Abstract: Virtual reality is currently used in several application fields. In those applications and, especially in sports, the motor behavior of the subjects plays a major role. We propose to test the specific problem of handball goalkeeper and thrower duel. To this end, we studied if real handball goalkeepers react in a virtual scenery as in real game. The virtual scenery is composed of virtual opponents that are driven by a kinematical animation model. This model enables to change a specific parameter in the virtual thrower's motion and to examine the resulting effects on the goalkeepers' reactions. This paper aims at verifying if this animation model reproduces real motions with an enough accuracy to engender realistic goalkeepers reactions. Our results show that this kind of model enables to carry-out virtual experiments without modifying the natural gestures of the subjects.