## 4 Discussion  
This is the first scientific study that analysed the performance of the new _Molten d60_ ball made with smaller dimensions and a more grippy surface that does not require the use of resin. Specifically, the study examined, firstly, the differences in the velocity and accuracy of handball throws in men and women according to three factors: ball type, throwing distance, and instruction received, and, secondly, the players' subjective perception of throwing velocity was analysed according to the aforementioned factors. The main results found significant differences between the NB _Molten d60_ and the TBR with respect to throwing velocity in short-distance actions (7 m), with the effect being opposite in men versus women (i.e., female players threw faster with the NB while male players threw faster with the TBR). Specifically, males did not perceive a loss om throwing velocity in actions performed with the NB. In relation to the 'accuracy' instruction, throwing velocity did not vary between NB and TBR but was significantly lower in 'no resin' conditions--TBNR. Furthermore, throwing accuracy and effectiveness were not influenced by ball type or throwing distance. With regard to the velocity--velocity target--more powerful throws were recorded in men with the TBR than with the NB from 7 m. Given that the use of resin has been shown to increase throwing velocity but not accuracy [31] and that the NB provides greater ball handling and adjustment capacity, it can be speculated that players opted for more accurate throws with the _Molten d60_ ball to the detriment of velocity, especially in short  
Figure 4: Male (M) and female (F) players’ throwing accuracy for accuracy target according to throwing distance (7 and 9 m), ball type (traditional ball with no resin—TBNR; traditional ball with resin—TBR; and new ball—NB). distance actions (e.g., penalties). Thus, the use of this new ball would not imply high throwing velocity levels that would be achieved with the use of the resin. Furthermore, it should be added that higher throwing velocities with the NB were recorded from 9 m than from 7 m, as confirmed in previous studies (i.e., [PERSON] et al. [32], [PERSON] et al. [1]). Nevertheless, these results should be considered with caution due to the high relevance of the intra-articular kinematic factor in jumping throws with a run-up, where aspects such as shoulder internal rotation, the degree of elbow flexion-extension, or pelvis rotation play a fundamental role [33]. From a short distance (7 m), the results were the opposite for women, with more powerful throws being registered with the NB _Molten d60_. This fact could suggest that the small dimensions of the NB _Molten d60_ could favour high throwing velocity levels from short distances in women due to certain anthropometric characteristics such as smaller hand diameter and smaller finger size [25]. Thus, the use of a smaller and grippier ball would be beneficial for the performance in standing throws in women (without the inertia of running and/or jumping), in which there is no coadjutant acceleration of the lower body [21] and the trunk involvement is lower [34]. Therefore, NB could partially mitigate the lower throwing velocity derived from the conditional and kinematic factor in female handball players. Examining some previous specialised literature that states that differences in throwing velocity are not exclusively the result of the kinematic factors associated with throwing technique [35]--under equal height and free fat mass conditions--it would be possible to consider other aspects such as the experience level. To this effect, recent studies have reported higher throwing velocities in professional players than in semi-professional or amateur players [1; 20; 32; 36]. Therefore, and since in the present study female players reported high experience levels (5.1 \(\pm\) 2.3 years), it would be logical to conclude that 'experience' was a determining factor in throwing velocity.