Introduction. In sports success depends on how well the players are prepared for the match in terms of their technical, tactical and motor skills, as well as their mental attitude. The training process is focused on improving the players' capabilities and eliminating their errors. The aim of the study was to describe the errors made in handball matches taking into account their timing and quantity.
Material and methods. The material consisted of recordings of 50 matches of men's handball held in the EHF Champions League in 2012-2013. The study included 8 teams that took part in the tournament. The following matches were analysed for each team: 4 matches in the knockout stage (2 played at home and 2 away) and 4 in the group stage (2 at home and 2 away). The errors were determined based on EHF regulations.
Results. A difference was found between the errors committed in matches at home and away in the knockout stage. The most errors (35) in this stage of the tournament were made between the 25th and 30th minute, and the fewest (18) between the 30th and 35th minute, in both cases in matches played at home. In the group stage the most errors (36) were made between the 40th and 45th minute away, and the fewest (15) between the 10th and 15th minute at home. In the knockout stage the four teams made a total of 632 errors, including 71 errors made by the winner of the tournament, who committed the smallest number of errors. The smallest number of errors (53) in the group stage were made by HC Metalurg Skopje.
Conclusions. The number of errors made did not have a direct influence on a team's position in the tournament, but the winner made the least errors in the knockout stage. The differences between the numbers of errors made in the knockout stage may indicate that the players were more comfortable when playing at home. The support of fans may be one of the factors which contribute to the fact that players commit fewer errors in this stage of the tournament. The rise in the number of errors made towards the end of the match, on the other hand, is most likely due to an increased level of physical and emotional fatigue, particularly considering the risk of being eliminated from the tournament.
