Explain the concepts of technique, tactics and strategy, and how they build on one another in a performance.

Concept understanding — Sport Technique

Sport Technique – From Intuition to Precision

You already know what "technique" means in everyday life. When you learn to ride a bicycle, you don't just pedal — you learn to balance, steer, and brake smoothly. That coordination of movements, the how of doing something efficiently, is technique. In sport, it's the same idea, but formalised.

Intuitively: Sport technique is the most efficient and effective way to perform a specific movement or skill in a given sport, given the rules and the athlete's body. It's the difference between a beginner flailing and a pro making it look effortless.

The Precise Statement

Sport Technique is the biomechanically and physiologically optimal pattern of movement for executing a specific sports skill, aimed at maximising performance (speed, accuracy, power, etc.) while minimising energy expenditure and risk of injury.

This definition has three pillars:

Biomechanical efficiency – using the body's levers, joints, and muscles in the right sequence (e.g., the kinetic chain in a tennis serve: legs → hips → torso → shoulder → arm → wrist → racket).
Physiological economy – not wasting energy. A poor technique burns more calories for less output.
Safety – correct technique protects joints, tendons, and muscles from overuse or acute injury.

Important

There is no single "perfect" technique for everyone. Optimal technique varies with an athlete's height, strength, flexibility, and even the equipment used. But the principles (like keeping the centre of mass stable, using the largest muscle groups first, and maintaining balance) are universal.

A Concrete Example: The Cricket Fast Bowler's Action

A raw beginner just runs and hurls the ball. That's inefficient and dangerous.

A technically sound fast bowler:

Uses a run-up that builds momentum without losing control.
Loads the back leg, coiling the hips and shoulders.
Braces the front leg at delivery, creating a stable base.
Follows through with the bowling arm across the body, not stopping abruptly.

Each of these steps is a piece of technique. The result: higher ball speed, better accuracy, and far less strain on the lower back and shoulder.

Watch out

| Common Mistake | Consequence |

|----------------|-------------|

| Bowling with a bent front leg | Loss of pace, increased knee stress |

| Dropping the non-bowling arm too early | Loss of shoulder alignment, reduced accuracy |

| Landing on the heel with a straight leg | Shock to the spine, risk of stress fractures |

How Technique Is Developed

It's not just "copy the pro." The process is: …

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Technique (correct movement) → strategy (pre-planned overall approach) → tactics (in-play adjustments): sound technique enables execution, strategy sets the plan, and tactics adapt it during the contest.

Technique is the basic, fundamental and correct way of performing a particular movement of a sport — e.g. the correct action of a tennis serve or a football pass. It is the foundation: only a movement performed correctly can be applied effectively.

Strategy is the overall plan of action prepared in advance, before the contest, based on the team's strengths and the opponent's expected play. It is long-term and thought out beforehand — e.g. planning a defensive, counter-attacking game against a stronger team.

Tactics are the immediate, on-the-spot decisions and adjustments made during the contest to respond to the actual situation and the opponent. They are short-term and flexible — e.g. switching to a fast counter-attack the moment the opponent's defence is exposed.

How they build on one another in a performance:

Technique must first be sound, so movements can be executed correctly and become reliable skills.
A strategy is then set before the contest to give an overall plan for using those skills. …

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Q.Explain the concepts of technique, tactics and strategy, and how they build on one another in a performance.

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