When scouting an opponent be sure to be organized before you leave for the game. Make sure that you have your scouting materials, such as a clipboard, pencils, scouting sheets, a legal pad and a stopwatch.

If possible give yourself plenty of time to get to the game. When scouting, it is always good to arrive early and buy a game program. This will allow you to get the names, numbers and sizes of your opponent. Watch them warm-up so you can get an idea of how athletic the team may be and you may be able to see a play or formation that they may not use in the game.

When finding a seat try to find one as high up as possible and as close to the middle of the field as you can. This will allow you to have a good birds-eye view of all 11 players during each play.

When the game starts, chart all the opponent’s plays. This will give you an idea of their offensive tendencies and formations. Make sure that your scout sheet for each play block has the following information: down and distance, the yard line the play was ran from, the score and the time at which the play was run.

SEE ALSO: How to create an effective offensive game plan

SEE ALSO: Here’s how to take scouting information and formulate it into a successful game plan

When your opponent is on defense look for their alignment (4-3, 5-2, etc.) and personnel. Identify their coverages, their blitz tendencies, their strengths and weaknesses.

When looking at their coverage teams (punt / kickoff) determine the depth of their kicks, their lane discipline and tackling ability. Use a stopwatch to determine how long it takes the punter to get the ball into the air. When looking at the return teams, determine whether the unit utilizes the wedge or wall returns.

After the game determine the team’s strengths and weaknesses. Identify their offensive and defensive tendencies. When this is done you can begin to formulate a game plan.

When it’s time to face this opponent, give each player a copy of the offensive plays and defensive fronts so they can studying them throughout the week. At practice, use them during both the offensive and defensive shell drills and team times. Mimicking the opponent will make your players more aware of what they may see from their opposition.

A scouting trip, if done correctly, will allow your players to be familiar and confident come kickoff.

Chris Booth is the head football coach at Peterstown Middle School in West Virginia. He has had four books and nine videos published by Coaches Choice – available here– and will have a youth drill book published later in 2016.