On this week we have Matt Farmer breaking down the 2017 Battle for LA, otherwise known as the 2017 NCAA National Championship between UCLA and USC.
This time we have something a bit different in terms of game links. The NCAA game link is to the broadcasted version of the game, with some of the creature comforts we are used too when watching sports (Scoreboard, clock, commentary, etc.) However the second link was provided to us by Matt himself, and provides a much more environment focused approach to the game.
NCAA Link: 2017 NCAA Championship: UCLA vs. USC
Matt Link: 2017 NCAA Championship: UCLA vs. USC
Matt Farmer Breakdown:
The most important takeaways from this game as a whole are the concepts of Presence and Emotional Control
Presence- staying focused on the task at hand, staying in the moment:
- It was easy to get lost in the atmosphere of this game as a player- due to rivalry, crowd and stakes
- The challenge is to block out all of the noise and emotion from the environment and keep your mind in the pool
Things to look for:
- Early in the game you will see certain players interacting with the crowd in an exaggerated fashion which will lead to mental errors very quickly
- This will continue throughout the game and where someone will lose their focus and quickly make a large error.
Emotional Control- the ability to stay level headed:
- When something bad happens- not getting down or angry
- When something good happens- finding the appropriate moments to be excited and not to let your excitement carry on too long
Things to look for:
- Throughout the entirety of the game you will see one team staying relatively calm while the other team (including their bench) will have strong reactions to all of the good things and bad things that happen, even when the timing is inappropriate
- The expenditure of emotional and physical energy during these times becomes crucial as the game goes on, you will witness one team having much more left in the tank than the other.
- It will be very obvious which team has more energy left from the start of the 4th quarter.
AllAccess Breakdown:
The battle of LA raged on, UCLA and USC have always had some of the most entertaining rivalries through the 6 of the last 9 championships between these two teams.
There were quite a few USA Men’s National Team players across both rosters, making for a lot of fun back and forth during the game.
Lots of good defense, and a ton of field blocks throughout the game. Makes you wonder if the familiarity between USAMNT teammates and the frequency in which these teams play, played a factor.
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