@article{ref1,
title="Information-governing dynamics of attacker-defender interactions in youth rugby union",
journal="Journal of sports sciences",
year="2008",
author="Passos, Pedro and Araújo, Duarte and Davids, Keith and Gouveia, Luis and Milho, João and Serpa, Sidónio",
volume="26",
number="13",
pages="1421-1429",
abstract="Previous work on dynamics of interpersonal interactions in 1 vs. 1 sub-phases of basketball has identified changes in interpersonal distance between an attacker and defender as a potential control parameter for influencing organizational states of attacker-defender dyads. Other studies have reported the constraining effect of relative velocity between an attacker and defender in 1 vs. 1 dyads. To evaluate the relationship between these candidate control parameters, we compared the impact of both interpersonal distance and relative velocity on the pattern-forming dynamics of attacker-defender dyads in the sport of rugby union. <br><br>RESULTS revealed that when interpersonal distance achieved a critical value of less than 4 m, and relative velocity values increased or were maintained above 1 m x s(-1), a successful outcome (i.e. clean attempt) for an attacker was predicted. Alternatively, when values of relative velocity suddenly decreased below this threshold, at the same critical value of interpersonal distance, a successful outcome for the defender was predicted. Data demonstrated how the coupling of these two potential, nested control parameters moved the dyadic system to phase transitions, characterized as a try or a tackle. Observations suggested that relative velocity increased its influence on the organization of attacker-defender dyads in rugby union over time as spatial proximity to the try line increased.<p /><p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0264-0414",
doi="10.1080/02640410802208986",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02640410802208986"
}