How To Properly Analyze Your Game Film

Having access to your game film is a game changing tool. Watching film allows you to have a 3rd person view of yourself as a player and the game as a whole. One thing that I have learned about watching football gamefilm is that regardless of the result there will always be some good, some bad, and even some ugly plays that occur.

This article will help you learn how to analyze the good, bad, and the ugly to help yourself become a better football player. 

• Analyze your bad plays: As hard as it may be to watch your mistakes on film it is important that you do. Don’t just watch the mistake one time, watch it multiple times to analyze exactly what went wrong. Determine if it was a footwork error, bad hand placement, lack of concentration, mental error, etc. and plan how you are going to get that play off of your tape next week. We often learn more from our mistakes than our successes.  

• Analyze your good plays: This tip is probably most obvious. Most players probably skip right to their good plays once they turn on the film. Although it is good to admire your good work it is also important not to simply become a fan and forget to analyze the play in its entirety. Analyze what makes this play a good play. Look at your teammates' contribution to the play. Examine what you did well and what you could have possibly done better.  Even in our best plays there are mistakes that we make and need to improve on.
  

• Self Scout Yourself: The most important step in analyzing your game film is self-scouting yourself. Self-Scout means looking at film from the lens of your opponent. Analyze any tendencies or weaknesses you may be displaying on film and constantly think of ways your opponents can be game planning against you. For example, if you’re an offensive lineman and in your past game you gave up a sack on a dip and rip pass rush then you should expect your opponents to use that same move next game. Or if your team let up 150 yards running versus the read option then you should expect to see it again. 

Watching your game film is a great opportunity to improve both your strengths and weaknesses. When you identify these weaknesses make sure you ask yourself “what can I do to improve this?”  I encourage everyone to follow these tips when watching film and you will be able to see how much you improve. 

For those who would like assistance with self-scouting sign-up for “Perfect Performance Virtual Hudl Review.” Our Virtual Hudl Film Review will be a 45 Minutes session via Zoom for High School Football Players to review their game film with Perfect Performance Coaches. These sessions will be used to assess strengths and weaknesses of the athlete and our Coaches will provide feedback for them to improve their game. Additionally, our coaches will use their knowledge of recruiting to help identify key plays for athletes to include in their highlight film to send to colleges. If interested, view the link below. 
Virtual Football School | PP NOVA | Northern Virginia

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