by Bryan Arnold
Needless to say our game of Subbuteo has many exceedingly enjoyable qualities. Its fluidity can be as beautiful as any other game or sport.
The match play environment always is in a state of change. Players need to adjust to change very quickly. It can be a challenge to quickly implement action for match situations. Players can be reactionary: defensive flicking against only one percieved threat, and also offensive flicking with limited perceived options. As such, it can be difficult to problem solve against opponents. Implementation of your own game can be a struggle.
If you’ve experienced difficulty bringing off better defensive and offensive behaviors, you may benefit from growing in cognitive flexibility. That is the flexibility to adapt to a changing environment.
When flexibility does improve, players bring off the behaviors they want to use even in the heat of a competitive match. Their play can have that much wanted intentional fluidity.
Ok, so you’ll need to create a memory base of knowledge. Make yourself aware of your default behaviors in matchplay. Those behaviors that you fall back to because Subbuteo is so quick and fluid.
Build up your training experiences so that you can connect those training experiences to matchplay. Create situations in training in which you want to bring about new behaviors. Those routines can be geared to any aspect that you want to improve.
Take defensive tactics as an example. You may struggle with creating density around the ball. Set up players across the pitch in which density is helpful and can be created (eg against a slow controlled offense in possession of the ball). Go through the awareness of the slow controlled play in front of you as well as your recognition of the need for density, and do the physical behavior that is required itself (eg, walking to get in position, flicking to the ball/bases). Do this over and over from different locations around the pitch, with different arrangements of bases, etc. This is crucial, but not the end to gaining flexibility through training.
Supercharging your flexibility in your training comes next. Place yourself within a constant state of change when training: change configurations of exercises, how long and when you train using those exercises, etc. You’ll find that you can better link that knowledge base to matchplay.
Training for flexibilty allows for solving problems that come up all the time. Develop your own mental concepts of those game situations. Create physical set ups on the pitch of situations that have caused you difficulty. Go through rehearsal of your desired behaviors over and over as if preparing for an important performance.
You will notice that your new behaviors are triggered by concrete cues in matches. You will learn to use your awareness of those concrete cues. When those cues happen for you, you will be very confident as you have already experienced successful adaption to change (from your training). Subbuteo as an environment of constant change will become increasingly more manageable.
TrainHard, PlayHard America!!!
