Components of Match Play: Tactics and Patterns

How do you develop tactics and patterns based on strategy and game style?

In the first article in this series, we looked at the first two components of match play, Strategy and Game Style. (Click Here.) Now let’s look at the other two components: Tactics and Patterns. Let’s see how players can develop tactics and patterns based on their strategy and game styles.

As I said in that first article, there is considerable confusion among coaches and players regarding the terminology used to describe the components of match play.

Different coaches use different terms to describe the same components. Or they use multiple terms interchangeably. This can make understanding what is actually happening–and communicating it–more difficult.

In this series, I am offering my own way of looking at these four components. I believe this can improve clarity when analyzing competitive matches. I also believe that it can improve communication between coaches and players, and therefore help players at all levels improve their results.

With versatile players, tactical options can be almost infinite.

Tactics

As we said in the first article, the first two components are Strategy and Game Style.

Strategy is the overall plan to win a match against a…