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I film everything for my rising Junior, Dante. He has dreams of playing in college, so I knew recording video of his soccer games was going to be a must, but it's turned into much more.
After most games, I sit down with Dante and his game film to hear how the game unfolded through his eyes. He sees a lot of things I don't, so I learn so much from him about the match. We're now deep into the recruitment process, so a lot of the game footage is being used for recruitment purposes. We have a lot of arguments, I mean fun, deciding which moments he should send to college coaches.
I'm always curious about how other parents use game film, so I decided to reach out to the parents in The Soccer Parent Life Facebook Group to see what ways they are using their youth player's game film. Most of the responses fell into three categories.
Recruiting / Highlight Reels
Like my family, a lot of parents get involved in their kid's game film for college recruiting. They are either actively helping their kids compile moments into highlight reels, or creating YouTube channels to one day send to college soccer coaches.
"I started creating highlight videos for my kids and for their team (as a gift). Then I found out college coaches value footage of players. My kids have their annual highlights saved going back a few years now. You just never know when they will come in handy."
Training / Development
I was impressed with how many parents get involved in the development of their players through game film. It seems to be a useful tool to talk about how their player is progressing, but I also sense it's a great way to connect with their kid.
"I use the video to see his foot placement on shots, what moves he is using and also what his tendencies are. I noticed a big one last season. I discovered he has a tendency to bring the ball in off the right wing and put it in with his non-dominant left foot. I was really surprised to see how often he did that."
"We have film sessions to learn and improve IQ as well as technical development. We focus a lot on positioning and understanding angles and space."
"I look for things that I know my son is working on, and use it to pat him on the back when I see him trying something new or take a risk on the field. Then we also look for opportunities to improve in-game decisions making. "What do you think could have led to a better outcome" is a common questions. Technical mistake are not what we look for at all.
"My kids are young. But I do send it to them and they can look at it and see what they did during the game."
"he mostly uses it to watch and breakdown the game. Look for areas that he needs to improve, what mistakes he made, and what to do to improve them. He has notebooks full of notes he makes while rewatching game film."
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Memories
I know I'll be forever grateful to have Dante's soccer game film. These are the memories that matter most. I can't wait to sit down in 5, 10, and 15 years to relive these moments, and it seems like other parents are thinking the same!
"Memories for dad/mom. Enjoyment for son to watch before bedtime."
"I don't use them for anything except to watch game I didn't get to see."
"My daughter is still on the younger side but we make YouTube highlight videos to watch for our own enjoyment.
A special shout-out to these parent responses:
"Blackmail."
"For the off season or times of pandemic when we go through soccer withdrawal." We are all right there with you!
As a parent, how are you using game film? Feel free to join our Parent Facebook Group to share your story!
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