Sports strategy

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A rugby union formation. Composition equipe rugby.svg
A rugby union formation.

Sports strategy refers to the numerous sets of methods applied in various sports in order to find ways and create advantageous methods for achieving an outcome of success. [1] For team sports, strategy largely consists of how to coordinate the internal movements and positioning of players in a team. [2] For individual sports, strategy is based on advantages that can be found in various available options for the player. [3]

Contents

Each sport often has its own strategies refined for the accomplishments of a specific outcome within that sport. There exists however some observable cross-sports applicability across certain sports as a result of similarities within rules and conditions for said sports. [4] One example is the denotation between man-to-man defense and zone defense respectively, which is used across many team sports.

Analytics

With the development of various technological tools for aiding in sports analytics, a considerable amount of popular sports have adopted the widespread use of analytical models to aid in forming and developing strategic models and tools for reflection over the strategic parts of the game. [5] [6] Data analysis is a frequently integrated discipline into sports management practices not only in the development of in-game strategy but also practice strategies and routines for recovery management. [7] [8]

Baseball was one of the pioneering sports in the use of analytics of in-game statistics through its development of sabermetrics in the mid-20th century. Association football has long been known for using possession stats to track the time (as presented in percentages) each team is in control of the ball, and has in the 21st century integrated expected goals models into its statistical portfolio. Although opinions has been fragmented as to the potential relevance to the strategic side of sports, the introduction of analytics have marked a revolutionary shift in how sports strategy is perceived and developed. [9]

American football

Corner routes for receivers in American football. Corner route.png
Corner routes for receivers in American football.

Strategy forms a major part of American football. Teams plan many aspects of their plays (offense) and response to plays (defense), such as what formations they take, who they put on the field, and the roles and instructions each player are given. American football uses several play calling systems in order to arrange for strategies to be carried out on the field in real-time. [10]

Offense

On offense, there are three types of players: linemen, backs, and receivers. These players' positions and duties on the field vary from one offensive scheme to another.

Before the ball is snapped the offensive team lines up in a formation. When the team is in formation and the quarterback gives a signal, either by calling out instructions or giving a non-verbal cue (a so-called "silent count"), the center snaps the ball to the quarterback and a play begins. An offensive play is considered a passing play if the ball is passed by the quarterback to an eligible receiver, and a running play if not. [11]

Defense

On defense, there are three types of players: linemen, linebackers, and defensive backs (also called secondary players). These players' specific positions on the field and duties during the game vary depending on the type of defense being used as well as the kind of offense the defense is facing. Akin to the offensive team, the defensive team also lines up in a formation prior to the play. [12]

Defensive plays can generally be categorized into three main categories – run defense, pass defense and blitz. The run defense is designed to defend against offensive running plays. The pass defense is designed to defend against offensive passing plays. The blitz is a play where defenses send extra players to rush the line of scrimmage in order to try to get to the quarterback in quick fashion, giving the offense less time to make a run or pass.

Special teams

There are also special strategies and personnel formations for what is called special teams in football, which is basically kicking plays. When field goals or punts are performed, a number of specific strategies are in use so as to secure the successful attempt. Additionally, fakes may be used where the (supposed) kicking team may instead choose to play the ball like a normal play – this at the risk of handing over possession to the opponent, possibly in advanced areas of the field. [13]

Upon having scored a touchdown, a team may opt for a two-point conversion over the close range field goal which grants only one extra point.

Association football

4-5-1 formation in association football. Association football 4-5-1 formation.svg
4–5–1 formation in association football.

In association football, a considerable part of strategy goes out to picking a formation ahead of a game as well as selecting the players to start the game, as the rules for a competitive game allows only for a select number of substitutions during the course of the game. The formation acts as a guideline for positioning as well as role responsibilities for each player on the pitch. Formations indicate how the 10 outfielders are arranged positionally in relation to each other, and may be altered freely during the course of a game. [14]

Modern association football formations typically consist three to five defenders, two to five midfielders, and one to three forwards. The choice of formation is normally made by a team's manager or head coach. [15] Other duties of strategy in association football include selecting the captain for a game, bringing on in-game substitutes and defining roles for the taking of set pieces – corners, free kicks, and penalty kicks. [16] [17]

Ice hockey

Although the exact number of players dressed for an ice hockey game varies from competition to competition and between tournaments, an ice hockey lineup is typically presented as 2 goaltenders and 18 skaters, plus one or more additional skaters as allowed by the rules in effect. The 18 skaters are usually consistent of 12 forwards and 6 defencemen, although this is not a requirement. [18]

A starting lineup typically consists of a starting goaltender, a left defenceman, a right defenceman, a left winger, a centre and a right winger. Thus in a roster of 18 skaters this amounts to 4 forward lines and 3 defensive pairings. In the course of the game, frequent shifts between skaters on the ice are made, as navigated by the coaches of a team. A team in need of scoring a goal with little time marginal may opt to pull the goaltender and instead play with six skaters, this strategy however comes with the disadvantage of a high risk of conceding a goal in the other end.

Normally when in a coverage situation, a defensive side accounts for the offensive players by order of distance to the goal line of the defensive zone, though individual variations occur between different teams as well as different in-game situations. This is referred to as "zoning out" the opposing side.

