Balancing Strategy with Tactics for Player Development and Team SuccessPosted by Roy Dunshee on Feb 14, 2012 in Education
“Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory.
Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.”--Sun Tzu, c.544-496 BCE (traditional); Chinese Military General; Strategist and Philosopher --
Like all good ancient wartime philosopher/strategists, old Sun Tzu gives us plenty to ponder. We can all draw meaning from such artful and provocative words. In the context of soccer coaching, I can draw a clear distinction between tactics and strategy and make an argument that we must teach both in order to develop players individually and give our teams their best chance at success. I can thereby conveniently wedge Sun Tzu squarely into my personal coaching philosophy. Here’s how I connected old Sun with old Roy.
I can comfortably define tactics as the application of the principles of play in a particular system of play. The jobs of the individual positions and their closest teammates in the different parts of the field on each side of the ball would comprise small group tactics and the deployment of those groups in blocks would represent large group tactics.
I can define strategy as how you plan to play.For example, we could play in a 4-4-2 with a narrow diamond midfield and execute the principles of play efficiently in all areas of the field.
Those are our tactics.We could decide, within that 4-4-2, to keep one forward on the last defender and play for long balls and knockdowns in attack and funnel everything into our defensive central midfield in an attempt to marginalize the opposition’s wide players. When there is a strong wind at our back we will press high up the field since long balls out of the back will be difficult for the opponent. In the second half, with the wind in our face, we will drop off and invite the opponents to play in their end and take away the ball over the top. If we’re down a goal in the second half we will send our outside backs forward on every sustained possession. If we are still trailing with 15 minutes left, we will remove a back and replace her with a forward.
That’s our strategy.Tactics evoke a general understanding of the principles of play and the application of those principles in various sequences in attack and defense. Tactics represent a platform or basis from which all strategy or game planning specifics are built. Strategy is how you plan to win This Particular Game using the tactics your team has practiced.
The tactical coach must teach his team how to: Play numbers up and numbers down in the various parts of field on both sides of ball; Execute combination play and small group defense; Use the flanks; Cut out parts of the field in defense or play low or high pressure; Press, and break pressure; Get behind a defense; Hold a tight line; And on and on….
These are universal truths in soccer. Strategy, on the other hand, contemplates the specifics of the contest at hand. Who are our opponents and what are the variables that can affect the outcome? What impact do the following have: the playing surface; the weather; strengths and weaknesses of our team and our opponents; recent games (and upcoming games); injuries; substitution patterns; crowd; necessary results; game situations (goal up / goal down); perhaps even the referees.
Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory.
The coach who doesn’t know tactics can’t be said to have a good understanding of the game. The coach who has strategy without tactics might say “We have our own style; we are the fittest team around and we frustrate our opponents with stopper/ sweeper. We knock it long and keep them under pressure. We don’t tip-tap the ball around. We bang it down the field and make them defend. If we lose it, we man-mark all over the field and immediately chase to win it back.” And she may win. But she’ll be biting her nails the whole time. This is the difficult way to win because with better tactics the team could dominate more phases of the game. And by teaching small and large group tactics, the coach could systematically improve her team so it can compete against teams with better players by playing harder and smarter. Living on strategy alone doesn’t leave many options if what we’re doing isn’t working. It’s hard to change styles if the players don’t understand tactics.
There are certain fundamental principles, particularly in small group tactics, which must be taught to form a foundation from which all strategy can flow. If all the players know the tactics of small group defending, for example, then the choice of how to deploy our defensive assets will be strategic (four at the back, three at the back….FIVE at the back) based on the demands of the particular game, or the particular phase of a game. But our players will know how to operate because they understand the principles of defense within that group.
Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.
The coach who doesn’t account for strategy can’t be said to have a good feel for the game. The tactical intransigent, who fusses over the dogma of a rigid system of play and badgers his players with constant instructions during the game, without taking into account all the other factors that inevitably affect the flow, will surely find his team suffering from the first whistle. The coach must be able to read the subtleties of the game both tactically and strategically. Some attention must be paid to the opponent, the field, the match-ups, the score and all the other variables that make each game unique.
The coach must provide a cohesive marriage between how the team is trained tactically (for overall season-long deployment) and how strategic situational play emanates from within this basic framework. For example, switching from a 4-3-3 to a 4-5-1 is a as simple as drawing the flank players into a deeper starting position to provide more defensive cover and perhaps concede some possession in the opponents’ defensive midfield. This is a subtle change that is easily implemented but is only useful if the players understand the tactics of their positions and the strategic reason for the change. Why have we switched systems? Perhaps we have just scored a goal and there are two minutes until halftime. We may decide to lock the game up for those two minutes and go into the dressing room up a goal. This subtle change of shape (and strategy) will give us a good chance of success. We cannot expect our players to completely revamp styles within games without regard to the basic team structure/style that is the platform of our training. But incremental changes can easily be instituted to impact the outcome and challenge the players to take responsibility for understanding the team goals within the phases of the game.
Teaching strategy also helps players understand the balance of risk and reward. Surely if a team is down a goal they will be chasing all long balls into corners and putting the opponent’s backs under constant pressure. Midfielders will make more challenges for the ball and are more likely to risk getting beat because the need to have the ball has increased. Backs will play more directly and take more chances going forward. And they will send more players forward on set pieces.
