as a public service to best meet the demand of society. Since the health crisis, we want to do sports more and more while having fun. We are also looking for friendliness. This is what the handfit offers.
What audience do you hope to attract?
Initially, the handfit was intended for people over 35 years old. But we realized that it affected other age groups. We also found that a large majority of practitioners were women. But that’s not what we want. We tend and aspire to diversity.
What are the benefits of handfit?
We can do it anywhere. You don’t need to have a handball court in a gymnasium. Thus, it can be practiced at the meridian break in the company, or in nursing homes. Here we are in the field of health sports. Moreover, the oldest practitioner of the FFHB is 104 years old and she does handfit in an Ehpad in the south of France.
Why is the FFHB diversifying its offers?
We want to offer the practice of handball to all ages and for all desires. Thus, we start with babyhand for 3-5 year olds, then first step handball for 6-9 year olds, classic or 4-handed handball for 10-35 year olds and finally handfit for over 35 year olds. We also want to develop the inclusive side with the hand together, which allows the able-bodied and the disabled to compete.