Talking Points - Sprinting

[SpHSpH]

Is there every a "right" time to be sprinting? My player is worse at everything when he is sprinting - right? His passes are less accurate? It is harder to keep a shot on target? It is easier for the CPU to tackle the ball from me? It is harder to change direction?

I remember (years ago) when I used to play Madden - that you were not supposed to sprint with your RB whenever anyone was near you ... it made it more difficult to cut and change direction, it made it more likely that the defender would be able to tackle you ... the idea was "why sprint *toward* someone who is trying to tackle you" ... you were really only encouraged to go to the sprint when you were in open space and you were trying to outrun someone who was behind you.

The CPU seems to sprint against me (I sometimes try to watch their power bar) ... but not for extended stretches - it looks more like they "pulse" the sprint. It feels like inertia only works in one direction (and this annoys me) - the CPU can sprint and still stop on a dime ... whereas when I am sprinting to stay with the CPU, I am not able to change directions will anything near the same level of ease.

Do I want to pulse on the RT? Or do I need to hold it down for a longer extended period of time? Should I be pushing the L-Stick first, and then *add* the RT to switch from "moving" to "sprinting"? Or should I *already* have the RT pulled before I then add the L-Stick action to begin moving my guy immediately with a sprint?

And the "knock-on" move? This has something to do with the R-Stick? Is this related to sprinting? Do I have to be sprinting already before I can use the knock-on move? Do I "double-pulse" the R-Stick to get a bigger knock-on? Am I supposed to do a knock-on before I power-up for a shot or cross? I can power-up the shot/cross in the time between when my player knocks the ball forward and when he reaches the ball (so then he will perform the shot/cross immediately when he gets to the ball)?

[DataBull]

You pretty much have the idea of sprinting. I probably use it more than I should. Generally when your offensive player is on a breakaway, or if the other team is on a breakaway and you are trying to catch up. Actually, on defense there isn't much downside, except if they slow down or stop you will blow right by the opponent so you need to watch out for that. Definitely easier for your player to lose the ball while dribbling and sprinting, and you rarely want to shoot while sprinting. I try to only shoot while sprinting if I'm headed directly at the goal and plan to shoot dead ahead. Even then the shot is a tap, anything more is likely to go wild.

There is a second big downside to sprinting, and that is your player energy goes down more quickly. Both the immediate energy available, and the "max" energy available. If you sprint little to none during the game, you can possibly have plenty of energy available at the end of the game to sprint heavy and blow by your opponents. So keep an eye on energy levels as you play various games and your amount of sprinting.

I was given some good advice a couple of years ago. Play a game or two or five without sprinting at all. Get used to making people miss and moving the ball around, positioning, etc without using the sprinting "crutch". You will be better and more effective with your sprinting when you see what happens without it.

[orion523]

Sprinting is almost never a good idea, but when you have possession of the ball, or when you're face up defending, it's especially harmful because you lose control, and when you lose control, you can be exploited. That said it's extremely difficult to follow through with.

[Socrates81]

Sprinting is also important when shooting from range. You need to get the ball out from under your feet to get a powerful swing at the ball, so a sprint to knock it on or the knock-on move are necessary.

[vc15]

Sprinting is necessary for long shots.