Strategy and tactics in sports from an ecological-dynamical-perspective: What is in there for coaches and players?

Abstract

In sports, strategy and tactics play a decisive role. This is certainly so in sport games like volleyball in which the players need to promptly adapt their actions to the continuously changing game situations. In this paper, we will take a closer look at how strategic and tactical decisions come about. Our goal is twofold. First, we want to tackle this discussion from the angle of the ecological-dynamical approach, in which concepts as perception-action coupling, affordances, and self-organization are put forward as vital elements to explain the control of actions/sport skills. In referring to animal behavior, we will push the idea that cognitive interventions are not a prerequisite for strategic and tactical interventions. Second, we want to translate these theoretical concepts into some general guidelines for coaches and practitioners. In doing so, we hope to increase the understanding that for practice the environmental constraints should be embraced in order to improve the strategic and tactical capacities of the players. Résumé --Stratégie et tactique en sport vus sous l'angle des approches écologique et dynamique : que peuvent en retirer les entraîneurs et les joueurs ? En sport, stratégie et tactique jouent un rôle primordial. Ce constat est d'autant plus vrai dans les sports collectifs dans lesquels les joueurs doivent en permanence moduler leurs actions face à des situations en constante évolution. Dans cet article, nous nous intéressons à l'origine des décisions stratégiques et tactiques. Notre objectif est double. Tout d'abord, nous souhaitons aborder cette question sous l'angle des approches écologique et dynamique, au sein desquelles les concepts de couplage perception-action, d'affordance et d'auto-organisation occupent une place déterminante afin de rendre compte du contrôle d'une action. En nous référant au comportement des animaux, nous souhaitons promouvoir l'idée selon laquelle des interventions cognitives ne constituent en rien des prérequis à des prises de décision stratégique et/ou tactique. Deuxièmement, nous souhaitons traduire ces concepts généraux en un certain nombre de recommandations à destination des entraîneurs et des pratiquants. Nous espérons par la même occasion souligner l'enjeu lié à la prise en compte des contraintes liées à la tâche, dans une optique d'amélioration des capacités stratégiques et tactiques des joueurs.

Influence of Augmented Probabilistic Information on Defensive Motor Behaviors of 1 vs. 1 Basketball Play

“…Augmented probabilistic information may have created an initial expectation about how to act during these playing episodes, serving as a cue that was positively correlated with the most likely outcome (Köppen & Raab, 2009). In this vein, the use of such contextual factor related to the movement outcome could modulate athletes’ strategic behavior (Buekers et al., 2019) by enhancing their initial preparation to face 1 vs. 1 basketball plays. For example, the knowledge of the counterpart´ actions tendencies would help novice basketball players in the readiness of the possible attacks to occur, choosing that defensive behavior related to the most probable event indicated by the coach (i.e., to prevent a drive to the basket in our study).…”

“…In this study, athletes’ motor behaviors appear to have emerged from the awareness of perceiving the different probabilities to perform one particular action by the opponent in a basketball task. This perceptual knowledge shows potential to enhance players’ tactical responsiveness in the 1 vs. 1 basketball subphase while improving their adaptability to the ever-changing conditions that feature these performance environments (Buekers et al., 2019). For example, in highly probable situations (i.e., play situations in which athletes perceive a strong preference of an opponent´s action compared to other one), athletes may anticipate their responses as a mean to increase movement effectiveness.…”

An Ecological Insight Into the Design and Integration of Attacking Principles of Play in Professional Rugby Union: A Case Example

“…While these propositions are generally understood by those in the field, the integration of tactical game 'models' typical to 'playbooks' of high-performance sport can indirectly counteract the foundations of ecological dynamics by over-constraining the actions of athletes (Ribeiro, Davids, Araújo, Guilherme, Silva & Garganta, 2019). While such models are perceived to provide a tactical advantage, their rigid and pre-planned nature can disregard the interaction of (task, performer, and environmental) constraints that shape skilled actions, thereby hindering performance (Buekers, Montagne & Ibáñez-Gijón, 2019). To combat the overly constraining nature of game models in highperformance sport, coaches can use game principles, which guide the attention of athletes, not (overly) constrain movement solutions (Ribeiro et al, 2019;Buekers et al, 2019;van der Kamo, Withagen & Orth, 2019).…”

“…While such models are perceived to provide a tactical advantage, their rigid and pre-planned nature can disregard the interaction of (task, performer, and environmental) constraints that shape skilled actions, thereby hindering performance (Buekers, Montagne & Ibáñez-Gijón, 2019). To combat the overly constraining nature of game models in highperformance sport, coaches can use game principles, which guide the attention of athletes, not (overly) constrain movement solutions (Ribeiro et al, 2019;Buekers et al, 2019;van der Kamo, Withagen & Orth, 2019). For example, in Rugby Union, where a game model may constrain passing interactions around a global pattern of ball movement deemed to speed up an attack (pre-planned movement 'solution'), a more principled guidance of attention would simply encourage players to look for opportunities to move the ball with speed.…”

The 360° Performance System in Team Sports: Is It Time to Design a “Personalized Jacket” for Team Sports Players?

“…In the last few years, there has been a substantial increase in popularity from the skill acquisition perspectives that have been sustained by the ecological dynamics approach [ 44 ] and there are already several examples of successful practical applications [ 45 , 46 ]. This needed update might be the precious help that is required to reach the individual needs of each player [ 4 ].…”