I love watching film.
And I don’t use that word lightly.
I love it.
Sitting down with a coffee and firing up some game film is one of my favourite things to do on this planet.
But enjoyment aside, how do you make the most of the time you spend watching film?
Especially during the season, when you’re always crunched for time?
Here are a few thoughts.
Initial Watch
When I’m first starting to go through a game, I’ll allow myself one initial watch.
I’ll go from start to finish on the Defensive cutup just to get a sense of things.
I might jot down a couple notes about what I’m seeing, but more than anything I’m trying to get a feel for the opponent. (I also might code something simple, like Formation.)
I find this is a good way to start.
Select One Thing
After that initial watch, I will become very deliberate with my scouting.
This is the meat and potatoes of film study.
Now I will pick one thing to watch, and I’ll go through the game watching only that.
For instance, at one point I’ll dig into pass protections.
To do that, I’ll watch all the passing plays from the tight angle, focusing only on the pass pro.
This will give me a great sense of that aspect of our opponent.
I’ll do the same thing with Formations, Motions, Route Combos, Run Plays, Down and Distance variables, etc.
By digging into one thing at a time, I’m able to be efficient with my film study.
The end result is a great understanding of who our next opponent is, and how they might try to attack us.
Note: I recently posted an article inside our SKOOL community where I unveiled my favourite scouting report stat. I believe this one data point can give you more insight into your opponent than all the other stats combined. Click here to join our community and find the article.
Remember They Are Clips
The film doesn’t lie, but it also doesn’t tell the whole story.
As much as I love video cutups, there’s something missing.
For example, I remember one time years ago when we didn’t know until the game started that our opponent ran a fast paced, no huddle offence.
We didn’t know this because the video clips only started right before the play.
It took us a couple series to adjust.
During our BYE weeks I’ll sometimes watch the full television version of our next opponent.
It takes a long time, but it does give you a sense of the flow and the pacing of the game.
It’s often worth the investment.
Final Thoughts
This approach works best if you have HUDL or DVSport to work with.
But even if you just have the full video of a game, you can still use this concept.
You won’t be able to dig into as many variables, but focusing in on one thing at a time will help you narrow your focus and dissect your opponent.
Choosing which variables to work with is completely up to you.
All the best,
Jon Svec
Defensive Coordinator
St. Francis Xavier University
X-Men Football
Email: jsvec@stfx.ca
Twitter: @jonsvecx
To read more, check out the Canadian Football Chalk Talk e-book and video series, which can be found by clicking here. To join the Canadian Football Chalk Talk Community, click here.