TACTICS

IN ADDITION TO PLAYING THE STROKES AND BEING ABLE TO ORGANISE THEM TO PLAY A BREAK, YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO ORGANISE YOUR PLAY TO EFFECTIVELY IMPACT ON YOUR OPPOSITION'S PLAY OR RESPOND EFFECTIVELY TO THEIR PLAY.

THIS ADDS AN EXCITING DIMENSION TO THE GAME WHERE YOU ATTEMPT TO INFLUENCE WHAT YOUR OPPONENT DOES.

YOUR DEMEAMOUR  Such things as whether you are a positive, attacking player or a negative, defensive player can have quite an impact. I was fortunate to be taught by Tom Howat, a positive, attacking player who is still regarded as Australia's greatest player. As a positive, yet relatively conservative person, I have only of late heeded some of his advice and become much more aggressive in my play and am reaping the rewards that brings. So I would like to share with you what this involves.

The aim of any game is to score more points or goals than your opponent or complete a course in less time or strokes than your opponent. In all forms of croquet the person who has scored the most hoops at the end of the game is the winner. So my approach is to play in a way that enables me to primarily score hoops for myself rather than waste time trying to prevent the opposition from scoring hoops.

POSITIVE, ATTACKING PLAY HAS YOU 'IN THE FACE' OF YOUR OPPONENT ALL THE TIME. IT CREATES CONFIDENCE FOR YOU, ERODES CONFIDENCE IN THE OPPOSTION.

1. THE TOSS. The choices that are available as a result of this simple act can have a bearing on the game.
    If you win the toss you have three options - to go first (to take first play), to go second (to take second play) or to
    choose which colours you will play with.
   (a) Going First offers you the chance of being the first player to gain control of the game by having your two balls
         together so it is easy to roquet on the fifth turn and start the sequence of strokes which leads to hoop making.
   (b) Going Second offers you the chance to roquet on the fourth turn when all the other balls have been played into
        the game therby beating your opponent in the opening stage of the game.
   (c) Choosing Colours allows you to play with your favourite colours (how darling is that!), put your opponent off
         by choosing their favourite colours or to help you out if you are colour blind. Remembering which coloured
         balls you are playing with in a game can save you from playing the wrong ball and losing your turn. I know of a
         couple of players who always choose Blue and Black - and their clubmates who can't wait to win the toss so
         they can choose Blue and Black and benefit when they play the wrong ball!
         So Rule 1 is to vary your choice of colours and then pay attention and remember what you chose.
If you lose the toss you are not really at a disadvantage - see (b) above. In addition, if you have to play second, one aim is to place the second ball into play so as to enTICE your opposition away from joining with their partner ball - the advantage they sought in (a) above. This second ball in is called the TICE. You do this by placing it close enough to A or B baulk so that they think it will be easy for you to roquet. This will hopefully entice them to fire their second ball at your ball and miss, so you can then fire with the fourth ball at you partner and either roquet it and start playing, or be together thereby stealing from them the advantage of going first.

But wait! There is more. Whether you or your opponent are good at roqueting can influence your approach to the opening of a game.
1. If you are good at roqueting you may want to play second in the hope of gaining the advantage in (b) above.
2. If your opponent is good at roqueting you may not want to set too short a target if you play second. If you play first against a good hitter you may plan not to fire your second ball at your first to join up or roquet. You may well decide to fire at/through the opponents first ball so that if you hit you can set up the balls well away from both baulk lines to make it harder for your opponent to hit with the fourth ball; or if you do not hit you are separated from the other two balls and on the borders of the court thus giving the opposition nothing if they do hit with the fourth ball.
3. If you are not roqueting well you may choose to go first and fire at your own ball with the third ball into play. If the opposition does not hit with the fourth ball, you are already together ready to roquet, croquet and continue.
4. In Handicap Games, whoever wins the toss will aim to go second. Why? The player who has bisques (a bisque is a free turn) will want to play the fourth ball in to start using their free turn to set up the court and start a break. The player who is giving bisques will want to go second so their opponent can't go second and to hopefully hit with the fourth ball and get in a break before the opposition can use their free turn.

Setting Up The Court
1. Endeavour to set up a court with the opponent balls at your hoop and the one after. Why? Because whichever ball
    they move they leave a ball at a hoop in your break. It is usual to move the ball at your hoop, leaving a ball at the
    hoop after that. By setting a rush either to your hoop, or to the ball left at the next hoop, you are able to start a
    break. (See Diagram 1 below)
2. It is best to set Red at Red's hoop and Yellow at Yellow's hoop. Why? Because if Red is to make a break it has
    to fire away from its hoop to roquet, then get all the way back to score the hoop. If Yellow was set at Red's hoop
    and Red fires and hits, you have loaded Red's hoop for them.
3. When setting up a court try to leave your opponents balls well apart from each other and your balls. Why?
    Because the longer the distance the opponent has to fire, the harder it is to roquet.
4. When setting up a court, aim to set up a rush to somewhere meaningful - usually to the ball they are not likely to
    move next turn and sometimes to the Hoop you wish to make. Why? Because it is easier to start scoring and
    making a break than if you don't. (See Diagram's below)
* The term in croquet for 'Setting Up The Court' is to set a LEAVE.

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Here is an array of leaves used in Advanced Singles where, at the end of your break, the opponent can choose to play one of their balls from where they lie or LIFT it and play it into the game from either A or B Baulk.
If you are not playing Advanced Singles or are playing a Handicap game you apply the principles above.

