Football analyst terms - what does "spread', "transition" and "overlap" mean

[Gavin Excell]

Was listening to 3AW's David King previewing last nights Carlton v St kilda match and really had no idea what he was on about with his references to Carlton's superior spread, transition and overlap.

I have a vague idea spread may mean to run and create options to receive a pass but I am guessing.

Can anyone shed some light on these new fangled terms?

 

[Lyyynnnchy]

Spread is pretty self explanitory I would have thought as is overlap.

Overlap - One persons running and you have an "overlapping" person run from behind to get the next handball.

Spread - Someone takes a mark or there is a free kick, all players "spread" from the congestion to provide an option.

 

[Chewy]

Spread refers to when players from one team break away from their set positions at a stoppage or defensive zone and run in all directions, as they try to find space (to receive a pass or become an attacking threat)

Transition refers to the way in which teams go from defense to attack, backline to forward line. Everyone is back defending and then they get possession. The transition is how they move the ball from one end of the ground and into their forward fifty

Overlap is a term borrowed from Rugby, where a player runs to support a teammate in possession, usually alongside him, creating a two on one situation in that area of the field, a bit like the old-fashioned "loose man". But instead of the teammate being forwards of the play and waiting for a handball over the top, the player runs hard from behind his teammate in possession. Think of when a rugby team attacks the try line, throwing each pass further out wide and then an inside player runs east-west towards the wing and creates the extra man (overlap) out wide. Same deal in the AFL, but a bit more loose, a bit slower in itts execution

St Kilda and Collingwood both excelled at the forward pressing defense and made last year's Grand Final, but the big difference between the two sides was Collindwood's ability to spread quicker and be more effective in transition. Whenever St Kilda won possession they were more likely to stop, hold thongs up, play slower and be more deliberate

 

[stugots]

Spread refers to when players from one team break away from their set positions at a stoppage or defensive zone and run in all directions, as they try to find space (to receive a pass or become an attacking threat)

Transition refers to the way in which teams go from defense to attack, backline to forward line. Everyone is back defending and then they get possession. The transition is how they move the ball from one end of the ground and into their forward fifty

Overlap is a term borrowed from Rugby, where a player runs to support a teammate in possession, usually alongside him, creating a two on one situation in that area of the field, a bit like the old-fashioned "loose man". But instead of the teammate being forwards of the play and waiting for a handball over the top, the player runs hard from behind his teammate in possession. Think of when a rugby team attacks the try line, throwing each pass further out wide and then an inside player runs east-west towards the wing and creates the extra man (overlap) out wide. Same deal in the AFL, but a bit more loose, a bit slower in itts execution

St Kilda and Collingwood both excelled at the forward pressing defense and made last year's Grand Final, but the big difference between the two sides was Collindwood's ability to spread quicker and be more effective in transition. Whenever St Kilda won possession they were more likely to stop, hold thongs up, play slower and be more deliberate

beautifully enunciated

 

[Chewy]

These terms are borrowed from other codes, but they are't used merely for effect, so the person can sound cool. eg I hate the way people use the NBA term, "Shot ON goal" instead of shot at goal

The reason why David King uses these words is because the players and coaches use these words. The clubs focus of these areas of their game. It's an intrinsic part of today's football.

 

[Wallaby]

It means that David King has read 'How to improve your vocabulary' in the 1978 Readers Digest at the doctor's.

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

It's meaningless dribble, but something we have to tolerate if we want to watch a basic game.

 

[Gavin Excell]

Spread refers to when players from one team break away from their set positions at a stoppage or defensive zone and run in all directions, as they try to find space (to receive a pass or become an attacking threat)

Transition refers to the way in which teams go from defense to attack, backline to forward line. Everyone is back defending and then they get possession. The transition is how they move the ball from one end of the ground and into their forward fifty

Overlap is a term borrowed from Rugby, where a player runs to support a teammate in possession, usually alongside him, creating a two on one situation in that area of the field, a bit like the old-fashioned "loose man". But instead of the teammate being forwards of the play and waiting for a handball over the top, the player runs hard from behind his teammate in possession. Think of when a rugby team attacks the try line, throwing each pass further out wide and then an inside player runs east-west towards the wing and creates the extra man (overlap) out wide. Same deal in the AFL, but a bit more loose, a bit slower in itts execution

St Kilda and Collingwood both excelled at the forward pressing defense and made last year's Grand Final, but the big difference between the two sides was Collindwood's ability to spread quicker and be more effective in transition. Whenever St Kilda won possession they were more likely to stop, hold thongs up, play slower and be more deliberate

Excellent thanks.

