## 1 Introduction  
Handball is an Olympic team sport [1; 2], split into two periods (each 30 min long) and consisting of a high degree of body contact and predominantly aerobic activities separated by anaerobic bouts of sprints, jumps, throws, changes of directions in the offense (counterattack and attack buildup) and defense [2; 3]. Therefore, competition success in elite handball is not only closely related to the technical and tactical skills of each individual or team, but also to the players' anthropometric characteristics, physical performance (e.g., maximal strength and power as measured using strength, sprinting, and jumping tests), and handball shooting performance [3; 4; 5]. To date, only a few studies evaluating the physical and physiological demands in handball matches have shown significant differences between playing positions [6; 7; 8]. Results obtained during gameplay have shown that backscatter players cover larger distances and spend less time standing and walking, and, together with pivots, have higher in-game heart rates and spend longer durations at higher intensities (>80% maximal heart rate) [7]. In contrast, wing players are faster than other playing positions, and pivots endure more body impact than other players [6]. Furthermore, similar differences between playing positions were also obtained in anthropometric characteristics [9; 10] and physical performance [11; 12; 13; 14; 15; 16]. Wings are the shortest, have significantly lower body mass and body mass index (BMI) than other players; pivots are the heaviest, whereas other playing positions do not differ in height [9; 10; 11; 12; 13; 14; 15; 16]. Research comparing playing positions in sprinting (e.g., sprints on 20-30 m) and jumping performance (squat jump (S)) and/or countermovement jumps (CMJs)) is relatively scarce, and there are some discrepancies in sprinting times and jump heights among studies [11; 14; 15; 16]. Nevertheless, backscatter players and wings demonstrated the fastest sprinting times [14; 15], while CMJ height was the highest in wings [14], compared to pivots and goalkeepers [15]. Isokinetic dynamometry has long been the gold standard for assessing changes to an athlete's maximal muscle strength/torque during the season [17; 18] and risk of injury (measured as imbalances between agonist and antagonist muscles or bilateral differences) in different types of a team sport [19]. In the past, only a few studies have evaluated isokinetic maximal knee strength and strength imbalances in male handball players [19; 20; 21], with the majority of studies having been performed on female handball players, focusing on shoulder muscle strength, and several on knee muscle strength in relation to shoulder and knee injuries [22; 23; 24; 25; 18]. Evidence from two studies evaluating isokinetic maximal strength in male handball players has suggested no differences between dominant and nondominant lower limb knee extensor and flexor strength, as well as normal hamstring-to-quadriceps ratio on both limbs at 60\({}^{\circ}\)/s and 180\({}^{\circ}\)/s [19; 20]. However, no studies in handball have investigated isokinetic maximal strength of the knee joint according to playing position. Furthermore, it also remains to be elucidated the potential role of playing position on development of muscle strength imbalances between and within legs as a product of specific game demands. Such findings would serve as excellent feedback to practitioners to focus on preventing potential injuries and to improve player performance. Ball velocity has been recognized as one of the most important determinants of game performance [14]. Maximal ball velocity is achieved through a proximal-to-distal manner; this movement allows momentum of force to transfer from the lower limb and/or pelvis through the trunk to the throwing arm, thereby enabling higher velocities of the shot [26]. During the game, the majority of shots are performed using two shooting techniques: a three-step jump shot and a standing set shot from the ground.