Case 02 — Support Distance Too Wide Under Pressure
- Case ID: CASE-02
- Phase: Offense / Support structure
- Level: Foundation
- Tags: support, spacing, pressure, passing
Situation (One Sentence)
Under pressure, the nearest support is positioned too wide or too far to be a playable option inside the decision window.
Environment Snapshot
- Space: Support lane exists geometrically but not functionally.
- Time: The carrier’s window is short; support arrives late.
- Information: Carrier reads “support exists” but cannot access it.
- Pressure: Pressure narrows the effective passing corridor.
Decision Window
- Opens: When the carrier is pressured into needing an outlet.
- Closes: When the carrier must commit (forced rim, forced chip, turnover).
- Failure mechanism: Support is outside the usable corridor during the window.
Option Behavior
Preserved
- Low-value safety play (rim, chip)
- Individual protection attempt (if strong)
Reduced
- Controlled pass to support
- Middle-lane continuation
Collapsed
- Any pass requiring time + corridor stability
- Two-step support sequences
Practice Levers
Space
- Reduce lateral support width to re-establish functional lanes.
- Mark “usable corridor” zones to teach spacing as function, not geometry.
Time
- Shorten the window (faster pressure) to expose spacing failures.
- Increase window slightly to verify that timing, not skill, is the driver.
Information
- Use constraints that hide the support option until late to test spacing quality.
- Provide early cueing to see if support is actually reachable.
Pressure
- Vary pressure angle to show corridor collapse.
- Add second defender only after support becomes reachable.
Diagnostic Question
Was the support option inside the usable corridor during the pressure window?
Soft Canon Awareness
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