The Role of Video Analysis in Boosting Soccer IQ
In today’s hyper-competitive youth soccer landscape, players must go to greater lengths to stand out from their peers and impress coaches. It’s not just about speed, technique, or even scoring goals. A truly exceptional player also possesses a high soccer IQ, which reflects their ability to make smart decisions during play, and a smart decision is one that helps the team.
Why Soccer IQ is Important
Coaches place tremendous value on soccer IQ because every decision you make on the pitch is helping or hurting your team, even when you’re not touching the ball. A player with a high soccer IQ understands how their behavior impacts the team’s momentum and consistently puts themself in advantageous positions based on the flow of the match.
If that sounds like a rare quality in a young athlete, it’s because it is. Plenty of young athletes are athletically gifted who can run fast and score goals. But only some can make smart decisions and anticipate what will happen next time and time again, and coaches know that.
Despite the importance of soccer IQ, young athletes aren’t given enough opportunities to develop this aspect of their game. Thankfully, that’s what video analysis was created for.
What is Video Analysis and How Does it Help?
Learning how to make smart decisions works the same way as learning any vital soccer technique. You have to see how it’s done, right? Watching other players execute your desired technique gives you a model to follow.
Likewise, the best way to learn how to make smart decisions is watching professionals make smart decisions. Seeing games in person is a great way to do this in real time, but that’s not always possible (or affordable). Games on tv is also a good option. The challenge is not in determining what is the right decision or the wrong one, but why that was the case. Enter video analysis.
Video analysis allows young athletes to watch curated footage of high-level players in their positions making decisions that help their team. Some programs also feature breakdowns from professional players explaining why a certain decision was made, or how the player was able to anticipate where the ball was going to end up.
To be clear, this is very different than simply watching a soccer match on TV. Video analysis is specifically designed to focus on individual players in certain positions. This way, the viewer can see how this player behaves in a wide range of situations, especially when they’re nowhere near the ball. The more familiar a player is with different situations, the easier it is for them to anticipate the situation’s outcome and position themself accordingly.
Video Analysis Fosters Self-Analysis
Another great way to improve your soccer IQ is watching video footage of yourself. This enables you to identify personal areas of improvement and patterns in your game. Come match time, you’ll be so familiar with your tactical role that you can literally anticipate what is about to happen in the game and position yourself to halt your opponent’s momentum or create a chance.
Yes, it’s difficult to watch footage of yourself without getting emotional. But once you learn how to analyze personal footage objectively like a true professional, you can see what’s been limiting your game and make improvements after each match, putting your soccer IQ on full display for coaches and scouts.
At Beyond Goals Mentoring, we help young athletes boost their soccer IQ through our video analysis program, BGTV, and by making sure our athletes are relaxed and focused during play. You can’t make smart decisions if you’re not mentally prepared for a match, and that comes from following routines and training intelligently like a true professional.
So, if your athlete is having trouble with the mental component of soccer, let’s set up a mentoring session and start building a plan for boosting their soccer IQ.
