Luc Steins is not one to hold back his efforts when he steps on a handball court. He will often jump into a break and put his head where some would hesitate to even put a foot. That fearlessness has been one of the main ingredients in his personal recipe for success.
“But that’s my mentality, and I try not to think too much when I play. If you think about taking blows or getting injured all the time, things will not work,” he says.
But the days after the game, the body starts to feel it a little bit more: “I walk a little bit like a robot sometimes, but it’s OK.”
Luc Steins has had to make his game evolve, though, as his opponents were quick to find solutions to stop him. Some might try to stop him in his own half as soon as he gets the ball, while others stick to him so he cannot actually touch the ball.
“All the games are on TV now, so it’s easier to find solutions. The first half-season, I just did my basic tricks and I could feel no-one knew me, but now, I have had to progress and add some more skills so I can be as important for my team as I was in the past.”
That might mean being able to shoot from the outside, which he rarely does, or also polishing his connection with the line players. Luc Steins has been one of the main providers for Kamil Syprzak, last season’s EHF Champions League best scorer, for a couple of seasons now.
“I think I am more complete than I was when I joined Paris. Maybe I don’t run as fast as I used to, but I have more experience and I play better with my teammates. Maybe it’s about running more at the right moment than running around all the time as it used to be before.”