AIMS:

To reveal the pedagogical principles adopted by Brazilian coaches in teaching handball to the under-12 teams (U-12).

METHODS:

The sample included six coaches with extensive coaching experience, whose reports were collected through semi-structured interviews. The data were treated and analyzed according to the Collective Subject Discourse (CSD) method.

RESULTS:

The results indicated a preference for game-centered approaches (CSD1), as they offer a complex environment in which distinct game skills can be developed (such as perception, attention, anticipation and decision making). To a lesser extent, coaches indicated their preference for teaching coordination exercises (justified by the maturation changes that take place during this period), and even less for the technique approach.

CONCLUSION:

Based on the coaches' perspective, games must be a central element to teaching U-12 teams, which permits the development of different aspects involved in decision-making during handball.(AU)