PRINCIPLES OF DEFENCE – FROM 2,500 YEARS AGO.

"The Art of War is of vital importance to the state. It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence under no circumstances can it be neglected."
--Sun Tzu

The Art of War was written over 2,500 years ago by Chinese philosopher, Sun Tzu. His writings were originally intended as a guide for military generals.

"The general who wins a battle makes many calculations in his temple before the battle is fought. The general who loses the battle makes but few calculations beforehand."

This quote refers to the importance of doing your homework. So, the team manager and his coaches, equivalent to the general and his tactical advisors, should have a plan for every conceivable contingency that could occur while in competitive action.

To illustrate this point, consider the following. When was the last time you practiced retaining the ball under pressure? Would you be prepared to explain and demonstrate the technique to your peers right now? An even more important question is this. Could you retain possession of the ball within 5m of your goal line if the opposition are bigger, faster and stronger than you and are hell-bent on taking it from you in that area of the pitch? If your answer was anything other than an emphatic, "Yes!" you need to need to stop here and re-read the proceeding quote. No, really. Read it again.

Keep in mind that planning for this type of situation does not have to be an elaborate, formalised training session, every session. It can be as simple as running through the drill or game scenario occasionally to check for understanding and application by the players. However, if you have new players in the system they will need to be walked through it a number of times so that the “plan” is embedded across all the players equally.

The worst time to try to recall and execute the practice is when someone is trying to press you in a game situation! The best time is now. So, go to your temple and make your calculations. Don't come out until you're confident in your ability to retain possession under any circumstance. "In hemmed-in situations, you must resort to stratagem. In a desperate position, you must fight. Make sense? Good. Let's move on.

"If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle."

While, in most cases, you won't have the luxury of knowing specifically who your opposition will be, it is your duty to familiarize yourself with the tactics used by those who would prey on you or those you are sworn to protect. How can you do that? By reading relevant books, articles, match reports, self -reflection reviews post-match and training, watching video footage, and studying statistics on players. Try to imagine yourself in the shoes of the player where an error occurred and think about you would have responded. Was (s)he well prepared and rehearsed for the situation, did he make this error previously, what if anything can be done to rectify this flaw?

Maybe you need to review the player’s response to situations and decide whether (s)he can recognize their limitations and vulnerabilities. Only after you and (s)he has identified the weaknesses can you strive to improve them or drop the player altogether. Remember Sun Tsu was talking about war, where errors and mistakes can cost lives. In the sporting environment it is not life threatening, but it can sometimes feel like that.

"Security against defeat implies defensive tactics; ability to defeat the enemy means taking the offensive."

"Defensive tactics" is a term commonly used to describe any technique or tactic employed by a player or team to effect or deny a score, prevent silly frees being given away, or regain possession. However, you will never accomplish any of these three tasks by being defensive.

Obviously blocking shots, intercepting passes, or preventing an opponent from acquiring possession of the ball are defensive responses. Although each of these is a critical skill, they will only delay your defeat unless you manage to go on the offense. Remember that the result of every defensive operation should be the rapid transfer to an offensive posture. There is nothing defensive about forcibly taking another person's freedom (the ball)! Attack puts the opposition on the defensive.

I am certain that I didn't do The Art of War justice, but hopefully I've convinced you of it's relevance to modern competitive team sport.

I would only add that mass defence is not a tactic that underage managers and coaches should be employing with their teams. This is a time to practice and develop the skills of the individuals and to introduce the team tactics as they move up the age stages. Skilled players can adapt to tactics, but poorly skilled players will not progress to the higher level. In Sun Tsu’s time, the poorly skilled never left the battlefield.

Train hard. Build skills. Play safe!