Sunday, October 9, 2022

Asymmetrical Warfare: Fast Five; Plus Triple Lagniappe (Something Extra)

"Famed policymaker and diplomat Henry Kissinger once commented that ''the guerrilla wins if he does not lose. The conventional army loses if it does not win.""

This column applies only where we have accepted, profound disadvantage by talent and/or circumstances. How can we best compete against overwhelming force? 

1. Cheat. Sportsmanship and morality aside, we could ask how this could would even be possible? There's no dealing from the bottom of the deck. 

2. Create a unique game plan. In The Games that Changed the Game, Ron Jaworski describes strategies such as the Patriots' focus on taking Marshall Faulk out of the game. In 1971, Alabama's Bear Bryant won the USC rematch springing the wishbone on the Trojans. That's not realistic for almost all of us. A knowledge of history might encourage us to try. 

3. Shorten the game. Historically, that included "stall ball" to reduce the number of possessions and scoring chances.  

4. Build skill. In our boys basketball league, Lexington has both tradition and high enrollment with 1109 boys in 2021-22. Watertown High has 381 boys. But over years, Watertown has played Lexington relatively even and won multiple state championships. How? They have one philosophy from youth to varsity basketball and the great Steve Harrington as coach. When you know you'll face the iron every year, prepare for it. 

5. Reduce mistakes. Coach Bob Knight reminds us, "basketball is a game of mistakes." Turnovers, missed assignments, and poor transition defense get multiplied against better competition. To forge the biggest upsets, find ways to curtail errors. 

Lagniappe. Be hungry to prepare to win. 

Lagniappe 2. Deal with conflict; we have no choice. 

Lagniappe 3. It's not enough to have five good players out there. They must be connected. 

 

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