GUIDE · SCANNING
How to Scan in Soccer: What It Is, When to Look, and 6 Drills You Can Do Alone
A plain definition of scanning, the two moments that matter most, six drills for one player or two, and two match situations where one look changes the right answer.
Try the free soccer IQ test →Quick answer: Scanning in soccer means quick looks away from the ball, mostly over your shoulders, to see where opponents, teammates and space are before the ball reaches you. Scan just before the pass to you is played and while it travels, then look back at the ball to receive it. You can practise it alone with wall passes and a “name what you saw” rule, and Unscouted’s free soccer IQ test lets you practise reading the picture you scan.
Key takeaways
- Scanning is a head movement that takes your eyes off the ball for a moment to collect information.
- The two best moments: just before the pass to you is played, and while it is travelling.
- A study of Premier League players linked more scanning to a slightly higher chance of completing a pass.
- Looking is half of it. You also need to know what you are looking for: pressure, a free teammate, space.
- You can build the habit alone or with one friend in 15–20 minutes, a few times a week.
What is scanning in soccer?
Scanning is a quick turn of the head that takes your eyes off the ball for a moment so you can see what is around and behind you. You do it before you receive, so that when the ball arrives you already know where the pressure is, who is free and where the space is.
Coaches also call it “checking your shoulder” or “taking a picture”. In football (the name for soccer outside the US), researcher Geir Jordet and colleagues define a scan as “an active head movement where the face (and hence, the eyes) is temporarily directed away from the ball”. Note the two parts: your head turns, not just your eyes, and it is temporary. You look away, take the picture, and look back.
Why does scanning matter? What the research says
The best-known study followed 27 players from one Premier League club across 21 home matches in 2017/18, covering 9,574 possessions. Players who scanned more often before receiving had a slightly higher chance of completing their pass. The authors describe scanning as having “a small, but positive role” in performance.
Other findings from the same paper (Jordet et al., 2020, Frontiers in Psychology):
- Players averaged about 0.44 scans per second in the seconds before they received the ball.
- They scanned more before passing than before dribbling or shooting.
- Central midfielders and central defenders scanned most, forwards least.
- Scanning dropped under high pressure and near the touchlines.
Keep it in proportion. It was one club, home games only, with scans counted by hand from video, and the authors write that they “do not believe or claim that scanning is the conclusive variable” in performance. Scanning is worth training, but it is one skill among many, not a magic fix.
When should you scan? The two moments that matter most
Scan just before a teammate plays the ball to you, and again while the ball is travelling towards you. Then look back at the ball before it arrives so you can control it. Those two looks give you the freshest picture without costing you your first touch.
| Moment | What you do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Teammate on the ball, before he passes | One or two looks, both shoulders | The big picture: their shape, the gaps, where to move. |
| His head goes down to pass to you | One look over the shoulder you can’t see | A safe moment to look away. |
| Ball travelling to you | A last quick look, then eyes back on the ball | Shows who has moved, usually the player closing you. |
| Ball about to arrive | Eyes on the ball | Looking away now costs you a clean first touch. |
What should you look for when you scan?
Look for three things: the nearest opponent and which side he is coming from, the nearest free teammate, and the space you could turn or play into. If you only get one look, use it to find the pressure, because that tells you which way you can’t go.
A scan that answers none of these is just a head turn, which is why the drills below make you name what you saw. To check how much one look gives you, try our free football scanning test: a match picture for 2 seconds, then one question about what you saw.
Two situations where one look decides it
Situation 1: central midfielder receiving from your center back
It is 0-0 after 22 minutes. Your right center back passes it into you in your own half. You are facing your own goal.
What do you do?
- A Turn to your left and drive forward.
- B Open up and turn to your right. (pro pick)
- C Play it back first time to your left center back.
Why B: A look over your left shoulder shows their midfielder closing from that side. A look over your right shows their other midfielder more than 20 metres away and empty space. Open your body as the ball arrives and turn right.
Why not A: Fine when nobody is there. Here you turn straight into the player closing you.
Why not C: Safe, and right if both sides were closed. Here you give away space that one look would have shown you.
Situation 2: center back defending a cross
It is 1-0 to you after 80 minutes. Their right winger is about to cross from near your byline. Your center back partner is marking their striker. Your goal is at the top.
What do you do?
- A Stay level with your partner and watch the ball.
- B Drop and shift towards the back post. (pro pick)
- C Step to the near post to attack the cross.
Why B: Check your shoulder and you see their left winger free at the back post, with your right back still about 20 metres away. Your partner has the striker, so the danger is behind you. Shift across so you can see the ball and the runner at the same time.
Why not A: You won’t know the runner is there until he heads it.
