“If players don’t recognize patterns and triggers, scanning is just head movement without purpose”

 

The title of this post comes from a Tweet (and no, I won’t call it X) by Coach Osku Partonen.
The coach raises a good question. Scanning is great and a very “in” concept.

But what exactly are we asking players to look for?
We need to educate them to find the signal in the noise — to focus on what is truly important.

Players need to take in information about teammates, opponents, the ball, and the available space on the field. The image below (from our DNA) shows how, as players mature, their area of attention widens. As this happens, we must teach them about the game — which is a very dynamic and chaotic beast.

Phrases like “switch” should become part of their vocabulary, serving as triggers to help them understand game situations quickly.

So, how do we train this vital area?

Stage 1: Encouraging Scanning

This is where we first get players scanning. To do this, they need a certain level of technical competence, because it’s very hard to look up when you’re still focused on controlling the ball.

Importantly, scanning isn’t just for players on the ball. It’s equally critical for teammates in possession but off the ball — making passing angles short and long, or positioning themselves in case of a transition against them.

Defenders, too, must constantly scan for threats: Is our line too high or too deep? Are we overloaded anywhere? Do I need to cover my teammate, etc.?

We need to reinforce scanning in every session. Phrases like “Can you get your head up?” and “Can we scan?” should become second nature — even if you feel like you’re saying them a hundred times a day.

Stage 2: Teaching What to Look For

Once players are scanning, the next step is helping them understand what to look for. Guided discovery — asking questions rather than giving answers — is a fantastic way to engage them here.

Use what they already know to support the process. Whether it’s the Premier League, the League of Ireland, or even FIFA video games, familiar references can help them transfer learning into real football.

The ultimate goal is decision-making — the ultimate skill in football. Players need to use the information they gather to make better choices.

So make sure your sessions are full of decisions. The more decisions players make in training, the better they’ll get at making them in games.

Not Linear, But Layered

Stages 1 and 2 are not strictly sequential; they overlap and develop together. As soon as we start encouraging players to scan, we also need to guide them on what to do with that information. Over time, we can layer in more and more learning.

Thanks for reading (if you’re still here 😃).







Comments

  1. AnonymousSeptember 15, 2025 at 10:45 PM

    Nice info. I find a useful prop for coaching scanning is introducing a traffic light system into practices and games. If coach is holding up a Red cone, player can't pass forward or other such rules that get people to focus on scanning before they receive possession.

    ReplyDelete

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