How do I maintain/improve game shape?Game shape is determined by the number of minutes that a player has played during the week. There is a popular theory that it is not just this week’s minutes that matter, but also the previous week’s minutes. Aim to play each player between 48 and 75 minutes each week and you should see game shape staying on Strong or Proficient each week. There is a random factor involved in game shape though, and so you can play less than 48 minutes or more than 75 minutes and still get a pop up in game shape, however, it is much less likely. Similarly, you can play between 48 and 75 minutes and get a drop in game shape due to the random factor, but most weeks your game shape will be good. Managing your minutes properly will allow you to keep all game shapes between respectable and proficient on a regular basis.
Players who do not play much each week tend to lose focus and their Game Shape will be sloppy. Players who play too much in a week will get tired and their Game Shape will also be low-quality. These changes are gradual, and will build up over a few weeks' time. If you have three games in a week, you should consider rotating your players unless all three games are really important, because it will hurt your players ability to play the next few weeks. However, Game Shape is an indication of how sharp the player looked in practice and therefore how well he will be expected to play in a game; it is not an indicator of how effective his training sessions were.
Well, I almost amI've had players get close to 80 minutes one week and around 40 the next, without a drop in GS. Based on this theory, I assumed that the 80 minutes from week 1 helped my guy not drop in GS the following week, when his minutes were really low. This is just what I think, and why that theory sounds reasonable to me. I don't have any proof or data to back it up.
It sounds like a convincing example. But only if this gameshape was proficient.If he was already awful and didn't drop further I'm not convinced :p.