Huddle

Huddle

In sport, a huddle is when a team gathers together, usually in a tight circle, to strategise, motivate, and/or celebrate. It is a popular strategy for keeping opponents insulated from sensitive information, and acts as a form of insulation when the level of noise in the venue is such that normal on-field communication is difficult. Commonly the leader of the huddle is the team captain and it is the captain who will try and inspire his fellow team members to achieve success. Similarly after an event a huddle may take place to congratulate one another for the teams success (or commiserate a defeat). The term "huddle" can be used as a verb as in "huddling up".

The huddle is commonly used in American football and Canadian football to strategise before each play and is led by either the quarterback or linebacker. It is also popular in basketball, football and cricket.

Originally huddle was unknown to world of cricket. It was the Indian Cricket Team that used the huddle formation to great success during the 2003 Cricket World Cup and made it popular. This became known as the Great Indian Huddle. The English Cricket Team has imitated this technique with recent success, notably in the 2005 Ashes series.

Types

Circular

The modern-day circular huddle, in which the players all face inward in a tight circle, was invented by Gallaudet University quarterback Paul Hubbard in 1894. Gallaudet was the first school intended for the advanced education of deaf and hard-of-hearing students. When quarterbacking, Hubbard realized that his hand signals could be read by opposing players, a particular concern when Gallaudet played other schools for the deaf. To remedy this, he had his players form a circle so that his sign-language signals could be sent and received without anyone on the sidelines or on the opposing team seeing.

Former University of Illinois Coach Bob Zupke is also credited with the invention of this formation.

This type of huddle is still in common use today, typically between plays in American Football as the quarterback assigns the next play to the offense.

Typewriter

The typewriter huddle is a huddle formation created by former Florida State Head Coach Tom Nugent in the mid-1950s. It is typically used between a coach and multiple players, or when a quarterback or other player wants to create an image of being separate from the team, dictating to them, rather than being a part of the group, as with the circular huddle. The players being spoken to are arranged in two or more rows, the front row often kneeling or crouching. The player or coach speaking can then be assured that he has the attention of the entire audience, something that often is not possible if that person is in the center of a circular huddle. Though allowing players breathing room and providing space for more parcipitants than a circular huddle, it is not as secure, as observers on the sidelines may be able to see hand signals or read the speaker's lips.

American football

Though seemingly random, huddles can have several forms. In American Football, the huddle originated prior to the first collegiate football game in 1869.Fact|date=March 2008 Prior to the 1890s, football players didn’t form “huddles,” they just stood around discussing the play far enough from the other team that they could not be overheard. As American Football became more organized and formalized, so too did the huddle. Bill Hargiss is often credited with one of the first uses of the huddle while coaching the Oregon State Beavers against the Washington Huskies in a 1918 game in Seattle. [cite web|url=http://www.osualum.com/s/359/index.aspx?sid=359&gid=1&pgid=361|title=Sports History - A 20 Part Series: Part 20 of 20: The Tractor That Could and Other Interesting OSU Firsts|accessdate=2008-03-16] Another instance of its use was when the huddle was formed by Paul Hubbard, a deaf player who went to Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. To avoid having the other team see his sign language between plays, he and his team huddled together to conceal the signs. cite web |url=http://edf3.gallaudet.edu/diversity/BGG/First%20Deaf/Athletics.html |title=Deaf Athletics Home Page |accessdate=2008-04-22 |format= |work=

Association Football (Soccer)

In Association Football the huddle has been used before games by Brazil and club teams such as Celtic F.C. and Derry City.

Australian football

In contrast to other sports, the huddle is a specific tactic in Australian football, used by the team kicking in after a behind is scored, or some delayed stoppage. All players in the backline gather together about fifty metres from goal. Then, the players individually lead away from the huddle in all directions. The technique means that there will be several leading players, making it difficult to defend the first kick-in. It also allows teams to run set plays for the second and third kicks. The huddle was developed during the 1970s, and is still used today by many teams.

References

External links

* [http://www.handspeak.com/tour/byte/index-ref.php?byte=signhistory Sign Language History]
* [http://www.vmikeydets.com/article_print.asp?articleid=75465 Tom Nugent, Inventor of the typewriter huddle, dies at 92]


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  • Huddle — Hud dle, v. t. 1. To crowd (things) together to mingle confusedly; to assemble without order or system. [1913 Webster] Our adversary, huddling several suppositions together, . . . makes a medley and confusion. Locke. [1913 Webster] 2. To do, make …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • huddle — [hud′ l] vi. huddled, huddling [orig. (16th c.), to put out of sight < ? or akin to ME hudel, var. of hidel, a hiding place < OE hydel < hydan, HIDE1] 1. to crowd, push, or nestle close together, as cows do in a storm 2. to draw the… …   English World dictionary

  • Huddle — Hud dle, n. A crowd; a number of persons or things crowded together in a confused manner; tumult; confusion. A huddle of ideas. Addison. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • huddle — (v.) 1570s, to heap or crowd together, probably from Low Ger. hudern to cover, to shelter, from M.L.G. huden to cover up, from P.Gmc. *hud (see HIDE (Cf. hide) (v.)). Cf. also M.E. hoderen heap together, huddle (c.1300). Related: Huddled;… …   Etymology dictionary

  • huddle — [n] assemblage, crowd, often disorganized bunch, chaos, cluster, clutter, confab*, conference, confusion, disarray, discussion, disorder, gathering, group, heap, jumble, mass, meeting, mess*, muddle; concepts 230,260 huddle [v] meet, discuss… …   New thesaurus

  • Huddle — Hud dle, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Huddled}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Huddling}.] [Cf. OE. hoderen, hodren, to cover, keep, warm; perh. akin to OE. huden, hiden, to hide, E. hide, and orig. meaning, to get together for protection in a safe place. Cf. {Hide}… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • huddle — index meet, turmoil Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • huddle — ► VERB 1) crowd together. 2) curl one s body into a small space. ► NOUN ▪ a number of people or things crowded together. ORIGIN originally in the sense «conceal»: perhaps Low German …   English terms dictionary

  • huddle — I UK [ˈhʌd(ə)l] / US verb [intransitive] Word forms huddle : present tense I/you/we/they huddle he/she/it huddles present participle huddling past tense huddled past participle huddled 1) a) huddle or huddle together or huddle up to move close… …   English dictionary

  • huddle — hud|dle1 [ hʌdl ] verb intransitive or transitive huddle or huddle together or huddle up to move close together in order to stay warm, feel safe, or talk: huddle around: We huddled around the fire for warmth. huddle with: Several aides huddled… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

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