Developing Sport Expertise, 2nd Edition

CHAPTER 13

DEVELOPING TACTICS

ADVANCES IN COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY AND TECHNOLOGY

STUART MORGAN AND SUE L. MCPHERSON

 

INTRODUCTION

Elite players who possess high levels of tactical skill are often described as the “playmakers” or “students of the game.” Recent evidence suggests developing this type of brain power requires just as much effortful practice as other aspects of player development. For the most part, however, players' tactical skills are often reported anecdotally rather than examined in a systematic way. That is, most statistics about players' performance describe the outcome of behaviors, using such measures as ball speeds or averages of goals, errors, or assists, rather than the choice of behaviors themselves. We present some useful ...