The understanding of the game appears as actions and decisions made by the player. It can be considered as a player’s ability to solve basic game situations with and without the ball. These situations are, for example, 1vs1, 2vs1 and 3vs2. Simply, the understanding of the game is the player’s ability to contribute to the team to win. It can be divided into three areas: understanding and reading the game and decision making.
Understanding the game reflects the player ’s ability to understand the goals of the game and the principles of team collaboration. In practice, therefore, action in four different game roles according to the team’s style of play. In the game, it appears as a player action in four different roles (attacking with and without the ball, defending a player with or without a ball). It’s also about players perceiving how their own actions impact the course of the game. Understanding the game also includes the player’s ability to relate their own skills and physical characteristics to the solution required in the situation.
Coaches checklist for developing players understanding of the game:
- Teach the player to act in different game situation roles and basic game situations
- Practice all aspects of the game (understanding the game, reading the game and making decisions)
- Ask the player for reasons for his decisions in different game situations
- Develop your own understanding of the game
- Use videos as a learning tool
- Remember to develop factors related to game understanding, especially self-confidence
- Vary the environment and adjust the level of requirements of the game by changing the rules, the number of players and the size of the field