A team that employs a more progressive style of defense may opt for a high forecheck, which is a term for applying pressure on the offensive half of the ice when in defense. Such a team may conversely have to engage in backchecking, as a means of transitioning back to defense in the neutral zone should the forecheck not result in a regaining of the puck. More defensively conservative teams may favour a trapping style of play where the need for forechecking and backchecking is not as prevalent. [19] [20]

Special teams in ice hockey refer to situations where one team has a numerical advantage on the ice for a period of play, as a result of one or more penalties being drawn on the ice. Strategies exist specifically for power play and penalty kill situations.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ice hockey</span> Team sport played on ice using sticks, skates, and a puck

Ice hockey is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hockey sticks to control, advance, and shoot a closed, vulcanized, rubber disc called a "puck" into the other team's goal. Each goal is worth one point. The team which scores the most goals is declared the winner. In a formal game, each team has six skaters on the ice at a time, barring any penalties, one of whom is the goaltender. Ice hockey is a full contact sport, and is considered to be one of the more physically demanding team sports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quarterback</span> Position in gridiron football

The quarterback, colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually considered the leader of the offense, and is often responsible for calling the play in the huddle. The quarterback also touches the ball on almost every offensive play, and is almost always the offensive player that throws forward passes. When the QB is tackled behind the line of scrimmage, it is called a sack.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Defense (sports)</span> Preventing an opponent from scoring

In many team sports, defense or defence is the action of preventing an opponent from scoring. The term may also refer to the tactics involved in defense, or a sub-team whose primary responsibility is defense. Similarly, a defense player or defender is a player who is generally charged with preventing the other team's forwards from being able to bear down directly on their own team's goalkeeper or goaltender. Such positions exist in association football, ice hockey, water polo and many other sports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lineman (gridiron football)</span> Player in American or Canadian football who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage

In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A number of NFL rules specifically address restrictions and requirements for the offensive line, whose job is to help protect the quarterback from getting sacked for a loss, or worse, fumbling. The defensive line is covered by the same rules that apply to all defensive players. Linemen are usually the largest players on the field in both height and weight, since their positions usually require less running and more strength than skill positions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winger (ice hockey)</span> Ice hockey position

Winger, in the game of ice hockey, is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play is along the outer playing areas. They typically flank the centre forward. Originally the name was given to forward players who went up and down the sides of the rink. Wingers generally have the least defensive responsibilities out of any position on the ice, however they are still tasked with defensive duties such as forechecking duties or covering the point in the defensive zone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Defenceman</span> Position in ice hockey

Defence or defense in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners. They were once called cover-point.

In sports, a utility player is one who can play several positions competently. Sports in which the term is often used include association football, basketball, American football, baseball, rugby union, rugby league, softball, ice hockey, and water polo.

Strategy forms a major part of American football.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roller in-line hockey</span> Sport discipline

Roller in-line hockey, or inline hockey is a variant of hockey played on a hard, smooth surface, with players using inline skates to move and ice hockey sticks to shoot a hard, plastic puck into their opponent's goal to score points. The sport is a very fast-paced and free-flowing game and is considered a contact sport, but body checking is prohibited. There are five players including the goalkeeper from each team on the rink at a time, while teams normally consist of 16 players. There are professional leagues, one of which is the National Roller Hockey League (NRHL). While it is not a contact sport, there are exceptions, i.e. the NRHL involves fighting.

A formation in American football refers to the position players line up in before the start of a down. There are both offensive and defensive formations and there are many formations in both categories. Sometimes, formations are referred to as packages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Starting lineup</span> Official list of players set to participate upon the beginning of a sporting event

In sports, a starting lineup is an official list of the set of players who will participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes or bench players.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Center (gridiron football)</span> Position in American and Canadian football

Center or Centre (C) is a position in American football. The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team's offense. The center is also the player who passes the ball between his legs to the quarterback at the start of each play.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quarterback kneel</span> American football and Canadian football play

In American football and Canadian football, a quarterback kneel, also called taking a knee, genuflect offense, kneel-down offense, or victory formation, occurs when the quarterback touches a knee to the ground immediately after receiving the snap, thus downing himself and ending the play. It is primarily used to run the clock down, either at the end of the first half or the game itself, to preserve a lead. Although it generally results in a loss of some yardage and uses up a down, it minimizes the risk of a fumble, which would give the other team a chance at recovering the ball.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Halfback (American football)</span> Offensive position in American football

A halfback (HB) is an offensive position in American football, whose duties involve lining up in the offensive backfield and carrying the ball on most rushing plays, i.e. a running back. When the principal ball carrier lines up deep in the backfield, and especially when that player is placed behind another player (usually a blocking back), as in the I formation, that player is instead referred to as a tailback (TB).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American football positions</span> Specific roles that players take in American football

In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitutions", meaning that they may change any number of players during any "dead ball" situation. This has resulted in the development of three task-specific "platoons" of players within any single team: the offense, the defense, and the so-called 'special teams'. Within these three separate "platoons", various positions exist depending on the jobs that the players are doing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Safety (gridiron football position)</span> American and Canadian football defensive position

Safety is a position in gridiron football on the defense. The safeties are defensive backs who line up ten to fifteen yards from the line of scrimmage. There are two variations of the position: the free safety and the strong safety. Their duties depend on the defensive scheme. The defensive responsibilities of the safety and cornerback usually involve pass coverage towards the middle and sidelines of the field. While American (11-player) formations generally use two safeties, Canadian (12-player) formations generally have one safety and two defensive halfbacks, a position not used in the American game.

This is a list of common terms used in the sport of ice hockey along with the definitions of these terms.

The forecheck is an ice hockey defensive coverage play made (primarily) in the offensive zone with the objective of applying pressure to the opposing team to regain control of the puck. It is a type of checking. Forechecking is generally executed in one of three situations: recovery of the puck after a dump in, after the rebound following a scoring attempt, or immediately after a turnover to regain possession. Forechecking can be aggressive or conservative depending on the coaching style and on the skating skills of the players.

The following terms are used in American football, both conventional and indoor. Some of these terms are also in use in Canadian football; for a list of terms unique to that code, see Glossary of Canadian football.

References

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Further reading