This mental model views a sports team as a system of interconnected parts, including players, coaches, strategies, and the physical environment.
Applying systems thinking to sports means considering the team as an interconnected system. Each component of this system—players, coaches, strategies, opponents, game circumstances—can impact the whole system performance. For instance, let's consider a football team; the offense and defense can't function independently but need to work in harmony, adapting to shifts in strategy or opponent tactics. Similarly, a coach and their training approach can influence player development and team dynamics, changing the system's performance.
A system is a network of interdependent components that work together to try to accomplish the aim of the system. A system must have an aim. Without an aim, there is no system - W. Edwards Deming
