Hopes high for Philippine handball

Joanna Franquelli, national program director and head coach of the Philippine Handball Federation (PHF), believes winning a medal in the upcoming Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) in Hanoi, Vietnam is possible.

When beach handball debuted in the 2019 SEAG hosted by the Philippines, the men’s team finished third behind Vietnam and Thailand.

“We are optimistic of our chances to land in the podium again,” said Franquelli, a former national cager and fencer. “The team will definitely go all out as they have missed the feeling of competition and are very excited to be out in the sand again.”

Franquelli’s optimism has never wavered despite the challenges brought by the pandemic.

“Athletes across all sports had to deal with the challenge of remote training and the absence of competition. At first, it was extremely difficult to adjust to the remote set up with limited access to equipment, but as the days went by, we had to act decisively on how we should approach the training and focus on things we can control rather than the things we cannot do,” she said.

The handball coaching staff designed a program that focused on strength and conditioning, individual skills, game review and psychological skills training.

“We tracked the physical progress of our athletes through periodical assessments. Through the assessments, the athletes and coaches can see the progress that gives us much needed motivation to continue despite the absence of competitions,” said Franquelli, an International Handball Federation (IHF) licensed coach who also holds a master’s degree in Human Movement Science.

Franquelli said the coaching staff is still in the process of selecting the members of the national team from a pool of 17 players.

“We will have minor changes in the team. Our beach handball team will be composed of 10 athletes. The core of the team that won bronze in 2019 will be retained,” she explained.

Handball is a sport where two teams pass and bounce, roll or throw the ball into the goal of the opposing team. The game, which is popular in Europe, can be played indoors or on the beach.

PHF is headed by Steve Hontinveros.

Franquelli was already an accomplished athlete when she got involved with handball. In 2011, she attended a handball coaching seminar and started teaching the sport. The following year, she received an invitation to join the PHF as coach.

Before fencing, she played basketball and won the silver medal in the 1995 SEA Games in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

As a fencer, Franquelli won a gold (team sabre) and a silver (individual) in the 2006 Southeast Asian Fencing Championships, while in the SEA Games, she pocketed three silvers and four bronzes.

Franquelli said Filipino athletes have the skill to excel in the sport.