What Is A Role Player?

什么是角色队员？

by Charlie Reznikoff  http://www.the-huddle.org/authors/charlie_reznikoff/

We've all seen certain players take over games, throwing hucks, getting lay out Ds, or getting open against good defenders. These players are revered. What is a role player? Everyone else.

我们都见过一些全能的比赛队员，他们能长传，能Layout-D, 能防守，或者能在很好的防守下拉开空档，他们都是为人所钦佩。但是什么才算是一名角色队员呢？每一名队员都是。

I avoid using the term "role player" because it implies a value judgment on those players who don't get the glory. The player who throws hucks isn't a role player. The player who uses his mark to stop the hucks is a role player. You might not notice the second guy but he's why his team wins games (instead you think the thrower "just had a bad game").

我尽量避免使用角色队员这个词，因为它会影响人们对那些不是很起眼的队员进行价值判断。如果说能扔长传的不是角色队员，而能用防守来阻止长传的是角色队员，这样或许你会忽视了那些在背后默默耕耘，但又是赢得比赛的关键人物，反而你会认为那个扔长传的人只是没发挥好。

The year Sub Zero went to semifinals their offense featured a slow player with bad throws whose job it was to set the stack and burn poaches. He played every O point and most points he didn't touch the disc. Because of him the primary cutter had a cutting lane. Sub Zero acknowledged this guy's contribution in the huddle, even though to other teams he was a joke. Had he not gotten credit for his role, he might have gotten greedy for the cutting lane. On every team, a few players will garner the attention and draw the cameras. The rest of us need to find ways to contribute quietly. How a team treats the players who don't get the glory affects the team's performance.

SUB ZERO（以下简称SZ）进入半决赛那年，他们的进攻组出现了一个跑不快扔不准的队员，他的作用只是排队（即竖排的第一个人）和找机会钻空挡，每一得分都没他的份，也几乎没有给他摸到盘发机会。但是，因为有了他，第一个CUT的人才能获得有了很好的路线。虽然在别的队看来他就是个打酱油的，SZ队却在会评时肯定了他的贡献。如果他在这个位置上没有被大家认可的话，也许他也会产生想要去CUT的贪念（因为能得盘）。在每个队伍，都有一些队员能吸引大家眼球，成为摄影师抓拍的对象，而剩下的队员却默默地寻求另外的方式做贡献。一个队伍的表现很大程度取决于队伍如何对待这些不起眼的队员。

Players should not be fitted to roles for strategic purposes. The role should be fitted to the player. Strategy in Ultimate and especially in college Ultimate is reactionary. In the 1990s almost all college teams played a vertical stack with two handlers. In the 2000s the Hodags brought the split-stack with three handlers and dominated. Today split-stack or some variant is widely used. People saw what worked and copied it. The thing is, split stack worked for the Hodags because it played to their strengths and because they understood it. As a strategy it is not in itself better than the vertical. As defenses adjust to the split and horizontal stacks, the vertical will come back. Every year 90% of college teams run approximately the same zone. A few teams did not get the memo, and they dream up their own zone. If these novel zones use the strengths of their players, they can surprise other teams. In Ultimate, roles are not platonic forms; they can be molded to the situation and to the player. A successful team uses whatever strategy best fits its players.

队员不应该被机械的固定在某个战术的各个位置上，而是应该由各个队员的特点来定位置。极限飞盘的战术（尤其在大学队伍）很保守的（即大家脑海里不是横排就是竖排，很少创新）。在90年代，几乎每个大学队伍都玩竖排，两个控盘手。在2000年代当Hogags引入了分排，三个控盘手后，这个队伍所向披靡。今天这分排战术或它的变体被广泛运用，人们看到哪个新战术管用就模仿它。问题是分排对Hodags来说管用，是因为它适合该队伍自身的优势，也因为他们能理解这个战术。单纯对战术来说，分排战术并不见得比竖排战术要好，当防守方调整成分排和横排队形后，竖排战术又会回来。每年有90%的大学队伍跑着相同的战术，一些队伍却没有领会到当中的精神，而是在凭空想象着自己的战术。如果这些新奇的战术能适合队伍自身的优势，他们就能让别的队伍大吃一惊。在极限飞盘中，每个角色并不是固定的，他们可以根据情况和队员自身优势来塑造。一个成功的队伍能够根据他们自己队员的优势来安排战术。

One of my first captains saw me working tirelessly to fix my weaknesses. "Don't do that," he said. "Spend 70% of your energy improving your strengths." He was right. I'll never win a game jumping. But I might win a game marking. Every player needs to excel in something, even if it's something subtle. When the player deploys that skill, his confidence grows, he'll relax, he'll play within himself, and the team will benefit. What he does won't get him on Clip of the Day. But he has developed a strength that he can count on in big moments. To develop a player, make him focus on his strengths. Then create a role for those strengths. As a team, celebrate his strengths. When he gets called a "role player," he'll just laugh. He knows what he's contributing.

我的一个队长看到我不知疲倦的奔跑时，立刻指出我的错误：“别那样跑，用7成力就行，利用好自己的优势。”他是对的，我不能以跳得高来赢得比赛，但我可以用防守来赢得比赛。每个队员都有自己所擅长的一点，哪怕很小（不像跳得高、跑得快，能LAYOUT那样的小特长）。当一个队员能发挥己之所长，他的信心就随之增长，他一有信心，就放松地打比赛，且能打出本色，他的队伍就能获益。他所做的也许不能让他成为当天的关键队员，但是却在关键时刻发挥了自己的优势。想要发展一个队员，请让他专注于他自身的优势，然后针对他的优势在整个战术中为他量身定制一个位置。作为一个队伍，请为他的特长欢呼吧，当他被称为“角色队员”时，他就会哈哈大笑。因为他知道自己所做出的贡献。

封面图由Scobel Wiggins拍摄：http://photos.scobelwigginsphotography.com/v/ultimate_001/