 

[Gavin Excell]

It's meaningless dribble, but something we have to tolerate if we want to watch a basic game.

It certainly was easier in the old days of 2 years ago when experts spoke simply of "structures" and "processes"

I heard "reverse zonal press" the other day and thought thats enough just kick the f....ng thing.

 

[stugots]

I heard "reverse zonal press" the other day and thought thats enough just kick the f....ng thing.

yeh me too & here I was thinking that was just a 'bedroom' term

 

[The Speaker]

I like a good technical term.

But these sound more like middle management words, I'm afraid.

 

[Lockyer24]

My take is

Spread - As all players from both sides are virtually now instructed to always be at most 70m from the ball when in dispute, spread refers to how swiftly the offensive team runs into space either forward or diagonally once they win the ball at a stoppage. The good hard running attacking teams obviously do this well, especially those who now also compliment it with a 'forward press'. Collingwood are regularly commended for their ability to spread due to their glut of midfielders who kick goals.
Teams like St Kilda do not, as they seem to be coached to be more conservative and cover their defenders.

Transition - A sides ability to switch from defensive "formation" to an attacking system. Melbourne last weekend was the perfect example against Adelaide, they were able to defend in numbers but then move the ball at speed through the corridor once they gained possession.

Overlap - Due to zoning, it is now more difficult to find space in your midfield and forward half. With overlap the idea is to hold the ball, run and carry and suck players towards you, eventually creating space roughly in the area they were for your teammates to run into over the back. The key is to get a numerical advantage of 2:1 or 3:2 and draw the defenders to free up a loose man at the end of the chain.
Geelong mastered this, now Collingwood is doing it a lot more, albeit in their usual fashion down the wings right along the boundary line.

 

[DanA]

More then the meaning you need to understand why they are important.

Spread is important because players need to instantly choose the right role. Do you duck out the back and create an easy out? Do you protect the ball carrier with a a Sheppard? support him with a handball option? Move further up the field as a kick option? and avoid moving into a leading players space. Good teams like Collingwood I think are easily the best at it. They are exceptionally good at spreading from a contest and getting everybody to play their role and have a meaningful contribution. So often you'll see Pendlebury, Didak or Swan (their best users) get on the end of it and deliver the ball down the ground but it's all the little things leading up to that which make the difference. It's a team effort.


Transition is the same. Take Scarlett for instance. One of his big strengths is he is quicker reading the play than his opponent and takes advantage of that. He'll transition from manning an opponent to zoning off and filling space, spoiling, helping win the ground ball and then getting forward coming out of defence. All players do this, the good players do this transition better and I think Scarlett is one of them. This is just an individual example but the Geelong's team as a whole I think do this the best in the league.

Overlap is simply running past and offering an option. Using Geelong as an example you'll see Varcoe get the ball coming out of defence and kicking up the field. He'll kick to a team mate and keep running hard busting his ass to provide an option for the handball recieve. His opponent is trailing and if Varcoe can open a gap he can continue to give Geelong a numerical advantage at each contest. If skills are clean and team mates execute well. Varcoe might be able to maintain that gap over an opponent and overlap two or three times continually getting the handball receive as he overlaps ending in a shot on goal. Varcoe is great at it, Swan and Didak are probably two of the best as well.

 

[seanoff]

Ohhh Errol on the NM board has a text book example of spread.

with piccies and video, a truly great bigfooty post.

http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/showthread.php?t=823454

in truth probably explains transition and overlap as well.

 

[LordLucifer]

All three terms are nothing more than new-age football wank !!!

 

[Power King]

How can they be new-age football wank or meaningless dribble when Chewy explained exactly what the terms mean, and how important they are as technical aspects of the modern game?

Are people stuck in the 60's and 70's where the main tactic was to bang the ball on the boot in order to launch it into forward oblivion? These people have lost touch with the sport and I for one am glad that it is a more advanced game these days, despite some of the bullshit rulings we have seen in recent times.

 

[Bassy]

I see spread as when a team get's the ball, the players for that team run into space so they are a passing option.

Transition is from defense to attack. The best teams once they have the ball use their defenders to run the ball into their forward line.

Overlap is simple 2 on 1 for the team with the ball. Or if a player marks the ball and gives it off to a player running towards the goal.

I dislike the new term pressure acts but the above are simple terms that take into account work rate and tactics while overlap has always been down even if it's probably called something else like the 1,2.

 

[Crow_Magnon]

Don't ask Neil Craig what they mean, he clearly had no idea on the weekend...whereas Melbourne excelled at all three!

