Sports Scouting Methods

Sports scouting is a key element in gaining an advantage over your opposition. Teams use scouts to find talent at the college level or to learn more about future opponents. A variety of methods are used for scouting players, including watching games live, studying tapes and conducting player workouts.

  1. Live Games

    • Sending scouts to watch live games helps them get an up-close look at prospects or opponents. Scouts sit near the court and see how players react in game situations. They can focus on specific players and look for particular traits. A baseball scout can position himself right behind home plate and study pitchers, tracking pitch speed and movement. Football scouts can find weaknesses in opposing defenses that they will try to exploit in an upcoming match-up. Scouts will often bring a notebook in which they will jot down observations and keep relevant statistics.

    Film Study

    • Sending a scout to every game is sometimes not feasible, and that is where recorded games become important. One key advantage to watching film is the ability to playback the action. With a proper video setup, scouts can easily rewind plays, studying various aspects on the playing field. In football, scouts can watch how defensive linemen move on a given play, rewind the tape and review the same play to watch the linebackers. For those scouting talent, this also broadens the scope of players who can be viewed. In basketball, many prospects come from Europe. Recorded games sometimes give scouts their only chance to watch these players.

    Private Workout

    • After scouts have narrowed the field of viable prospects, the team will sometimes bring players in for a private workout. These workouts can feature one player or include multiple prospects. Scouts and team management will set up drills for the players run through. This allows scouts to control what they see. A basketball team that needs a low-post player can create drills to study prospects' post ability. In workouts featuring multiple players, scouts can pit two prospects against each other and compare strengths and weaknesses.

    Group Workout

    • Group workouts, such as the NFL Draft Combine, feature multiple teams and a large number of players. These events make it easy for scouts to gather information about players, and they also save both parties time. Workouts are conducted by skilled coaches and trainers from around the league and feature drills and exercises that are pertinent to that sport. Football players perform the 40-yard dash and bench press as scouts take note. Baseball players might go through a round of batting practice, fielding drills and base-running. Scouts can get a look at many players and report back to the team about which players impressed them.