Playbook

Our Play Style For 2022/23

This year, we are going to change the way we play and use hex as our main offensive strategy. I believe that this will not only create major improvements in our offence but also make the game more fun to play and improve fresher recruitment.

Why hex?

I believe that hex has the potential to be a major tactical improvement for our offence, and I think it will especially suit us as a relatively short but agile team. I also think that it suits the inevitable poor weather conditions that we will face in BUCS games. However, that is not the only reason for the change. I think that hex could actually massively improve our fresher intake. Here's why:

  1. Hex is more similar to how other sports (e.g. football, netball) are played. It involves a more fluid structure and uses quick, short passes. This style of play may feel more familiar to people.

  2. It's easier for people who can't throw very well. Short, easy backhands are encouraged and made way more possible by hex.

  3. You feel more involved and you can't really do a movement that's "wrong". In hex everyone is engaged at once, and problems like people cutting from the front of stack don't exist.

I also think that continued teaching of hex and flex concepts will create a more intelligent crop of new players, as it will create better pitch awareness and teach everyone a wide range of skills which they can use in any system.

What Happens to Vert and Horo?

The idea is that tactics like vert stack and horo will never be the default strategy at the start of a game (when playing outdoors). Instead, they will be thought of as set plays which we use in certain situations and/or tactics which we will switch to when we are experiencing specific problems in-game.

Situations for vert stack:

  • In the end zone: If we fail to score in flow using hex or if we get a turnover near the end zone, vert stack will still be used for our end zone plays, as before.

  • No space: If we are struggling to find space when we cut, perhaps due to the opposition being very good at switching, then we may try vert stack.

  • Indoors: Vert stack may still be our main tactic indoors.

Situations for horo:

  • Messy offence: If we are having problems with people cutting into the same spaces and it's getting too messy, we may switch to horo so that we have some more structured offense.

  • Creating deep options: We may also use horo if we are struggling to gain yards and we want to create space for more deep cuts. This would only be done in low wind conditions.

Other Tactical Changes

Here are a few other minor tactical changes that you may wish to check out: