Reading the Game: The Art of Anticipation in Soccer
Soccer is often described as a mental game because every single player on the pitch has to constantly be making decisions. For every second you are in play, you are actively choosing where to position yourself and how to react to the ever-changing flow of the match.
A player’s ability to make good decisions is reflected in their soccer IQ, arguably the key component of someone’s overall game.
How do you spot a player with a high soccer IQ? These are the players who consistently put themselves in advantageous positions and seem to know where the ball is going to end up or which direction the match will flow. In other words, they are masters of the art of anticipation. When you can instinctively anticipate how common situations will unfold, you can make smart decisions that move your team forward with surprising ease, staying one step ahead of your opponent throughout the match.
How to Anticipate The Game’s Next Move
The art of anticipation stems from the ability to recognize common situations and how other players typically react to them. It’s really just about remembering what you’ve seen time and time again. With this historical knowledge, you can make educated guesses as to how a situation will unfold, and then position yourself to capitalize on this outcome.
For example, let’s say you’re a center back, and a winger on the other team is dribbling down the sideline. Based on your previous experiences with this situation, it’s safe to assume the winger is eventually going to cross into the center. This hasn’t happened yet, but you’re fairly sure it will. So, you can take their chance on goal away by positioning yourself to win the ball when the cross is eventually played. This is a fairly common one though.
Another common situation that’s harder for many youth players: let’s say you’re a center mid. Your defender has the ball, and your winger is checking to them to receive it. As that ball is played, you have a decision to make: do you move back into space for your winger to drop you the ball, or do you make a run for them to send you on? The right answer depends on the positioning of the other team’s defender in relation to your winger. If they’re on top of your winger, you should move for them to drop the ball to you. If they’re going to have the space to turn, letting them know and then making the run is going to give your team a great chance on goal.
Anticipation Comes from Soccer IQ
As you can see, anticipation is directly tied to knowledge and experience. Players anticipate outcomes they are familiar with. This is why young athletes get an unfair advantage by using video analysis, which allows them to watch footage of professional games that shows high-level players in their positions making smart decisions. When you really sit down and watch how players behave when they aren’t touching the ball, you can see how their decisions are often based on anticipated reactions from other players. Like chess, you need to be playing a few moves ahead.
Soccer IQ is crucial for young athletes looking to stand out from their peers and make an impression on coaches. Unfortunately, players don’t get many opportunities to develop this element of their game as they rely on their playing time to develop it. This inspired us to create BGTV, in which former pros break down professional footage so players can see why a certain decision was made or why a certain prediction was correct. Anticipating the outcome of a situation is infinitely easier when you’ve seen someone else do it.
Boost your soccer IQ and your level of play without the wear and tear of training. Try out BGTV today.
