Questions tagged [formations]
For questions generally relating to relative player positions on the field during play of the game, or in certain sports immediately before play begins. Questions using this tag should also be tagged with the specific sport(s) in question.
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What happened to the wishbone?
The top rushing teams in college football are running some form of the wishbone/triple-option and some are doing it with less size and speed (military academies). It doesn't appear that defenses have "...
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How do defenders score goals when part of a formation
When playing in a 4-5-1 or 4-4-3 formation you are meant to stay in your zone on the pitch.
The defenders need to be part of the back 4 and not move into the forward postions.
How then do defenders ...
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Why don't more NBA teams use the triangle offense?
Does anyone use the triangle offense other than Phil Jackson? He won 11 rings with it. In the NFL, teams copy each other all the time. How come teams don't copy Phil? I don't think the argument that '...
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Strikers who can defend as well
I have read that both Rio Ferdinand and Daniel van Buyten began their careers as strikers (I have even managed to train van Buyten to be a top striker in Football Manager). Their careers as strikers ...
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What is the primary role of a winger?
Is the winger supposed to stay wide? Does he have a special function apart from piercing through the wing?
Does he have to track back?
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Is the sweeper role obsolete with modern formations?
There has been mention of a role in defense of football called "Sweeper". Wikipedia gives the following explanation.
The sweeper or libero (Italian: free) is a more versatile type of Centre back ...
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Why was the 1-1-8 formation popular in 19th Century football?
Today I learned that 1-1-8 is one of the oldest football formations. It was widespread in 19th century. Why this unusual formation was so popular?
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Why goalkeepers usually don't guard at the near post during free kicks?
During free kicks at an inclined angle to the goal, goalkeepers usually stand at the far post, not near post.
Source: AS Roma Twitter
From my experience, usually the attackers will slot the ball ...
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What will be the playing position of Thomas Muller? Will he play as CF? [closed]
Thomas Müller of Germany was a midfielder in the last World Cup in 2014.
In this World Cup some news on the Internet claim that Müller will play as a forward. So, what will be his position during the ...
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Does the tackle box in gridiron football extend through all the offensive linemen even if they're a long way apart?
On 10 January 2015 in the NFL playoffs, the Patriots lined up in a weird formation in which Shane Vereen, a running back, reported ineligible. Vereen was "covered" by a receiver on his team, meaning ...
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Advantages of 4-2-3-1 formation
Barcelona has clearly been one of the most dominant sides in European football in the past few years. They often play a 4-2-3-1 (or sometimes 4-3-2-1) formation. Is the primary advantage of this ...
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What are the strategical differences of playing under centre and out of the shotgun?
During NFL games the commentators often talk about the play design. One thing that comes up a lot is the formation at the time of snap and quarterback's play readability. The quarterback could be ...
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What is "strong side" vs. "weak side" on defense in American football?
What is "strong side" vs. "weak side" on defense in American football? I'm trying to get a basic understanding of this terminology but am getting tripped up.
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In football is it possible for a team to change team formation during a match?
In football:
Is it allowed by the rules to change the team formation during a match?
Does it happen often when a coach decides to swap players between positions?
Does it happen often when a coach ...
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What is the role of a "false 9"?
Recently I read a few articles about strikers playing as a "false 9". My understanding of a "false 9", is that he is a striker whose purpose is to pull defenders out of position so that his teammates ...
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Is it possible to place a fielder other than standard fielding positions?
Is it permitted to place the fielders other than the standard fielding positions terms in international cricket match?
To be more specific,
can a fielder be placed in
between the mid-on and long-...
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Do all 11 fielders need to be in the field?
I was just wondering if there is a rule about how many fielders need to remain in the ground during a cricket match.
Can't the fielding captain argue that we do not need the 11th man on the field, ...
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Zonal marking vs man marking
In our 7 vs 7 league, we employ a form of zonal and man marking that is formed out of necessity; during free-kicks or corners we have a man-to-man marking that has been both successful and ...
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What makes a formation illegal?
Sometimes the referee will flag a team for having an "illegal formation". What are the restrictions on how a team is allowed to line up?
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The Dime Package in Football
I've frequently heard of the 'Dime Package' in football.
I know the nickel package but don't get with the dime is.
Can someone explain the dime package and under what circumstances that it should ...
CommunityBot
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What has triggered the evolution of 6-0 formation in volleyball?