Why not C: Good when the back post is covered. Here a cross over your head is a free header.
So defenders scan too, to find runners. More situations like this are in the Defender pack.
Every position looks for different things. Our guides for the striker, winger, number 10 and center back show what to scan for in each role.
Practise reading the picture, 8 situations free
The free test shows you 8 match pictures like these, 3 options each, then the pro pick and why. No sign-up.
6 scanning drills you can do alone or with one friend
These drills need a wall, a ball, a few cones and sometimes one friend. Each one makes you look and then say or use what you saw. Pick 2 or 3 per session, 15–20 minutes in total, a few times a week, with short rests so your touch stays sharp.
| Drill | People | Reps | Trains |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Wall pass, shoulder check | Alone | 4 x 20 passes | Looking while the ball travels |
| 2. Beep-and-name dribble | Alone | 4 x 60 seconds | Head up on the ball |
| 3. Call the fingers | 2 | 3 x 15 receptions | Reading information behind you |
| 4. Turn away from pressure | 2 | 3 x 10 | Using the look to pick a side |
| 5. Gate pass | 2 | 3 x 10 | Finding the open option |
| 6. Scan count in team training | Your team | One 10-minute block | Carrying it into real play |
1. Wall pass with a shoulder check (alone)
- Stand 5–8 metres from a wall with a different-coloured cone 3 metres behind you on each side.
- Pass against the wall. While the ball comes back, look over one shoulder and say the cone’s colour.
- Eyes back, control, pass again. Alternate shoulders.
- Progression: take your first touch towards the side you just checked.
2. Beep-and-name dribble (alone)
- Mark a 10 x 10 metre square. Set a phone interval timer to beep every 4 seconds.
- Dribble inside the square. On each beep, look over one shoulder and name one thing you see.
- 60 seconds on, 30 off, 4 times. Progression: beep every 3 seconds.
Some apps flash random colours or numbers for this, for example ProScan360 ($0.99 one-off on the App Store, checked October 2026). A plain timer works fine.
3. Call the fingers (with a friend)
- Stand 6 metres from a wall. Your friend stands 4–5 metres behind you.
- Pass against the wall. Once the ball has left your foot, your friend holds up 1 to 5 fingers on either side of you.
- Turn your head, shout the number before your first touch.
- Progression: odd number, first touch left; even, right. Swap after 15.
4. Turn away from pressure (with a friend)
- Face a wall from 6 metres. Your friend stands 3 metres behind you, slightly left or right.
- Pass against the wall and check both shoulders while it comes back.
- Your friend steps in as you receive. Turn away from his side and dribble past a cone 5 metres away.
- He changes side at random each rep. Swap after 10.
5. Gate pass (with a friend)
- Set two small gates (cones 1 metre apart) 8 metres behind you, one left, one right.
- Your friend passes to you from the front, then sprints to stand in one gate.
- Scan while the ball travels, then turn and pass through the other gate. Swap after 10.
6. Count your scans in team training
In one 10-minute block of team training, like a rondo, use one rule: look over a shoulder before every touch. Afterwards, score yourself honestly: most touches, some, or hardly any. If someone films a few minutes, count your looks and compare week to week.
Keep it sensible: these drills are light, but your legs and focus still get tired. Stop if anything hurts and keep your rest days. Short regular sessions build the habit better than one long one.
Can scanning be trained, and how long does it take?
Yes. Scanning is a habit, and habits change with repetition and feedback. Geir Jordet, the researcher behind much of the Premier League scanning work, told Sky Sports that “it is quite easy to get players to double their scanning frequency”. Most players notice a difference in their own training within a few weeks if they practise every session.
| Weeks | Focus | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Make it conscious | Drill 1 every day for 5 minutes. Name something after every look. |
| 2 | Add timing | Look while the ball travels, not when it arrives. Drills 3 and 4 with a friend. |
| 3 | Take it to team training | One rule in every rondo: a shoulder check before every touch. Score yourself after. |
| 4 | Test it | Retake the scanning test and film a few minutes of a game to count your looks. |
Keep going after week 4. The goal is that you scan without thinking about it, which takes longer than a month for most players.
How do you use scanning in team training and small-sided games?
Add one scanning rule to the exercises your team already does. Rondos, small-sided games and warm-ups are full of moments to look before receiving, so you don’t need extra time, just a reason to look. Ask your coach if the whole team can use the rule, or apply it to yourself.
- Warm-up colour call: place different coloured cones around the area. While passing in pairs, a coach or teammate shouts a colour and you name where the nearest cone of that colour is before your next touch.
- Rondo rule: a shoulder check before every touch, or play two-touch so you have to know your next pass before the ball arrives.
