Data on Decision-Making in Soccer/Football & How to Train It
Most soccer/football training focuses on improving physical and technical skills, but there’s another dimension of the game that often gets overlooked: decision-making. The ability to quickly scan the field, process information, and choose the best action under pressure is what sets elite players apart.
In this blog post, we’ll explore the findings from a study by Teoldo et al. (2023) and share practical tips to improve your decision-making abilities (including 3 drills you can do by yourself)—so you can train smarter and play better.
THE STUDY: WHAT THEY DID
The study compared decision-making in professional and academy soccer players through two experiments:
Experiment 1: Analyzed 12 official matches (7 professional and 5 academy) using notational analysis to measure the number of decisions made during games.
Experiment 2: Evaluated 138 players (42 professionals and 96 academy) using the TacticUP® tool, which assesses game reading and decision-making speed and accuracy in controlled conditions.
WHAT THEY FOUND
Volume of Decisions
Professional soccer players made 56% more decisions than academy players each match. On average:
Professionals made an average of ~2,460 decisions per match, compared to ~1,573 decisions by academy players.
Speed of Decision-Making
Professional soccer players demonstrated significantly faster decision-making than academy players. On average:
With the ball (offensive situations): Professionals took 7.08 seconds per decision, compared to 10.51 seconds for academy players.
Without the ball (offensive situations): Professionals took 6.29 seconds, while academy players took 8.94 seconds.
Defensive situations (without the ball): Professionals averaged 6.37 seconds, compared to 8.84 seconds for academy players.
This indicates that professional players were approximately 30-40% faster in their decision-making across various match situations.
cognitive skills
Professional players exhibited better perceptual-cognitive skills (e.g., visual scanning, information processing) and motor responses, enabling quicker, more accurate decisions.
HOW TO IMPROVE DECISION-MAKING IN SOCCER
The findings highlight the importance of speed and accuracy in decision-making for top-level performance and that this decision-making is not an innate ability—it’s a skill that can be trained and improved. Here are a few training insights based on the study:
Simulate Cognitive Intensity of Professional Matches: Professional matches demand around 41 decisions per minute. Training drills should replicate this intensity to prepare academy players for the jump to professional levels.
Focus on Perceptual-Cognitive Skills: Incorporate exercises that develop players’ ability to visually scan the field, process information, and make split-second decisions.
2 WAYS TO DO THIS
Small-Sided Games: Reduce the number of players (e.g., 4v4 or 5v5) on a smaller pitch to encourage quick decision-making and constant situational awareness.
Cognitive-Motor Training: Use randomized visual stimuli (e.g., colors or numbers) shown by a coach or a phone/tablet (e.g., using the SwitchedOn app) to help develop the player’s ability to scan the field and quickly make decisions.
3 DRILLS TO IMPROVE DECISION-MAKING BY YOURSELF
Here are 3 cognitive-motor training drills you can do by yourself using the SwitchedOn Training App!
If you press “TAP TO TRY” while on your mobile device, you will be taken directly to the drill in the app.
Bells to Dynamic Sole Roll
Two Touch Pass and Scan
Hexagon Dribbling
MORE INFO AND RESOURCES
6-week training program to improve decision-making in soccer players available on the SwitchedOn app (learn more).
Scientific whitepaper on the neuroscience of athletic performance (learn more).
Online course on cognitive-motor training (learn more)
Download the SwitchedOn app for free on iOS or Android (click below).