Format: a PowerPoint file, digital download.

Most staffs break down an opponent by everybody watching the same film and then arguing about it Sunday night. You end up with a lot of notes, a call sheet nobody quite trusts, and two coaches who watched the same tape and saw two different games.

This is how we do it, laid out as a presentation you can walk your staff through. What to look for, how to split the work so each coach owns a piece instead of all of you doing the same job twice, and which things actually change what you call on Friday as opposed to the things that just fill up a scouting report.

Who it is for: head coaches and coordinators who have a staff and want everybody breaking down film the same way.

What it is not: it is not film study software and it is not a fill-in-the-blank scouting report. It is the method behind one.

What to do next

• The template that goes with it: Scouting Report Format
• Organizing the rest of the week: Head Coach Workbook
• Turning the breakdown into calls: The Playcaller's Guide