Video analysis in grassroots football, a routine for one evening

By Marvin Heinzl · updated 30 September 2026

Good video analysis in grassroots football doesn't need an expensive system. You need a recording, one topic, a list of times and a short video with the right scenes. Here is a routine you can get through on a weeknight.

Cut a video

Runs in your browser, best on a computer. Your video is not uploaded.

1. Pick one topic

If you try to show everything, nothing sticks. Choose one topic per session that fits the week's training: pressing triggers, reactions after losing the ball, or your own corners. Anything else you notice while watching can wait for another week.

2. Watch the match and note the times

Watch with a notepad or your phone next to you. Whenever a scene fits the topic, write down the time from the player plus a keyword, like 23:10-23:31 pressed too late. Use the player's time, not the match minute, because recordings usually start before kickoff.

Note the good moments too. A team that only sees mistakes switches off quickly.

3. Cut the scenes together

With the list you're nearly done. In schneiden.video you choose the video, paste your notes and get one video with those scenes. Let each scene start two or three seconds early so people see how it came about; "More options" can add that automatically.

In our experience six to ten scenes are enough, and the video shouldn't run longer than ten minutes for a team talk.

4. Show it so it sticks

Pause and ask before you explain. "What do you see here?" works better than a lecture.
Show one scene twice rather than five in a row without a break.
Send the video to the team chat afterwards. Letting players watch the scenes again on their own is one of the main benefits of video analysis that the German FA's training site fussball.de points out.

What you need

A recording of the match, ideally filmed from a raised spot near the halfway line, and a computer. How to film a match with a phone is covered in the filming guide, and the video formats page explains which files work.

Frequently asked questions

How long should an analysis video be?

For a team talk, six to ten scenes and no more than ten minutes work well.

At what age is video analysis worth it?

It depends on the team. With young children the effort usually outweighs the benefit; with older youth teams and adults it pays off more.

Do I need analysis software?

Not to begin with. A list of times and a tool that turns it into a video cover most team talks.

Sources

fussball.de: Apps als Hilfsmittel zur Spielbeobachtung