Identification of non-specific tactical tasks in invasion games

Background and significance: The notion of transferability (i.e. sampling) has been put forward as one of four core pedagogical principles for games teaching. The sampling principle was based on the premise that it may be possible to show the existence of tactical similarities between apparently dissimilar games, leading to a much better overall understanding of games. However, research has yet to empirically identify tactical problems that are non-specific. This means that they are not specific to any one game, and commonly occur across all invasion games (i.e. soccer, team handball, field hockey) which involve different techniques or skills. Thus, the non-specific framework suggests that unlike motor competencies, it may be possible to train tactical transfer independently of particular movement techniques. A deeper understanding of which kinds of non-specific tactical tasks exist in invasion games would aid teachers and coaches in structuring invasion game units/lessons according to tactical content while offering a variety of games experiences to young children and may further provide a setting in which to assess game performance. While the concept of tactical transfer has been empirically tested in two studies in net/wall game contexts there has been little empirical evaluation of tactical transfer in invasion games, especially for young children (i.e. under 8 years).