- Small-sided game rule: a goal only counts if the team switched the ball from one side to the other first, which forces everyone to look for the far side.
- Back-to-goal game: receive with your back to goal and score only by turning, so you need to know where the defender is first.
Do scanning apps, VR and online tests help?
They can, as extra reps. VR headsets and apps let you practise looking around without a pitch, and screen tests check how much you keep from one look. None of them sees whether you scan in a real match, so treat them as practice for the habit you then use on the pitch.
| Tool | What it trains | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Free scanning test | How much you keep from a 1 to 3 second look | A quick baseline and retests, no sign-up |
| Free soccer IQ test | Choosing the right option from a match picture | Using what you see, the step after scanning |
| VR headset drills | Looking around in a virtual match | Players with a headset and a subscription. See our VR soccer training alternative page |
| Cognitive and scanning apps | Attention and reaction reps on a phone or computer | Compare them in our list of the best soccer IQ apps |
How can you practise scanning while watching matches?
Follow one player in your position and count how often he turns his head in the few seconds before he receives. Then pause just before he receives and guess what he will do. This shows you when good players look and what they do with what they see.
- Pick one player. Central midfielders are easiest to learn from, since they scan the most.
- Use a wide angle. TV follows the ball and cuts off a lot of scans. Tactical-camera replays or watching from the stands show more.
- Pause and predict before he receives: what did his look show him?
- Write one line after 15 minutes, like “he always checks his left shoulder before a pass from the left back”.
Our guide to analysing a match as a player has the full routine, and the Game Library lists 84 pro games with notes to compare against.
What are the most common scanning mistakes?
The most common mistake is looking without seeing: turning your head because a coach said so, without taking in where the pressure or the free player is. The others are looking too late, always checking the same side, and stopping to look.
- Looking without seeing. Fix: name something after each look in drills.
- Looking as the ball arrives. You miss your touch. Look while it travels instead.
- One early look only. The picture changes in seconds. Take an early and a late look.
- Always the same shoulder. Alternate on purpose in drills.
- Standing still to scan. Look while you move into space.
- Seeing it but not using it. Practise decisions from match situations so you know what each picture means.
That last step is decision making. Our guide to decision making in football covers what comes after the look, and soccer IQ training compares ways to train it.
FAQ
What is scanning in soccer?
Scanning is a quick turn of the head, away from the ball, to see where opponents, teammates and space are before you receive. It helps you know what to do before your first touch.
How often should you scan in soccer?
There is no fixed number. In one study of Premier League players, the average was about 0.44 scans per second before receiving, a little under one look every two seconds. A good target is at least one look before the pass to you and one while it travels.
Can you practise scanning alone?
Yes. Wall passes with a shoulder check and dribbling with a timer that tells you when to look both work alone. Name something you see after each look so the scan has a purpose.
What are good soccer scanning drills?
Wall passes with a shoulder check, a dribble where you look up on a beep, calling a friend’s fingers before your first touch, and turning away from a friend who changes sides. Each makes you look and then use what you saw.
Is scanning the same as checking your shoulder?
Mostly, yes. Checking your shoulder is one type of scan. Scanning also includes looks forward and to the sides before the ball comes to you.
Which positions scan the most?
In the Premier League study by Jordet and colleagues, central midfielders and central defenders scanned most often and forwards least. Every position benefits from it.
How can I test my scanning?
Take a screen test that shows a match picture briefly and asks what you saw, like our free football scanning test. Then check the habit on the pitch: film a few minutes of a game and count how often you look before you receive.
Can you practise scanning without equipment?
Yes. Look over your shoulder and name what you see every time you receive in training, watch pro matches and count one player’s looks, and do the beep-and-name dribble with any ball. A wall and a friend make it easier, but they aren’t required.
How long does it take to improve scanning?
Most players can make scanning a conscious habit within about four weeks of daily practice, and the researcher Geir Jordet has said it’s quite easy to get players to double their scanning frequency. Making it automatic under pressure takes longer.
At what age should players learn to scan?
As early as they can understand the idea of looking before the ball arrives. Young players can start with simple games like calling colours or fingers. For players aged 15 to 21, it’s never too late: scanning is one of the quickest habits to improve.
Know what to do with what you see
Pause & Decide has 100 match situations, 20 per position, each with 3 options, the pro pick and the reason. One payment of $27, no subscription. Try the free 8 first if you like.
Sources: Sky Sports, Geir Jordet on scanning · Jordet, Aksum, Pedersen et al. (2020), Scanning, Contextual Factors, and Association With Performance in English Premier League Footballers: An Investigation Across a Season, Frontiers in Psychology · ProScan360 on the App Store (checked October 2026)