kakavian
Sophomore Member
Where's the ball, boy? Find the ball.
Posts: 175
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Post by kakavian on Aug 17, 2006 9:01:23 GMT -6
Going to be scouting for our local HS this year, since it is the only thing I have time for due to a new arrival in the family. My question is... 1) What do you want in your scouting report?
2) Are you more concerned with their talent or thier system?
3) Do you want to know about thier field, crowd, conditions?
4) As an HC, do you want more info about their Defense or their Offense?
5) Obviously everyone wants tape/DVD, but do you look at the paper notes?
I am only one guy and want to concentrate where I can, and YES I know...talk to my HC, but am curious what other guys out there ask of their scouts.
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coachf
Freshmen Member
Posts: 15
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Post by coachf on Aug 17, 2006 20:46:07 GMT -6
We don't have any scouts, but I have had to do it before. We were supposed to get all their formations, their personnel, favorite plays, tendencies. We basically looked for anything out of the ordinary--different alignment for a special play, sub that comes in on certain plays, etc. But, we were doing that with 4 guys! I can't imagine doing it by myself.
If I had you scouting for me, I would probably fill you in on everything we think we are going to see and have you focus on any changes. I like to know the numbers of all the starters and their positions. I also liked to see if there was a "whipping boy," that was subbed out often- usually a sign that the coach does not trust him. I don't need all the formations, because we can jot them down from film. However, if there is a formation that they seem to line up in when they need the big play...make sure that one is noted.
I never cared about conditions, field or anything like that. But, I guarantee you, you can always find a sucker who is willing to wax poetic about the team (some people can't resist it when they see somebody with a notebook) They will generally feed you lines of nonsense, but you may get a few good nuggets during the game.
I would be more concerned with their offense, rather than their defense. We can usually make smaller adjustments on defense. Not always the case on offense. However, I would definitely want you to mark down where the D-lineman are aligned (head-up, outside shoulder, inside shoulder, etc.) The difference between a 3 and a 2i on film are not always that clear.
I know when I scouted the coach wanted to know everything when we got back. He looked at every piece of paper we jotted down. I think he valued our "live" judgment of the game just as much, if not more, than the tape. Plus, I would think that the notes would help the HC to know what to focus on during film study.
I hope you have fun and hope this helps.
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Post by senatorblutarsky on Aug 17, 2006 21:26:59 GMT -6
Coachf has good stuff... Most of the stuff we can get on film but for live scouting, things I really like are: 1) Personnel- sometimes #s are hard to see on tape (especially yellow or orange on white, blue/purple on black, etc.). Any real keys there are helpful (like TB in a Pro I is a Flanker when they throw, etc., flipping best OL to playside, etc.) 2) O-Line Splits. If you have an angle to see this, I find it helpful and something you can not always get from (our quality of) tape. 3) Cadence (may as well work on it during the week if possible) 4) we had this one year... if a team signals every play in from the sideline, and if they never change signals (and you play them week 9, and see 7 of their games)... well, that may help some (it may also screw you up, but if info is used right can be an asset). 5) D-Line techniques. Again, must have an end-zone angle (or depth perception, which I lack) 6) stuff not seen on tape. A few years ago, we were in a new district. Our week 6 opponent (runner-up) was just a good team on film- live (week 4), they did a ton of cheap stuff away from the play. I was glad i saw that and could prepare our guys a little for it (and they did it all game, we did not retaliate... they ended with 19 penalties). 7) Special teams are often better viewed live... at least to give a background (don't know how many times I've had nothing to scout on KO/KOR/Punt/PR but a flying ball).
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Post by bulldog on Aug 18, 2006 1:07:15 GMT -6
Your HS teams don't trade film? My first choice would to arm you with a camcorder rather than a notepad and pencil . . . .Anything that you can get from the stands - I can get from film. Most of this was already said, but . . . .
Stand in the endzone and get alignment (splits and shades). Watch for any pre-snap tendancies. Listen for checks vs. a particular formation - coverage or stunts particularly. If they have jerseys with dark numbers on dark colors, get the numbers down.
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Post by cqmiller on Aug 18, 2006 6:57:41 GMT -6
Your HS teams don't trade film? My first choice would to arm you with a camcorder rather than a notepad and pencil . . . .Anything that you can get from the stands - I can get from film. That is against the rules where I'm at... Can't "film" another team for scouting purposes. You can only trade film with other coaches. We trade film on Saturday after the games.
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Post by poweriguy on Aug 18, 2006 11:13:38 GMT -6
If you go, make sure you get a program. Most of the time it has all the kids names, numbers, height/wieght, positon etc..
Then during warm-ups (watch those!) you can make small notes on roster like "big but slow" or "quick off the ball" and stuff like that.
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Post by phantom on Aug 18, 2006 21:21:29 GMT -6
Here are some things that I like for live scouting when you're going to get video: 1. Get there early. Great chance to see the specialists and get the cadence. When the team goes in after warmups I like to go down and stand by the gate where they'll come back on field and "weigh them in". I can get an idea how big they really are, as opposed to program weights. Watching warmups cap also give you an idea how disciplined they are. 2. As others have said, get a program and write down personnel. 3. What kind of numbers do they have? I mean real numbers. They may have 40 kids dressed many may be JVs. That isn't hard to notice. 4. Injuries. Who went out and what did his status seem to be? 5. How "together" is the team? Is there bickering? Is there a clique who hangs out away from the rest of the team on the bench? Does a star player go off by himself when something bad happens? Can you see the team "deflate" or resort to thuggishness when adversity hits? Will they use trash talk, etc. to bait you into retaliating? 6. How do the coaches react to pressure?
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