 

[PieNSauce]

The spread generally refers to peanut butter but occasionally get's substituted (as opposed to interchanged) with Vegemite or even just pure butter. The transition of course, is the act of taking the sandwich and putting (transitioning) it to your mouth while the overlap refers to the fact that as you eat the sandwich the slices tend to diminish irregularly until the upper slice tends to overlap or overhang the lower slice at the back to some extent. This can become so pronounced that it actually transitions into what has become known as the fat side.

 

[Katherine Amateurs]

Overlap is a term borrowed from Rugby, where a player runs to support a teammate in possession, usually alongside him, creating a two on one situation in that area of the field, a bit like the old-fashioned "loose man". But instead of the teammate being forwards of the play and waiting for a handball over the top, the player runs hard from behind his teammate in possession. Think of when a rugby team attacks the try line, throwing each pass further out wide and then an inside player runs east-west towards the wing and creates the extra man (overlap) out wide. Same deal in the AFL, but a bit more loose, a bit slower in itts execution

One thing that bugs me is that I thought in rugby that the overlap was at the end of your line. In rugby teams deliberately pass about 3 or 4 players from the end of the line so that you have your wing out on the far end by him(her)self. This causes your team to 'overlap' your opponent lines?

In AFL we seem to have borrowed the term for any player running past.

Have I got the Rugby term wrong or am I justifiably yelling at the TV?

 

[skipper kelly]

Back in the day if you heard the word process you would run and hide.

 

[BlueTouchPaper]

Ohhh Errol on the NM board has a text book example of spread.

with piccies and video, a truly great bigfooty post.

http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/showthread.php?t=823454

in truth probably explains transition and overlap as well.

That is overlap, for mine. Geelong already have the football, and begin to 'run in waves', ie 'overlap'.

Spread doesn't really apply in that situation so much, as the players are already loose from their zoning defense.

Spread, to my mind, is when a contest is won by a (clearance) player and the receivers, realising their team has possession, abandons their commitment to the contest and their opponent, and begins to take up advanced attacking positions.

It is most effective when a player can so totally isolate their opponent, that they immediately create a numbers mismatch with the opposition team. The spread makes the overlap more damaging. Jolly and Leigh Brown are such damaging forwards because they utilise the spread with glaring regularity. They rarely (bar Leigh Brown's killer 4 goal quarter) take contested marks on their direct opponents when in the F50 because they commit so early to their teams forward foray - leaving slow-to-commit ruckman in their wake.

The most conducive conditions to seeing the 'spread' is when there is some form of umpire intervention (ie A ball-up, throw-in or free-kick) especially between the 50 arcs, or any other similar contested situations.

Collingwood were the best at this last year, and it has more to do with conviction of the gameplan than talent or pace, as players are more easily able to abandon their defensive responsibilities when they believe the zone or team defense will cover their direct opponent should the opposition get the ball.

FWIW, 'spread' may become less relevant as teams become more and more zone orientated, however due to the roles of midfielders and ruckman especially at the centre bounce, it will always be important to some degree in your team effectively controlling the play once the ball leaves the middle.

 

[Underdog]

One thing that bugs me is that I thought in rugby that the overlap was at the end of your line. In rugby teams deliberately pass about 3 or 4 players from the end of the line so that you have your wing out on the far end by him(her)self. This causes your team to 'overlap' your opponent lines?

In AFL we seem to have borrowed the term for any player running past.

Have I got the Rugby term wrong or am I justifiably yelling at the TV?

In the AFL, the lines are perpendicular to the direction the player is heading.

So if you have the footy from a mark, the opposition may setup along 20m from you, 40m and 60m in a zone. From there, the play is very stagnate.

The idea of creating overlap and breaking the lines is that you'll give it to a player who will run 10m before kicking and thus can kick over the 60m line or is better positioned to find space between the lines.

 

[Vinnie Vegas]

These terms are borrowed from other codes, but they are't used merely for effect, so the person can sound cool. eg I hate the way people use the NBA term, "Shot ON goal" instead of shot at goal

Umm... That term has never been used by anyone in reference to the NBA.

No one calls the basket in the NBA the "goal" even though that may be it's technical name. I'm trying to figure out how you've convinced yourself that it's a basketball term...

I hate the way people complain about terms as though they're "too American", or related to another sport - Like the complaints about the term "quarterback". If we use halfback, and full back, then wouldn't quarterback follow logicially in being an assessment of where a player plays, somewhere in between the two?

 

[Wood_Duck]

OK, while we are at it.

How do you fold back on your opponent?