Tactical analysis in preparation for performance (Football)

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Tactical analysis in preparation for performance

A tactical analysis of any performance is crucial as an individual must understand their role within a team and how they contribute to the team’s overall performance. The tactics employed by the individual will form part of the overall strategy adopted by the team. A tactic is an action or plan undertaken by an individual to beat opponents whereas a strategy is a group or collection of tactics, contributing to an overall game plan by a coach. By adopting the appropriate tactics an individual can understand what skills to execute at the appropriate time. Furthermore, by understanding their role within a team, the individual will have the appropriate level of fitness to undertake the activity as well as knowing the rule and scoring system which can be bent to their advantage, giving them an upper hand over opponents. Overall, it is evident that a broad tactical awareness of one’s performance will only take the individual from strength to strength.

Rule structure and scoring system

Having a knowledge and understanding of the laws of football is essential in order to bend the rules to your advantage. If this can be done, a team will be more competitive.

In its prime basics, football contains two teams existing of 11 players. It lasts for a maximum of 90 minutes with two halves of 45 minutes each way. The aim of the game is to score against the opposition team in the goals which are defended by the opposition. A goal is scored when the ball completely crosses the goal line. A basic layout of a football pitch can be seen above.

A team is allowed to substitute (switch) a maximum of three players throughout the game. These substitutes can be selected from a group of 5-7 players. In order to substitute a player, there must be a break in play and the referee must be informed that a substitution is being made.

The offside rule in football is one which baffles many. However, in simplistic terms a player is offside when they in front of the last defender when a ball is passed. This therefore leaves them to be one-on-one with the goalkeeper. The offside rule is a complicated matter though. A player can be offside but not commit an offside offence as they may not be interfering with play. Being offside is only an offence when a player is offside and is deemed to be interfering with play which could result in a goal or goal scoring opportunity. The offside rule is one which is very important to me as a defender. When participating in school matches, the defensive line tends to be quite high up the pitch which therefore leaves oppositional attacking players with no choice but to follow the defensive line so as they are not caught offside, the only danger is that this leaves a great deal of space at the back, giving quick attackers the chance to exploit this space. When play is occurring on the left-hand side of the pitch, it is my job to sweep behind the other three defenders ensuring that any mistakes made are not punished by clearing the ball away. It is however important for to establish where other attacking players are so as I am not caught out of position, leaving the opposition with a chance to score. A diagram of the offside rule can be seen below.

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Throw ins and corners occur when a ball is kicked out of play. The throw in or corner is given to the opposite team depending on which individual puts the ball out of play. This is another area of the game that I must consider. There may be moments in the game where I may need to clear the ball away under pressure. It could therefore lead to giving the opposition a throw in or possibly a corner if the ball is cleared over my team’s goal line. In some instances however, I may attempt to win a ...

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