What does 'タメを作る' mean?

Question

What does 'タメを作る' mean?

What exactly is being 'made/created'?

What is a 'タメ'(as I understand, is being used as a noun here)?

I see the phrase frequently being used in the context of sport, such as

'スイング中タメを作る方法' (how to create a タメ during your swing?) or

'タメを作るエクササイズ' (exercises for creating a タメ?)

is this phrase strictly a sports term or is it also used in non sports contexts?

I found a post on japanese yahoo answers where a person asks the exact same question in the context of soccer.(http://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q1353818073) The OP thinks it means '味方の上がりを待つこと？', and people are saying that's mostly correct. However this leaves me even more confused. 'Waiting for your allies to advance'? I'm perplexed.

Answer 1

From what I understand, it's all about coordination, either between the players of a team or even between your body parts. In football you want to attack together with your team, so if you're a bit ahead of your allies, you slow down and try to keep the ball to yourself while they're getting closer, and that's when you make a タメ. In golf you want to move your body in a way that maximizes the strength of your hit, and for that you have to start moving your arm slightly later than the rest of your body, so you do a タメ with your arm. Something like that?

Answer 2

ためを作る means "You leave(stop,stay)something at the place for a short time.

For example, 'スイング中ためを作る" means you stay taking a backswing for a short time. ためを作る in soccer means " To wait teammates with staying there and keeping a ball).