Impact roles: The decisive positions in sports

Team sports are all about teamwork, execution, and trust in one another. Each player in the team has their own specific role to play and how well they play their roles, more often than not, dictates the outcome of the game. Just as there are multiple players that comprise a team, so too are there various roles each player can fill, with these being either defensive or offensive pieces that may at times overlap with one another.

The LaSallian takes a deeper look at four unique player roles that have a significant impact in their respective sports specifically, the point guard in basketball, the pitcher in baseball, the libero in volleyball, and the goalkeeper in football.

THE POINT GUARD

In basketball, the point guard holds one of the heaviest burdens in the game. There is a huge responsibility that comes with the position because the point guard is usually the first player to get this hands on the ball. Green Archer Kib Montalbo shares that the responsibility of being a point guard is like being the coach’s extension on the court.

“As point guard, you need to be the leader inside the court, kasi you can see your teammates and opponents,” says Montalbo. “You dictate everything [in the game].”

Compared to the shooting guard, whose primary role is to score offensively, the point guard assumes a more tactical role by becoming the one to direct the other players. Although there are also instances wherein the other players may assume the floor general role, with the point guard taking on another role in that possession.

“In our system, the shooting guard and even the small forward can also bring the ball down and call the plays,” shares Montalbo.

THE LIBERO

Among the six players on the court in a volleyball game, the libero is the one player whose primary concern is defense. Their main priority is to receive the ball once it crosses over to their side of the net whether through a serve or any other hit. Dawn Macandili, the starting libero for the DLSU Lady Spikers, shares her insights on her role in the team. She says that aside from just receiving the ball from a defensive point of view, the libero must also be able to set up the counterattack on their first touch.

“‘Yun yung pinaka first na ginagawa–pagka-serve [ng bola], ire-receive. So dapat priority ng libero na mataas ng maganda sa setter yung first ball para makapag-play sila,” shares Macandili.

According to her, the libero is also the one who has to communicate the most with her teammates, especially when they have to receive and defend an attack from the opposition. “Kailangan siya yung nago-organize ng defense tsaka receive sa likod kasi hindi naman lahat ng responsibility kailangan nasa captain–siya yung magaayos ng team,” Macandili says.

Overall, the libero can be considered a supportive role to the rest of the cast since their main job is to help in defense and receive the shots that their teammates can’t get. Macandili explains, “As a libero, siguro isang malaking tulong siya for our teammates na mahina sa receive or sa defense. Pwede mong palitan sa likod to make the defense and receive stronger.”

THE PITCHER

Similar to the point guard in basketball, the pitcher in baseball also sets the pace on the defensive side of the game. Pitcher Diego Lozano shares how crucial and difficult it is to assume the position saying, “It is not easy. Pitchers control the defense like if [he] pitches bad, it could cost you a game. If a pitcher pitches well, even if the offense isn’t doing that well [but] the pitcher is doing really well, the game will still be close.”

Being a sport that also leans heavily on mental preparation, there are certain characteristics that a pitcher must have. Lozano explains, “Confidence is key, especially for pitchers because you have to be confident on what pitch you’ll throw. You have to make sure you know what you’re doing.”

Apart from this, he adds that a pitcher’s mental toughness is also important as it can affect his teammates on the field. “If the defense sees the pitcher is a bad pitcher, the defense will get disheartened and they will get affected by the pitcher’s performance. But if the defense sees the pitcher to be confident, the defense will be as confident as the pitcher,” shares Lozano.

THE GOALKEEPER

One of the more arguably crucial and pressure-packed positions to play in football is the goalkeeper. DLSU’s goalkeeper Paeng De Guzman sums it up when he says, “If there’s no goalkeeper it’s a sure goal.”

Being the last line of defense, the goalkeeper is the team’s last resort to defend an ongoing attack that threatens to score. For De Guzman, this is one of the most important roles on the field. “It’s the heart of the team and it’s the core of the defense,” De Guzman adds.

This being said, it is important for any football team to have an effective goalkeeper. With more than 10 years of experience in playing goalkeeper, De Guzman says that to be an effective goalkeeper, one must be a hard worker, have good reflexes, and be attentive. Apart from this, the keeper also has the responsibility to lead and direct the other players since among the others on the field, the keeper is the one who has the most field of vision by standing before the goal.

Looking into each of these individual roles brings up two important realizations when it comes to playing team based sports– each position matters and communication is key. Though only four of the many unique roles were featured in this article, the testimonies of each of these athletes are evidence that the roles they play do not entail easy tasks. In their own way, these individual positions have the ability to affect others but they too need the help of their teammates. In the end, that’s how a team should play–by trusting and depending on each other.