The Play

 A "play" in sports is nothing but a standardize way to play the game of the sport that's being played.  Within a play, there are a lot of elements that go into performing a play.  Different elements that go into performing a play is formation, what action is being performed in the play, and what are all options in the play that should be looked at in attempting to reach team goals in the game.  Coaches, what is your play?  How does your team learn all elements that make up the play?  For example, any business or organization you work for have policies.  Policies are the "plays" within an organization.  Procedures are the elements that employees learn to make policies work and without procedure, there is no policy, without policy, there's no reason for procedure.  How will your team be successful?

Formation
What are your formations within your play?  Your players must know the bases of your plays so they can get a clearer picture of how the play should be ran.  For example, in basketball on offense you may have a play call based on a 3 out 2 in formation.  Can your players articulate that the formation of the play is 3 out 2 in? Strengthening a player's IQ in this area will always help for better execution of the play being ran to reach team goals.  Different ways to help players with this would be film, repetition in practice, or constant teaching of different types of formations and the breakdowns of them.

The Action Performed In The Play
What's the action you are trying to accomplish within the flow of your play?  This is another IQ stretcher right here.  Your players need to understand what action is going on within a play they need to read and react to.  For example, in basketball, ball screens may be the action that you want to accomplish within your play.  Can your players articulate it?  You must break down all different areas of the action, (ball screens) you are looking for to your players.  Repetition is key with this as well.  The more players understand, the more effective the play will be.

What Are The Options Players Can Use
What options are you looking for your players to find within your play?  It's always good to have multiple options to hit within the flow of plays for your players to execute at a high level.  Before players can understand options, they must understand the formation and the actions within the play.  Here again, increasing a player's IQ with teaching and repetition will help your players know all options to hit within a play.  You can't put all your eggs in one basket!

     Now that we have discussed three elements within a "play," remember what was mentioned in the first paragraph; "a play is nothing but a standardize way to play the game."  As much teaching and repetition that goes into players being equipped with all the different elements of a play to run that play to perfection, a key phrase to remember is "play the game."  Coaches, players can run plays more freely to showcase their talent within the play if you break down the play so they can "play."