Syprzak’s game: “Being on the court means fighting with the demons in my head”

“I ask myself a lot of questions when I am playing handball. Probably too much.” Kamil Syprzak laughs out loud when he says that but, in a way, you know that he means every word. 

At 34, Syprzak has proven a long time ago that his performances do not rely only on his height. Of course, being 2.07 metres tall helps you on a handball court. “If I were only tall, I never would have made it to that level,” he explains. “It was hard in the beginning because everybody looked at me like I was a monster from another planet. But I have gone past the look of strangers. And now, I can only sense advantages in being tall. But maybe I am only lying to myself!”

Adapting the game

As the Polish line player highlighted, his height makes him a special player on the court. Because you would not play with him the same way as you would with another, not-as-tall, line player. But looking at his stat sheets — as he was once again among the best scorers of the EHF Champions League last season with 104 goals, after taking the top scorer crown in 2023/24 with 112 strikes — his teammates in Paris know exactly how to play with him.

“I feel like here, in Paris, the game and my teammates adapted to me more than the other way around. Like, I can read the ball really well, but I can also read the game well too,” he explains. “There is no point in being a line player and running around, creating a mess and closing up open spaces for your teammates. It is important that you understand what goes on in the game.”

Syprzak shares a special responsibility on the court with, for example, Luc Steins, as both can find each other almost with their eyes closed. As the Polish star puts it, trust is very important for every player to shine: “The best thing about this sport is that success never belongs to one person. I might score the goal, but someone first had to trust me.”

One can feel Kamil Syprzak knows the ball well when you look at his shot percentages. One of the best in the circuit, even though he is a line player, in a position that never allows him to take open shots. Sure, being tall and able to get past the goalkeepers from unusual angles definitely helps, but this ability to put the ball in the net might actually have its roots way back.

“When I started handball in Plock, there was a player whose name was Dmitrij Kuzielew. He was a f***ing machine on the court and he gave me a lot of advice. He was playing mind games with himself. Like, taking five shots from the same spot on the court. And he was asking me what I would do in that situation, if I had missed the first two. My answer back then was that I would change. And he was like: no, keep going with the same shot,” says the now 34-year-old. 

And if Kamil Syprzak is still carrying out this psychological gym these days, he also does it before every seven-metre shot he takes. It is fairly unusual for a line player to perform in this area of the game, but according to the Polish national player, it has become increasingly harder for him to score.

“When I shoot the penalties, I am fighting with my demons. The feeling is hard to describe. Sometimes, we have this discussion, like, what would you do if you could have a superpower for one day? If I had the possibility to change for half a day, I would go into the heads of all the seven-metre shooters to know what they are thinking,” says Syprzak, who remained at 90 per cent efficiency last season.

“But really, it’s a battle with your mind. It was easy to score before, but then goalkeepers started studying me, and there came the question: should I change? Should I just look at the goalkeepers? Stay in my comfort zone?”

Becoming a better player

The will to perform has driven Kamil Syprzak to question himself to become an even better player. Not only at seven-metre shots, but also in the game in general. “It took me some time, but I understood that sometimes, it is beneficial to take a step back in order to make two forward,” he says, before adding: “I still am quite happy with the result that I have right now.”

But this being said, it does not mean that the 34-year-old will stop asking himself questions anytime now. “Before every game, I am trying to push myself to the limit. And then, in my head, a lot of things happen during and before the game. I have the feeling that sometimes being on the court means fighting with the demons in my head,” he adds.

“Normal fans don’t see certain things, but being among the key players means getting attention from my opponents. Every time, you have to be conscious that your opponents are preparing for you and that you have to try and find the right means to fight and perform. And being calm is one of the keys. It’s not always the strongest one who wins, but the one who stays calm the longest.”

Keeping in mind that Syprzak considers himself, among other things, “consistent” while playing handball, one has to believe that he has found the right way to remain calm and focused over the years. “I used to just want to be the best. Now I want to be smarter — for the team, for myself, and for the people who watch me play.”

The experience has definitely helped Kamil Syprzak take pressure in his stride and also take a step back on experiences, good or bad. While a young player might be scared of failing, the former Barça and Plock star seems to see things a different way. “Every goal, every mistake — it’s all part of me. I step onto the court knowing that today I can prove something, but most of all, I can learn something,” he says.

But while the end of the road might be closer than the beginning, Syprzak will keep playing as long as his passion for the game is there: “I don’t know how many more seasons I have ahead, but one thing’s for sure: I want to live each one with passion, not just routine.”

Photos © PSG & Peka Roland