Re: How Much Defense Can You Play?
Quote:
Originally Posted by bduddy
(Post 1224029)
I think that many of the teams assuming there will be less defense in the qualification rounds are forgetting that this year, unlike almost every other, there is no deterrent in the ranking system to play defense. Yes, many teams will still play based on old assumptions and neglect defense during qualifications, but wiser teams may not and those robots assuming a lack of defense may be in a tough position.
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Further, getting into a defensive position (vs full courters) is much easier than many other years. Dunkers that weren't defended against in 2012 are overlooking the barrier across the field that few teams crossed in quals, and that they were scoring from their own zone: not protected, but also not sitting on the other side of the court in a whopping 20" loading area.
To teams unaccustomed to elim play, there's a world of difference between looking over at the other side of the court [from your robot] and seeing someone dunk, versus having someone zip frisbees down the field while sitting essentially next to you. (Location, location, location!) Better to compare it to 2010 than 2012, when defenders were naturally very close to scorers--one of the (many) reasons those quals were so slow. And this time full court low-shooters are much easier to block; they're not even moving. It's obvious for eager defenders and smart would-be alliance captains. Scorers who aren't that great might not be willing to give up offense altogether [often what stymied 2012], but unlike prior years, they don't have to--it's right next door!
All that said, defensive strategy is otherwise quite intricate this year. (It's not all as broad-side-of-a-barn as low loading zone shots are.) |
