Essay on Importance of Tactical Awareness in Sport

In performing any sport, a technique the brain uses to adapt to the sporting environment is known as tactical awareness. Tactical awareness is a player’s ability to gameplay by recognising tactical problems or opportunities within a game, selecting suitable tactics to solve/utilize the situation, and then to execute the selected tactic. Tactical awareness is important in that it enables the player to read plays, make informed decisions during different situations, and ensure better outcomes for themselves. The purpose of this task is to construct a report that evaluates how effectively I have applied tactical awareness skills to my performance of 10-pin bowling throughout the term. This report will consider the performance rating, specialised movements, tactics, and teamwork skills I have applied when bowling, including the actions needed to improve my personal, and team performance.

Performance Rating

Throughout my performance in 10-pin bowling, a self-rating I gave myself was variable, and my satisfaction was enjoyable. During performances I tried to apply specialised movements, tactics, and teamwork skills. Overall, I applied these rather adequately and the reason for this is because, when gameplaying, I considered the specialised movement of bowling a ball, and in doing so I also considered the tactic I was to use, such as the different speeds and directions to project the ball depending on how much pins were standing. I projected the ball down the centre most times however I knocked down all the pins only on rare occasions. Unfortunately, there were times when the ball went off to the side and knocked down no pins at all. I also had to use teamwork skills, such as communication, which was encouraging my teammates before they played, supporting them if they hadn’t done as well as intended, and congratulating them when they did well. Overall, my personal satisfaction in the game was quite enjoyable as even though I did not do as well as intended, I still came second highest in my group, my group members were very encouraging towards me, and a good amount of my applied tactics created effective outcomes. 

Specialised Movements

Within 10-pin bowling, the main specialised movement that was focused upon was bowling the ball. There are four movements in bowling: push away which is when you point your feet in the direction to bowl, downswing is when you bring the ball down in preparation for a backswing, backswing which is when you raise the ball back at the same time as taking your last step, and finally slide and release which is when you release the ball forward.

Throughout bowling, this was the only specialised movement that I used as it was the only one necessary to bowl the ball. Unlike other sports, 10-pin bowling does not require a great amount of energy and does not have a large performance space or much environmental constraints. During gameplay, I performed this specialised movement quit effectively as before I was to bowl, I pointed my feet towards the centre of the 10-pin layout. As I bowled, most of the time the ball effectively rolled down the middle of the layout and knocked down most of the pins including all of them at rare times. However, in contrast, there were times when the ball rolled off to the side and knocked a smaller number of pins or none. This could have occurred because there was a mistake in the steps I took or if I applied too much energy.

Tactics

Throughout pin bowling, two tactics I became aware of and used were to bowl straight, and not apply too much speed. When bowling straight the ball was able to move down the centre of the 10-pin layout and knock down more pins through attacking the middle and allowing the pins to create a reaction on the other pins. In applying a steady amount of speed, I was able to focus the ball more towards the centre of the ally. Whereas when I applied a great amount of speed, I realised I was more focused on using as much energy as possible and not focused on the direction of the ball.

A specific tactic I found difficult was hook bowling. Unlike straight bowling, hook bowling is when you curve the ball down the ally. I found this difficult in that I was unable to insert the correct power and consider the specific angle in which to bowl. When I attempted a hook bowl, the bowl fell to the side of the ally and hit none of the pins at all. Therefore, I chose to avoid this tactic.

Overall, I have applied tactics to my performance quite effectively in that I have mostly bowled straight when playing and I have applied a steady speed to ensure a more constant direction throughout. In bowling straight down the centre of the ally, the ball was able to hit more of the pins and in applying a steady speed, I was able to focus more on the direction of the ball rather than the energy needed to make it go faster.

Teamwork

In 10-pin bowling, the most important teamwork skill was communication. When playing, I used communication in that when my teammates were about to play, I encouraged them, if they didn’t do as well as intended, I showed support through words of motivation, and when my teammates did well, I congratulated them. This skill proved successful in that after using them a few times, my teammates’ performances gradually improved throughout the lesson. The skill was successful because when I encouraged, supported, and congratulated my teammates, they felt less isolated and more welcome and engaged with the task. Another way I used communication was in seeking advice from my team members. When there was a certain number of pins left to knock down, I asked my team members for advice on how I should approach the situation, what direction I should bowl in, and how much energy (speed) I should apply. At times this proved successful, however sometimes not so much.

Actions to Help Improve Personal & Team Performance

Some actions that could be used to help improve my personal and team performance would be to practice bowling and watch videos on how to bowl differently including hook bowling. I could also be more communicative with my teammates through setting team goals and planning different approaches to bowling. In doing these I could improve my specialised movement of bowling through practicing, I could gain a new tactic through learning how to hook bowl, and I could help my team be more prepared for bowling lessons through planning and setting goals.

Conclusion

The purpose of this report is to evaluate how effectively I have applied tactical awareness skills to my 10-pin bowling performance. Through considering the performance rating, specialised movements, tactics, and teamwork skills I have used, it can be said that I have effectively applied the tactical awareness skills in my performance of pin bowling. Overall, when playing sport, it is important to be tactically aware in that it enables the player to better understand the game by reading plays, solving/utilizing situations, and ensuring better outcomes.