I have been playing volleyball since childhood. I started off with a 4-2 formation (2 defenders and 4 attackers). Then we moved on to 5-1. (i.e. 5 attackers and 1 defender) But nowadays, I have seen a ...
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Why do football teams announce their formation before the game starts?
While watching the pre-game for the 2015 Women's World Cup final, they said that Japan would be using a 4-3-3 formation. Why did Japan give up that strategic information? Wouldn't it be better to keep ...
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Why are some offensive formations illegal in American football?
In American football you have to have at least 7 players on the line of scrimmage. You can have more, but some of your players are then "covered" by others and are no longer eligible. What's the point ...
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Do teams announce their exact formations before a match?
Before football matches they usually show the formations of both teams, including who plays where, on TV.
As far as I am aware, according to the rules teams only have to provide the names and shirt ...
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Differences between fullbacks, halfbacks, and running backs
In American football, there are various position designations for runners that carry the ball across the line of scrimmage: full, half and running back.
Are there any differences between the three ...
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Is it allowed to play a cricket match without positioning any fielder as a wicket keeper?
In a cricket match , there are total 11 players which we called as playing eleven who will be there fielding and batting for a side.
There are different positions on which the fielders can be placed ...
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Particularly unconventional fielding positioning in baseball/softball
I have never seen fielders in positions that would hardly be recognisable as the "standard" positions, and probably for good reason. (I mean a positioning where a casual observer might have difficulty ...
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Why would Belichick spilt Gronk out wide against the Seahawks?
Bill Barnwell writes about the 2014-15 Super Bowl,
Gronkowski spent a surprising amount of time matched up early split
out as the world’s biggest decoy against Richard Sherman, but as the
game ...
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How can I recognize what formation a soccer/association football team is in?
When watching soccer on TV I often hear the commentators say stuff like, "They've come out in a 3-5-2, not their usual 4-4-2 in the hopes of ..." or "they've got so-and-so acting as 'false 9' today." ...
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Why is an I-formation back not a receiving threat?
I am reading Pat Kirwan's book, Take Your Eye Off the Ball, and he states in Chapter 4 (Ground Rules) that "a [running] back in the I formation is not considered a receiving threat."
Why is this so?
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3-4 outside linebacker vs. a 4-3 outside linebacker
It looks like a 3-4 outside linebacker is more of a standup DE with some additional duties that include playing in space. This position appears to be more of a 'point of attack' style position. A 4-3 ...
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Why is a 4-2-5 defense named as such?
I was watching a Bleacher Report video. In the video breaking down the TAMU-SC opener game, the narrator said, "Thanks to the abundance of linebacking talent, [SC] are looking to move to more of a 3-...
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What is the purpose for the formation rules?
I understand that seven men most be on the line of scrimmage for the offense at the snap of every play. Growing up I've heard this penalty called a multitude of times and recently I began pondering ...
Joe♦
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4-3 defensive end vs. a 3-4 defensive end
I recently asked a question about a 3-4 outside linebacker vs. a 4-3 outside linebacker so this is related.
Is a 3-4 end more of a hybrid tackle/END?
I think teams that use a 3-4 try to get their ...
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What football formations have been most prevalent in the English Premier League since 1992?
There are a handful of sites (example) discussing formations and their popularity, but few discuss what is popular in certain periods in specific leagues. What I'm looking for is an overview of what ...
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Improving 7 vs 7 team and strategy
I am part of a team that plays in an amateur league that also has a playoff at the end of the season. Our team is consisting of fit players that are not very tall but can run around a lot. However, ...
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Is there a specific order for soccer/football players entering the pitch at the beginning of the match?
I've always thought the order of the players entering the pitch was random after the Captain, who is always first, but for some reason this weekend I noticed that the goalkeeper was right behind the ...
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What do you call a play when the offensive line is on the side?
I saw recently in some video a play where only two guys, namely one who snaps and other one who catches a snap, were between the hash marks, but the offensive line was on the side of the line of ...
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How does a typical spread offense contrast from a typical pro-style offense?
In the NFL, several teams such as the Carolina Panthers (with Cam Newton), the San Francisco 49ers (with Colin Kaepernick), the Seattle Seahawks (with Russell Wilson), and the Washington Redskins (...
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Has 4-6-0 ever worked in high level football?
Seeing that Del Bosque is insisting on playing without a real striker in the Euro games, I came to wonder whether the 4-6-0 tactic he's trying to implement really ever worked for a team at this level.
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