Sporting Success: Regulation, Technical Skills, Tactics, and Strategy

Regulation in Sports

Regulation constitutes the formal structure of sports, defining and delimiting the peculiarities of a particular sport. It does so based on:

  • Framework of Competition

    This refers to the characteristics of space and materials used, and everything that helps judges ensure fair competition with identical conditions across different venues (e.g., actions, dress code, start and end of the test).

  • Rules of Play

    These are the rules that set the goal of the game and how it can be achieved, governing playing time, participant behavior, and sanctions.

  • Limits of Technique

    These refer to the characteristic movements of a sport during competition.

  • Scoring Systems and Measures

    Each discipline is governed by its own criteria, whether qualitative measures that rely on subjective assessment by judges, or objective measures (e.g., distance, altitude, time, baskets).

Judges and referees have the task of ensuring compliance with the regulation during competition and giving scores for the execution of participants in sports that require it.

Technical Elements in Sport

Technical elements constitute the set of sport-specific motor skills. Their realization is subject to two principles:

  • Effectiveness Principle

    This involves a precise adjustment between the actual movement and perfect execution.

  • Economy Principle

    This refers to achieving the desired outcome with minimum energy expenditure.

These technical elements, which require long learning and constant training, are conditioned by logical rules. Any movement is determined by the physical condition and coordinative abilities of the athlete. As an example, specific techniques in basketball include shooting and dribbling. Players biomechanically shoot similarly, as this is shown to be the most effective and efficient way to shoot the ball into the basket.

Tactics in Sport

Tactical actions are controlled and conscious actions taken individually or collectively to solve problems encountered in game situations, all within the rules of play. These actions consist of a phase of perception and situation analysis, followed by decision-making, and motor execution (using technical elements appropriate to each situation).

We previously noted that there is a basketball shooting technique that is the most efficient and effective. But when do we shoot? This is a tactical decision. Imagine that you receive the ball from a pass from a teammate:

  1. Analyze the Situation

    Are you near or far from the basket? Do you have a defender or not? Do you have a better-positioned teammate?

  2. Make the Decision

    Will you shoot? Dribble? Pass?

  3. Execute the Action

    Will you use the shooting technique? The dribble? The pass?

These decisions represent individual tactics. However, in team sports, there are also collective tactics, which focus on systems of play. These correspond to where each player is located on the pitch and what roles they perform (in attack and defense).

Strategy in Sport

Strategy is primarily conceived before the tournament, theoretically establishing the different tactics that will be employed during it. Continuing with the basketball example, strategic decisions would include: which defensive system the team will start with against a particular opponent, which players will start and who they will defend, or what changes will be made during the game or during a timeout with 30 seconds left, down by two points, whether to execute a quick attack or a timed possession. From this example, it’s clear that most strategic decisions are made by the coach.

Consider an example from an individual sport: athletics. Suppose you are running the 1500m final at the Olympics. A strategic decision would be whether to wait for another competitor’s attack or, at 500m from the finish, set a strong pace. If you start the race and at 700m another athlete launches an attack, a tactical decision would be whether to not respond or try to follow that athlete’s pace. Regarding technique, there’s no doubt: the athlete uses the running technique (e.g., not landing on the heel, proper arm swing, maintaining a straight trunk slightly bent forward).

DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Notes UD SPORT SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL