Humans of Beach Handball: Juan Antonio Vázquez Diz

In his efforts to lead Spain to new heights, Vázquez Diz has three sources of inspiration at his disposal. Firstly, his own rich playing career in beach handball, but also in the indoor game — as a left back he competed with Fraikin BM. Granollers in the EHF Cup 2011/12. Secondly, his current task as head coach of Club Balonmano Ciudad de Málaga. And finally, his work as a university lecturer in Sport Sciences and Physical Activity, with some of his research dedicated to beach handball.

With the silver medal from the Beach Handball EURO now in the bag for a few months, Vázquez Diz, who turns 42 in November, reflects on Spain’s route to success in Alanya, and on his own journey from little ‘Chispy’ to one of the standout characters in the world of beach handball.

“Winning silver was amazing, and we felt a little bit surprised. We were approaching the summer with the idea of introducing new young players to the national team, so that they could gain experience and perhaps start having results in two or three years, but the performance of these young players has been incredible.

“The key to this success has been the great unity of the players throughout the tournament and the confidence and discipline they have shown in everything we have instructed them to do from the sidelines. And I cannot forget something that is essential in this sport: being accurate in the shootout. Without that, it is impossible to win a medal in any beach handball championship.

“At home, I was the youngest of four brothers, and my eldest sister gave the nickname ‘Chispy’ to me when I was born. It started out as something only within my family, but over time it has become how I am known in all areas of my life — both in the world of handball and beach handball, and among my friends and family.

“I started playing handball at school when I was seven years old. Until I was 12, I only played at school, but from then on, I played for different clubs in my city [Seville] until I turned 18, when I started playing for clubs all over Spain and for some in Europe.

“The first time I met beach handball was in 2004, at the Spanish championship held in Huelva. Some teammates and I made a team to compete, and it was an amazing experience, even though we didn't get a good result. That same summer, a tournament began to be held in my city, which became quite popular over the years. Beach handball became very popular in Seville at that time, and being close to Cadiz made it very easy to continue playing regularly throughout the week.

“From the beginning, I found this sport spectacular and very fun, thanks to the speed at which it is played. At that time, almost all of our attacks ended with an in-flight shot, and there was a lot of speed through the fast counter attack. This is something that has been lost a bit, as the game is now played a little slower and there is less risk-taking, although we, on the national team, try to continue with that style of play. But in those early days, it made me love the sport.

“Receiving an individual award is always a source of joy and pride, even more so when representing your country and among so many top-level players at the European Championships. Of course, I have great memories of my individual performances at those championships, but I have to say that I would change some of them for having won a few more medals as a team in years when I believe we had a good team.

“I had always been clear that when I stopped playing, I wanted to coach. We had won the silver medal at the ANOC World Beach Games in Qatar in October 2019, where I also played at a high level, but I was already 37 years old and the federation decided to change the coach of the senior national team, so they offered me the chance to start working with the youth team. It was a quick transition, and I think I made the right decision. Perhaps I could have played in a few more championships since I had played very well in Qatar, but coaching had always been on my mind, and I couldn't let the opportunity pass me by.

“The two years with the youth team were a great learning experience as a coach and helped me adapt to my new position before coaching the senior national team in 2023. I was also lucky to start working with Micri Rueda, my assistant both in the youth team during those two years and since 2023 in the senior team, who helped me a lot in that transition, especially when it came to controlling my emotions during matches, as at the beginning I still had the soul of a player and I lived the matches very passionately.

“[At university] we have developed two observation tools to record collective tactical attacking situations and goalkeeper interventions. I know that they are being used on occasion to analyse some championships, which makes us very proud. We have two projects with my research group, one is the creation of a tool to record collective tactical actions in defence, and the other is the development of work with the sports psychologist, mainly on how to deal with shootout shots, as we understand that this is very important when it comes to winning matches in our sport.

“The future of beach handball is very exciting. International federations have realised the potential of this sport and understood that it is a safe bet, so they are investing more and more in it, as is the case with, for example, the EHF. I think the media coverage of the last European Championship was incredible, and every year there are significant improvements in this regard.

“Of course, the next step for its full development worldwide would be its inclusion in the Olympic calendar, although I am not sure if this will actually happen. However, it would be very important at all levels for the sport in general.

“The only sensitive issue is the calendar and the coincidence with indoor handball. The creation of more tournaments and activities outside the summer season is causing a lot of problems for players and coaches who combine both disciplines, and this is something that the federations need to work on to find the best solution.

“European beach handball is one of the references worldwide, and there are many high-level players and coaches whose stories deserve to be told. Being one of them is an honour and makes me want to continue working to expand that story. I want to continue giving back to beach handball everything it has given me over the years and continue helping our sport in its unstoppable growth, so I will try to contribute as much as I can to this.”

Photos © kolektiff