Gamesmanship facts for kids
Gamesmanship is the art of using clever or sneaky methods to win a game or get a big advantage, without actually breaking the rules. Think of it as "pushing the rules to the limit without getting caught."
The idea is that you are playing for the "game" (to win at all costs) instead of for the "sport," which is where the idea of sportsmanship comes from. The term became famous from a funny book written in 1947 by Stephen Potter called The Theory and Practice of Gamesmanship (or the Art of Winning Games without Actually Cheating).
Contents
The Story of Gamesmanship
The idea for the book came from a real-life tennis match. The author, Stephen Potter, and his friend, a philosopher named C. E. M. Joad, were playing against two younger, more athletic men. Potter and Joad were losing badly.
During the match, Joad hit a serve that went way out, landing about 12 feet behind the line. As the opponents got ready for the next point, Joad calmly called across the net, "Kindly say clearly, please, whether the ball was in or out."
The young opponents were polite university students. They were confused by the question because the ball was obviously out. They offered to play the point again, but Joad said no. This small comment made the young players feel like their honesty was being questioned. It distracted them so much that their game fell apart. Potter and Joad ended up winning the match!
Common Gamesmanship Tactics
Gamesmanship tricks usually fall into a few categories. The main goal is often to break the other player's concentration or "flow."
Making Your Opponent Lose Focus
These tricks are all about interrupting the rhythm of the game.
- In darts, a player might take a very long time to pull their darts out of the board, making their opponent wait.
- In sports like soccer, a player might pretend to be injured to delay the game.
- In billiards or snooker, a player might stand in their opponent's line of sight and then move away at the last second, pretending they were just trying to get out of the way.
- In baseball, a batter can call a time-out right as the pitcher is about to throw the ball, messing up the pitcher's rhythm.
- In tennis, a player might take a long time between serves or take a bathroom break right when their opponent is on a winning streak.
- In American football, a team will often call a timeout just before the other team's kicker attempts a game-winning field goal. This is called "icing the kicker" and is meant to make them nervous.
- In sprint races, a runner might fidget in the starting blocks, hoping to make other runners nervous enough to get a false start.
Getting Inside an Opponent's Head
These methods are designed to make an opponent overthink things or lose confidence.
- Giving your opponent vague "advice" that sounds helpful but actually just makes them confused about what they're doing.
- Pretending you don't care about the game or that "this isn't your best sport." This is a way of tricking your opponent into thinking you're not very good.
- The opposite can also work. Acting very confident, even whistling while you take a difficult shot, can make your opponent feel like you're on a whole different level.
- In basketball, a team might call a timeout right before a player shoots important free throws. This is called "icing the shooter" and gives the player too much time to think and get nervous.
Using "Mistakes" to Your Advantage
Sometimes, a player will make a "mistake" on purpose to gain an advantage. This is very close to cheating.
- In baseball, a fielder might intentionally drop a pop-up fly ball to create a force play and get more outs. This trick led to the creation of the infield fly rule to stop it.
Using these kinds of tricks is risky. If you're caught, you can be given a penalty and will be seen as a "bad sport."
Gamesmanship in Soccer
In soccer, there are many unwritten rules about sportsmanship. For example, if a player is injured, the other team will often kick the ball out of play to stop the game. When play restarts, the team with the injured player is expected to give the ball back.
Gamesmanship happens when a team decides not to give the ball back. While it's not against the rules, it is considered very poor sportsmanship.
Another common tactic is faking an injury to get the referee to stop the game, breaking the other team's momentum.
Goalkeepers also use gamesmanship during penalty shootouts.
Is Gamesmanship Good or Bad?
Gamesmanship exists in a gray area between clever strategy and outright cheating. People who use it believe that if it's not against the rules, it's fair game. They see it as a mental battle as much as a physical one.
However, many people believe in "pure play." They think games should be played for the fun of it and that winning should come from skill, not from tricking your opponent. They believe that true sportsmanship is more important than winning at any cost.
In the end, while gamesmanship might help you win a match, it might not win you many friends or fans.
