The “Small Ball” Philosophy

No offense can be relied upon to score on every possession. If we can agree on this statement, then we can agree that the strategy of offense is not merely to score points. Strategically, an offense can be designed to consume the opponent’s offensive opportunities and to assist the defense by lengthening the opponent’s scoring drives. Simplistically speaking, every play you run deprives your opponent of a play, and every yard you gain is a yard your opponent needs to gain back. In a sense, you can play defense with your offense, and this strategy is of significant benefit against the most talented teams in your league. We call the application of this strategy “small ball” and it can be expressed by the strategic prerogatives of:

1. Staying on schedule
2. Moving the sticks
3. Flipping the field
4. Shortening the game