5 Benefits of Watching and Learning from High-Level Gameplay

Dedicating time to watching collegiate and professional soccer is not only fun, but it also makes us better players. This is why following along with your favorite teams is screentime you don’t need to feel guilty about! As you have probably noticed, we at GSN love following our favorite professional leagues, such as the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), love viewing the exciting world of collegiate NCAA and NAIA soccer, and love watching tournaments like the World Cup on the international stage. The entertainment value alone is enough to make us cancel all our plans come game night. But aside from entertainment, below are five ways that watching high-level soccer helps you learn and boost your own gameplay.

Gain the Bird’s-Eye View

Imagine trying to complete a 500-piece puzzle without the picture on the box to guide you. It would be much more difficult, right? Playing soccer is the same way. While playing on that field gives you valuable experience, it cannot give you the same perspective as watching the game with a bird’s-eye view.

There’s no better way to comprehend the whole field than seeing it from the bleachers or the big screen. As you spectate, be sure to note how a midfielder capitalized on a gap in the defense to send a through ball to their attacking player. Ask yourself how to read the field like the last defender, who stepped forward at a crucial moment to leave their opponent in an offside position.

As you begin to understand the game from this viewpoint, you will better visualize the field in your mind’s eye when you play.

Learn from Other Players’ Successes

As you follow along with your favorite teams, you will see many instances of player success. Check out these recent top five goals from various leagues if you need examples. A mindful player like you can gain many insights from witnessing these successes play out live.

When you are down by a goal, and your confidence is shaken, you will remember seeing that professional team fight from 0-1 down to 2-1 up and know you can do the same.

When you are a goalkeeper defending a dreaded penalty kick, you will remember the composure of your favorite keeper when she helped her team win a penalty shoot-out, and it will calm your mind.

Learn from Other Players’ Failures

While learning from other players’ successes is fun, it is equally important to learn from other players’ failures. Notice the technique of that striker who skyrocketed the ball above the crossbar instead of into the net. Notice the player who didn’t track their mark, leading to a goal.

From these mistakes, you can learn what you don’t want to do so you can focus on what you want to do. Perhaps the most important thing you can learn from a high-level player’s failure: they keep going, they move forward, and they rise to meet the next challenge despite the mistake. Mistakes happen to all of us. So pattern your mindset after the players who have grown resilient from years of experience, and learn to move on from errors with your head held high and hunger to do better the next time.

Understand Coaching Strategy

Some of the most interesting insights to be gained from watching professional soccer are from the coaching strategy. Coaches see a match as a game of chess. They need to be thinking three steps ahead. They need to anticipate their opponent’s next move. They need to use their available pieces (or players) deliberately.

When you understand the mindset of a coach, you understand when and why your team must alter formations. You understand the timing of player substitutions. You better understand your coach’s direction and, therefore, can implement their instruction most effectively.

Let the Inspiration Flow

Finally, being invested in high-level soccer helps us to feel inspired! Watching your local collegiate team celebrate as the final whistle blows might instill in you the desire to be on that field yourself someday. Viewing professional highlights might help you visualize your own moves before a game. Seeing players shed tears of pride, joy, and overwhelm after winning the league might grow your own passion.

Witnessing these incredible moments live can be emotional, heartbreaking, uplifting, and anything in between. Lean into that emotion and draw passion from it. Let that inspiration flow into your own gameplay.

Featured image via Unsplash

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