Conversely, the team protecting a lead is more likely to keep the ball in the attacking third if there is no clear path to goal. Patience will be rewarded as the team in possession gives their defenders a chance to rest and the opposition must send more players back to win the ball thereby minimizing the chance of a counter-attack. The team with a lead should not send too many players into the box to get on the end of a cross because the risk of counter attack will outweigh the reward of more targets in the box. They will keep more players behind the ball and pick their moments to go forward cautiously.
If the team has switched systems, then the risk / reward formula may also change. For example, if a team has gone to three central midfielders in an attempt to protect the middle of the field and lock up a lead, there will be more immediate close defensive cover in that space so players can take more risks to win the ball without the threat of conceding penetration. Players will need to know how the changes in tactics (three central mids) will change the strategy (more aggressive challenges for the ball) regardless of the score or other strategic factors.
Player development
The complete coach will provide training sessions that teach the nuances of game strategy. If players understand the need to play in different ways given the changing circumstances of a game, and they are trained to play in these different ways, then surely player confidence will benefit. Rather than just playing 7-a-side at the end of practice, a coach might play for ten minutes with one team protecting a lead and the other team chasing the game. Surely the team that is down a goal will need to take more risks. How should each team deploy their assets in this situation?
Training sessions that balance tactics and strategy give players a deeper understanding of the game so they can develop into versatile operators rather than one-trick ponies. This will better prepare the players for the challenges of the game as they develop. And when they move to a higher level with a different team and a different coach, they will be ready to adapt to any playing styles and systems that the new team deploys.
Team success
Teams that can deploy several different styles of play will always have the edge on those that can’t. Being able to adjust a system or tactic or change strategy on the fly will always provide an advantage. It is often said that soccer is a players’ game and that once the game begins there are limited options for the coach to impact the game. This is most certainly true. If we have so few weapons at our disposal during the game, why not make the most of them? The strategic coach will have her players ready to play in a variety of ways. She will train her players in a system of communication to indicate when a tactical or strategic change will take place. Rather than screaming from the sideline: “We are switching to a 3-4-3”, the strategic coach will have mentioned at half-time that if we are still down a goal with 20 minutes left we will bring on a striker, remove a defender and play with three forwards. When the substitution is made, there will be no need to gesticulate about a new system or strategy. The players will know. This will allow for the element of surprise and put the opponent on the back foot.
Words of caution
But a word of caution: Coaches must be realistic as to their teams’ abilities/limitations/tendencies and these variables will impact just how far they can deviate from the standard "Tactic", both in individual games and in situational strategies. The coach must make the transitions incremental in order not to unbalance the team or eliminate what momentum has been established. At the younger age groups, the situational changes should be implemented in stages (from least drastic to most) throughout the course of several weeks (and games) so as not to overload the players’ ability to absorb the information and be able to reasonably re-enact under game conditions. And coaches must be careful to avoid over-thinking strategies and tactics. If the team is playing well, there may be no need to change course even as the score or other circumstances change.
A further note of caution: Players (particularly high-level players) are generally not keen on constant changes in their roles and responsibilities. Strategic maneuvers should be implemented in a way that gives the players confidence that they will be given an advantage over the opponent. In other words, the team must “buy-in”. The alternative is to confuse the players and sap their confidence. The attitudes of the players must be taken into account. If a team feels they are at their best when they are attacking and they lack the stomach for sitting in and absorbing pressure, then the coach must account for this psychological team posture and plan strategy accordingly. By removing a traditional forward and bringing on a forward with a strong sense of defensive responsibility (if such a player exists) and asking him to take up a slightly deeper role, the team effectively switches from a 4-4-2 to a 4-5-1 without contemplating the notion that they are being asked to lock up a game. Some teams may respond better to this sort of guerilla strategic change. Other teams will be better suited to being fully informed of the team strategy and cohesive in their determination to see it through. Understanding these subtleties is the job of the coach and the ability to interpret these sorts of intangibles will separate the great coaches from the pack.
It should also be noted that all the ideas expressed in this article are of no value whatsoever if the players have grave technical weaknesses. The greatest tactics and strategy in the world cannot compensate for poor technique and the advice contained herein is offered with the assumption that a level of technical competence has been achieved. If not…just teach technique and worry about tactics later.
Final thoughts
As in all things philosophical (and most things soccer) the answers to the questions posed by the game’s challenges lie in finding the correct balance between technique, tactics and strategy--all must get their due. The well-coached team is technically sound and tactically schooled in the principles of play and can operate efficiently in a variety of environments. And that team’s players are strategically deployed in a system and style best suited for their strengths and weaknesses in a particular game or a particular phase of a game. They have been given information (strategy) but not too much information (overload). And they will be able to communicate their shifts in strategy and tactics without giving anything away. The complete coach will understand the importance of balancing tactics and strategy or, like old Sun Tzu said, risk a very slow road to victory or a lot of noise before defeat.
www.nscaa.com/news/education/2012/02/balancing-strategy-with-tactics-for-player-development-and-team-success?utm_medium=short_url