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AFM Magazine


Sometimes the Best Strategies do Not Win Games

by: Dr. Michael Yessis
President, Sports Training, Inc.
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If you read American Football Monthly and Gridiron Strategies you can't help but be impressed by all the articles dealing with different offensive and defensive strategies. It is impossible to not be left with the impression that the strategy employed by the football coach is the key to winning or losing a game. When coupled with the ability of the coach to motivate the athletes, the strategy becomes all the more important.

To state that the best strategies do not win football games may seem heretical, but close examination will show that it is sometimes true. Simple logic will tell you that a devised strategy is not the key to winning or losing. This myth, that strategy is the key to winning, has been perpetuated for so many years that it is now accepted as the truth. Before you think that I have lost my mind, read on and you too will agree that strategy is a secondary factor in winning or losing a ball game. This applies to all levels of play from Pop Warner through the NFL.

 

Why is strategy not the most important factor? Because it is false to believe that   players will be able to execute the skills of their position as needed in order to carry out the strategy. In other words, the strategy is devised around the players with the expectation that the players will be able to fulfill their role or tasks. The strategies are based on expectations that do not have a high level of reliability. A favorable outcome may be expected on the lower levels of play, but not on the collegiate and the professional level.

For example, on a passing play, it is assumed that the quarterback will be able to throw the ball to the intended receiver. Success of the throw will be based on how well the offensive line can protect the quarterback to allow him to execute a good throw. Once thrown, expectations are high that the receiver will be able to catch the ball, which, to a good extent, is based on the ability of the receiver to get free of the defensive player guarding him.

If a team kept records of how often the offensive line successfully carry  out their assignments, how often the quarterback throws an accurate pass, how often  receivers are free of their opponents,  they would find that the percentage of all of these executions being successful is not very high. It may be high in one category but not in all categories which is typically required for gaining enough yardage. Thus, when players are unable to execute as needed, it matters little what the strategy was.

In order for the strategy to be successful, the players must be able to execute their assignments. This is the key to winning. The players must be able to execute and fulfill their tasks. But because the player task (skill) is not always completed or executed successfully, the strategy being used becomes secondary. In order for any strategy to be successful, the players must be able to execute the skills required. But because skill execution is most often unsuccessful, or not completed as needed, we cannot say that a win or loss was due to the game plan strategy

This became quite evident when I watched a recent NFL game. The receivers and running backs got free of their defensive opponents on almost every play and the quarterback had ample time to throw the ball. This meant that the players were able to execute as needed and as a result, most  runs and pass receptions resulted in big yardage. This is rarely seen.

 

What was surprising was that none of the commentators, or even the analysts following the game, noted this. However, it was obvious to me because it happens so rarely. In fact, I cannot think of another game in which there were so many successful throws. It was pure enjoyment to see the great execution by the offense.

How well the player performs and executes his skills, aside from making a great catch or long run, is rarely noted. This indicates that most commentators and analysts either are not interested or are not capable of analyzing athletes’ performance.  I'm tempted to say it is more of the latter. Most commentators and analysts look mainly at how well or how poorly a play (strategy) is executed, not how well or how poorly the athlete executed his tasks (technique skills).

This is an important distinction and is the key to success. Each player must be able to carry out and fulfill the skills involved in his position. When players are capable of doing this, teams will win regardless of the strategy. In such cases, even the simplest strategy works as well as the most complex strategy. The bottom line is that the strategy is only as good as the player’s ability to carry out his assigned tasks. This means that the most important component for winning is the athlete’s ability to execute the skills involved. The greater the athletes who are successful in their skill execution, the greater are the chances of the team winning.

This may seem obvious but it appears that it is not so. From what I have been able to determine, teams do not spend any appreciable amount of time on improving skill execution. But if teams spent more time, or a good portion of each practice on improving the athlete’s ability to execute his skills, and not on plays or strategy, the outcome – in my opinion - would be much different. But it appears that most teams spend most time on executing offensive or defensive strategy or plays to use in the next game. The ability of the athlete to execute the skills of his position is typically taken for granted.

This assumption appears to be strongly ingrained. This is why recruiting is so critical on the collegiate level and drafting the right player is so critical on the professional level. Teams do not want a player that they will have to improve or fine-tune in regard to his skill execution. They want a player who can already execute the skills needed. But such athletes are few and far between.

This belief, that players should already be able to execute their skills, appears to indicate that many teams are not capable of improving or fine- tuning the athletes that they have or desire to acquire. Many coaches even believe that it is not possible to improve skill execution. What is perhaps most important is the fact that all athletes, regardless of their expertise, can still be improve. This is as true on the professional level as it is on the collegiate, high school and junior levels.

One of the reasons for this lack of skill execution improvement, mainly in the area of technique, is that skill or technique teaching is virtually limited on all levels of play. Where skill improvement is touched on is often superficial and usually consists of the coach telling the athlete what he must do to correct or improve his technique. The athlete is not taken through the steps of what he must do or what he must learn in order to have better technique. In addition, he is often not given any drills to help him develop the ability to improve his technique.

Understand that it is only after a player has developed or improved his technique execution that his skill execution will improve. Many studies have shown that physical qualities such as strength and explosive power must be coupled with technique in order to maximize skill execution on the field. Simply developing greater strength or explosive power does not make a better skilled player.

About the Author:

Dr. Michael Yessis is the president of Sports Training, Inc., a diverse sports and fitness company. The author of 16 books, Dr. Yessis has been a training and technique consultant to several Olympic and professional sports teams. He can be reached at his website – www.doctoryessis.com or his email address – dryessis@doctoryessis.com.

 

 






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