Sandbagging

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Sandbagging is the practice of purposely placing oneself in a weaker position so as to give the deceptive impression that one is less skilled than one truly is.

[edit] Various parallel senses

In grappling sandbagging refers to a competitor who misrepresents his skill level in order to gain easy victories over less-skilled opponents.
In a Demolition Derby, sandbagging is avoiding contact with other cars or hitting weakly to ensure better odds of surviving and winning the derby.
In poker, sandbagging is also known as "slow play" and refers to underplaying a very aggressive opponent in order to trap another player who bets after you. Limping with AA first position then reraising someone who bets later is classic sandbagging.
In go a sandbagger would claim a lower rank than appropriate to get easy wins.
In golf, a "sandbagger" would enter a tournament, claiming a higher golf handicap than real, to gain an advantage in the tournament.
In slow-pitch softball, a team is sandbagging when it purposely competes in a lower class than it should because it is either scared of competition and/or wants to earn some easy tournament trophies. For instance: "Why is the Swing sandbagging again? They should have played C from the start but here they are still playing D".
In bicycle racing, "Sandbagging" is competing in a lower competition class than you actually qualify for.
Sandbagging is a drag racing technique is when a car has a dial-in time much slower than the car can actually perform.
In CB slang, "sandbagging" is listening in on others without talking or making one’s presence known, for entertainment or for collection of information on others.
In the rock climbing world 'Sandbagging' refers to giving a climb an easier grade than it deserves. An example is a climb that would typically be rated as 5.10+ being rated as 5.9- (YDS). Sandbagging is very common in older crags when the grading system was still being developed. Due to tradition the original grade of a climb will be listed in most guide books.
In bowling, "sandbagging" is lowering your average on purpose, in order to gain added pins of handicap, or misrepresenting your skill level in order to gain easy victories over less-skilled opponents.
In sailboat racing (PHRF handicap mainly) it refers to giving your lesser skilled competitors an advantage by not tactically sailing to your full ability.
In a sales profession, it refers to purposefully waiting to record orders until the next quota or revenue goal period, if the salesperson has already achieved quota or revenue goals for the current period. This is typically done if the salesperson expects weaker sales performance next period.
In courtroom law, it refer to the process of concealing winning arguments for as long as possible to prevent the opposing attorney from effectively preparing to counter them. But rules of evidence and procedure often require early disclosure of certain kinds of arguments to prevent unfair sandbagging.
In the workplace in general, it refers to a promise of a promotion followed by the boss hiring someone else, behind the first employee's back, who will work for less.
In filing your income taxes, it means to deliberately hold back legitimate expenses (deductions) because an audit is deemed likely. In the event of an audit the withheld expenses are then thrown into the expense side of the return and a costly fine or penalty may be avoided.WW
In various online games such as Company of Heroes or Command & Conquer experienced players can join games using new or infrequently used profiles in order to mis-represent their skill level or to be entered into games with players of lesser skill.

[edit] Overview

Sandbagging as a term may be derived from the practice of creating protective dams and temporary levees with sandbags in flood situations (to hold back or redirect). Thus, in games and adversarial settings, to "sandbag" is to intentionally understate one's strength, with the intention of deceiving one's opponents into overreaching. The sandbagger can then reveal a hidden strength to take the opponent by surprise. The usage has been noted in Demolition Derby, when drivers refuse to be aggressive or pretend to have mechanical problems or both until the last two or three cars are running and then their car will start running just fine or they become more aggressive or both; in poker, when a player with a strong hand bets small amounts to persuade opponents to stay in the game; and in golf, where a "sandbagger" is someone who misrepresents his handicap to gain an advantage over other players.

[edit] Other senses

(To ambush) In theatre or performing arts, On working stages, where backdrops are "flown" - attached to ropes so they can be lifted up and down as required, the unused ropes being weighted with actual sandbags for easy retrieval. It is a common exercise of actors to practice their "blocking" - position and movement that they do while delivering their lines. Thus, an actor might be expected to be on the stage before or in-between shows. Eager understudies were said to wait on the catwalks above the stage to try to drop a sandbag on the lead actor so they could have a chance to perform. Another explanation was that an actor who had a grudge against a fellow actor would drop a sandbag as a warning.