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GENERAL TACTICS

1. Try to always fire at a ball. Apart from giving you the chance to hit and score hoops, this aggressive approach
     means you are always "in the face" of your opponent. This creates pressure on your opponent which does affect
     their play. If you are always running into corners, the opponent relaxes because they are not threatened by your
     play.
(a) Feel free to fire at your opponent if they are set up on a border with a perfect rush to a hoop or one of your balls.
      If you miss your opponent will gain no significanr advantage over what they already have. (Diagram 2 below)
(b) So don't always fire at your partner ball to join up if your opponent is together without a good rush set. If you
     miss, your two balls together gives them the chance to hit one and get a good rush on the other one to their hoop.
(c) Best not to fire at your opponent if they are on a border with no effective rush and a miss would give them a
     chance to gain an effective rush to set up a break.
(d) If your opponent can play a 3-ball break and is likely to make a break from their set up whatever you do, fire at
      them because you have nothing to lose.
(e) If playing an Aunt Emma consider firing at their two balls or part joining with yours. See Diagram 8 & 9 in
     'Controlling Your Opponent' below. You have to attempt to hit them at every opportunity - if you don't they are
      still going to make a hoop or two at a time. By firing you put pressure on them which may produce a mistake. By
      part joining you can dry their scoring up - when they come to 'separate' you it is hard to get a rush to a hoop off
      a part join. If they decline to visit your part join because they think you wont hit, it gives you a relatively short
      roquet opportunity. The important thing when playing a defensive player is to keep your cool. Remember that
      you are a breakmaker and can score in one turn what takes them many turns to achieve. So when you do hit
      don't get too anxious during this one opportunity and blow it - keep calm and confident.
*   It is often a interesting balancing act between all these options as you seek to read your opponent's strengths
     and weaknesses and their current level of confidence - a fascinating aspect of the game.
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2. Don't set up in the middle of the court ( this is the area inside hoops 1, 2, 3 and 4). This gives your opponent the
    chance to fire freely at your two balls - if they miss, they go to the border where it is harder for you to use that
    ball; if they hit, they have the chance to croquet the ball just roqueted towards their next-but-one hoop while
    gaining a rush to their next hoop on the other ball.
3. At the end of a turn, consider Covering your ball or Threatening an opponent ball if your partner ball is
    mid-court. Covering and Threatening refers to when you play one of your balls close to a border behind either
    your partner ball or an opposition ball that is in the court. If the opposition fires and misses they will go out of
    court very close to your retired ball, giving you an easy roquet into the game. Usually the opposition doesn't take
    the risk of firing and missing. See Diagram 5 & 6 in "Controlling Your Opponent' below.
4. Don't commit your ball into the court unless you are sure of scoring. If you commit your ball into the court  before
    a break is possible and don't get a break going, your ball is then left out in the court like a shag on a rock with the
    poor option of joining up with it thereby leaving both your balls an easy target in mid court or having to sepatate
    from partner to cover or threaten.
4. Best not to take your own two balls to hoop 1 at the beginning of a game if the opposition clips are there. If you
    don't make the hoop you have loaded their hoop with your two balls. If you do have to do it and mess up, don't
    stay there and set up unless you can cover the opposition shots. Best to set your rushes to the ball at the hoop
    after the one you are aiming to make.
5. Best not to set up at your opponents hoop. If they roquet with the ball that is on that hoop, you have double
    loaded that hoop which will give them th chance to load the first of your balls hit to the next-but-one hoop and get
    an approach to their hoop with the other to their hoop. If this hoop is also your next hoop it is better to set the
    opposition ball at that hoop`and set your rush away from the hoop. See "Controlling Your Opponent" below.
6. Don't go for low percentage hoops - use the croquet stroke to return to partner to set up a useful rush.
7. When retrieving border balls try to bring both opponent balls into court and take the turn to set an efficient
    leave. So often we persist in trying to make a break from low percentage positions and end up going around in
    circles because we are approaching our hoop from a distance - when we don't get position we return to partner
    ball from a distance and fail to set up a perfect rush to get us going efficiently next turn.
8. If opponent has stuck in a hoop with partner nearby and your balls as a pivot and a pioneer, fire with the
    pioneer ball loading next hoop. This still gives you a shot at a ball, but has the added advantage that if you miss,
    you have used the ball that most advantages the opponents break. (See Diagram 3 above).
 9. At the start of a turn, play the ball which is at your opponent's  next hoop.
 
 

CONTROLLING YOUR OPPONENT
By placing yours or your opponents balls strategically you can control what your opponent does.
How come?
Simply by placing their balls in a position that assists your break.

(In the examples below R = Red, Y = Yellow, B = Blue, N = Noir which is French for Black).

Examples 1 - 3 have your Blue & Black in control when you set up the court for your next turn (called setting a LEAVE). You have been tactically correct by setting opponent balls at both the hoop you are going to and the one after that ensuring that the opponent balls are set well apart from each other and your two balls.
Because the ball at hoop 3 is very helpful to your progress they will be tactically correct to play that ball by firing it at your two balls, their own ball, or run away into corner 1 or 2.
If you know the opponent will most likely play the ball that is left at your next hoop it is important you use that fact to your advantage and their disadvantage. So in example 2 your opponent would like to play Red because it needs to score nine hoops to get to the peg. So you place Yellow at Hoop 3 to force it to play because it can't make any more hoops. Powerful stuff!

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