How to Analyze Your Game Film

I've played soccer since I was 5 years old and like most players the idea of filming your games in order to analyze and learn from it was not commonplace. It wasn't until I was in college and even more so in the pros that coaches would encourage us to watch games for learning purposes. To tell you the truth it's not easy to analyze your own game and if you don't know what to look for it will seem like there is no point to doing it. Here are some tips to help you out:

Focus on the surrounding play

This means you shouldn't just watch the ball and what is happening in the immediate area. Try to see the entire field and how players are reacting to the ball. As the play is developing see which runs are being made, how the defense is reacting and the options the player on the ball has at any given moment. This is a difficult task but with practice you will get the hang of it.

Learn from good and bad decisions

Not just your decisions but everyones decisions. The best players in the world are able to make good decisions on a consistent basis and that is your goal too. Watch to see where you make good and bad decisions. This will let you replay the situation in your head and next time you are in practice or in the game try to correct any mistakes.

Watch for good and bad technique

This is often the easiest to look for when watching film and will help you strengthen your weaker skills. You can also see what others players look like and try to mimic their good attributes. Honestly this is one of the best ways to learn something new. Watch the best dribbler and try to use their moves in your next practice. Watch the best passer and see if you can use the same passes. The lessons you can learn are endless.

Watch the team as a whole

This is mostly used for coaches and will help to identify any strengths or weaknesses of your team. Basically you are looking for team shape while attacking/defending and for player positioning on set plays. As a coach you are seeing if your team is executing your game plan and making the necessary adjustments in the game. As a player I like to watch for patterns in my teams play. I look for where we like to attack as a team and what types of runs I should make to get in the best positions to score.