Handball is among the most widely practiced sports in Europe. However, when comparing international achievements at the youth and adult levels, it becomes evident that early success does not necessarily guarantee success in adulthood (Bailey, 2012), as athletic excellence results from a long-term, multifaceted developmental process. Identifying the skills and ability-related factors that hinder or facilitate the transition from youth to adult performance is crucial to ensure that talented young handball players achieve long-term success.

While physical attributes play a significant role in determining an athlete’s potential, talent identification, training, and management strategies cannot be based solely on physical parameters. Instead, a more comprehensive approach is required. Beyond conditioning, technical, and tactical aspects, factors such as education and lifestyle play a crucial role in maximizing the effectiveness of training interventions (Juhász, 2017.

For athletes transitioning from youth to professional sports, the appropriate training environment can reinforce several positive character traits, which significantly enhance athletic development and performance. Research highlights the pivotal role of the coach in shaping an athlete's career and overall success (Longakit et al., 2023). Coaches need to promote a training environment that aligns with the specific needs and developmental requirements of their young athletes. To effectively support athlete progression, coaches must possess not only sport-specific expertise (Ferrar et al., 2018) but also well-developed interpersonal and intrapersonal competencies (Gould & Mallett, 2021). The personality traits, behaviors, and communication skills of coaches significantly impact both the success of the training process and the holistic development of athletes (Lara-Bercial et al., 2017; Sargent Megicks et al., 2022).

Both the broader and immediate sporting environments apply substantial influence on young athletes' experiences, development, and ultimate success (Bailey et al., 2013; Hein & Jõesaar, 2014). Parental support is particularly critical, not only in shaping sport selection and training habits but also in enhancing competitive performance (Gao et al., 2024; Kolayış et al., 2017; O'Rourke et al., 2013). Additionally, peer relationships play an integral role, as a supportive and accepting social environment because it can be a significant source of motivation and performance enhancement (Smith & Mellano, 2022).

The increasing demands of training and competition, coupled with sustained performance expectations, place substantial psychological and physical strain on young athletes. The deliberate pedagogical efforts of coaches can play a crucial role in helping athletes manage these pressures while maintaining high levels of motivation. Despite the growing interest in youth talent development, and also talent management, predicting long-term success remains a complex and imprecise endeavor (Leite et al., 2021; Shahidi et al., 2023).

Although the role of the sporting environment has been the focus of numerous international studies (Henriksen & Stambulova, 2023; Li et al., 2019; Mitchell et al., 2021), research on youth in handball has predominantly emphasized the physical and fitness-related factors (Jakšić et al., 2022; Przednowek et al., 2019). This study seeks to address this gap by examining the perceptions of U18 handball players regarding career progression. Specifically, the research aims to identify the internal and external factors that athletes consider essential for achieving success at the adult level and to investigate whether differences in experience and views exist in these perceptions between the national team and non-national team players altogether and with gender specific approach.

This study involved male (N=42) and female (N=40) youth handball players (U18), with a mean age of 17.06±0.69 years. Half of the surveyed athletes (N=41) were members of the national team. The sample of non-national team players (N=41) included individuals from a state-supported sports academy training program (N=20) for female athletes and a sports organization training program (N=21) for male athletes. Parental consent was obtained for participation in the study (RK/1222/2024). The study utilized a sport-specific adaptation of a validated questionnaire previously employed by Kiss (2023), demonstrating solid reliability (Cronbach's alpha: 0.75-0.87). The questionnaire consisted of 38 closed-ended questions rated on a Likert scale (1-4), where 1 indicated total disagreement and 4 indicated total agreement. The questions assessed both internal and external factors influencing handball talent development and its associated success level. Internal factors encompassed biological characteristics, motor skills, cognitive abilities, and psychological traits, while external factors referred to personal, and environmental conditions, such as coaches, family, peers, sports facilities, and equipment. Data collection was conducted following national team training sessions for national team players and after club training sessions for non-national team players. In addition to descriptive statistical indicators, discriminant analysis was employed to examine differences in the perspectives of national team and non-national team athletes, identifying the variables that differentiated the two groups. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 28.0, with the significance threshold set at p<0.05, in accordance with social science research standards.

According to the surveyed U18 handball players, the most critical factors for a successful transition to elite adult performance include positive character traits (3.83±0.439), professional expertise of the coach (3.8±0.399), motivational foundation provided by the coach (3.77±0.479), and cognitive abilities (3.74±0.439). Conversely, factors such as family cultural support (1.95±0.928), academic achievement (2.49±0.82), obtaining a professional contract as a young player (2.54±0.905), and family financial support (2.65±0.743) were identified as the least influential factors. Discriminant analysis indicated that the differences in perspectives between national team and non-national team players concerning body composition, coach’s formal sports education, psychological support from family, social relationships, cooperation, coach’s psychological preparation, professional workshops, and the demonstration of positive traits in tasks outside of sports (p<0.05). For male players, the key discriminating factors distinguishing national teams from non-national team athletes included tactical skills, life skills, the competence of professional staff, moral conduct of the coach, and coach’s pedagogical preparation (p<0.05). Among female players, perspectives differed on 14 variables, with the most significant distinctions observed in body composition, professional workshop, cognitive abilities, infrastructure, and performance level of teammates (p<0.05). The views of young handball players in this study underscore the dominant influence of internal factors on athletic performance and career progression (Krüger et al., 2014; Wilczyński et al., 2022), alongside the acknowledged importance of external factors. The findings of this study support that the sporting environment plays a vital role in both youth talent development and competitive success. Beyond sport-specific expertise, U18 players emphasize the significance of a coach’s pedagogical competencies, motivational influence, supportive environment, and the expertise of professional staff. These insights hold implications for coaching education and training, emphasizing the need to integrate age and gender-specific interpersonal and intrapersonal skill development, which is fundamental to ensuring a seamless transition from youth to elite adult competition.

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