Best examples of scouting report template examples for coaches in 2025

Real examples of scouting report template examples for coaches

Let’s start where coaches actually live: on the whiteboard, in the scouting binder, and inside Hudl or Synergy. The best examples of scouting report template examples for coaches share three traits:

• They’re fast to update during a long season.
• They translate directly into practice drills.
• Players can understand them at a glance.

Below are several real-world style templates used by coaches in 2024–2025, plus how to adapt each one to your level and sport.

Example of a one-page basketball opponent scouting report

This is a favorite at the high school and small-college level because it fits on one sheet and doesn’t overwhelm players.

Structure coaches actually use:

• Header: Opponent name, date, location, tip-off time, record, conference standing.
• Team identity: 2–3 bullet phrases, such as:
  • “Fast-paced, heavy ball screens”
  • “Crash offensive glass hard”
  • “Live and die by the 3 (35 attempts per game)”
• Starting five breakdown with height, position, and quick notes:
  • “#2 PG – 6’0 – Right-hand dominant, struggles vs length, picks up charge calls”
  • “#24 SF – 6’5 – Best shooter, 42% from 3, must top-lock off screens”
• Bench notes: Who changes the game off the bench, who is a defensive specialist, who is foul-prone.
• Offensive tendencies:
  • Favorite sets ("Horns double”, “Floppy”, “5-out drive & kick")
  • First 3 plays they like to run
  • ATO (after-timeout) tendencies
• Defensive tendencies:
  • “Switch 1–4, hard hedge on 5 ball screens”
  • “2–3 zone on baseline out-of-bounds”
  • Press or no press, and when.
• Keys to win (3–5 max):
  • “Win the glass by +8”
  • “Hold #24 under 3 made threes”
  • “Limit live-ball turnovers to under 10”

Coaches often pull data from platforms like Synergy or Hudl to fill this in, but the template itself is simple enough to maintain in Google Docs or Excel. It’s one of the best examples of scouting report template examples for coaches who want something players will actually read during a long season.

Soccer: examples of scouting report template examples for coaches

Soccer scouting reports lean heavily on shape, pressing triggers, and set pieces. A practical example of a template for a college or elite club staff might look like this.

Sections that matter:

• Match context: League position, recent form (last 5 matches), rest days.
• Team structure:
  • Base formation (e.g., 4–3–3 that morphs into 3–4–3 in possession)
  • Build-up pattern: “Short from keeper, double pivot dropping in” or “Long to target #9, play off second balls.”
• Key players:
  • “#10 – Playmaker, finds pockets between lines, prefers left foot”
  • “#9 – Target, dominates in air, near-post runs on crosses”
• Attacking tendencies:
  • Where they attack most (left/right/central)
  • Cross volume and type (cutbacks vs lofted crosses)
  • Counterattack behavior after winning the ball
• Defensive tendencies:
  • Pressing trigger (back pass, poor touch, sideline trap)
  • Line height (high line vs deep block)
  • How they defend set pieces (zonal vs man-marking)
• Set piece analysis:
  • Corners: “Near-post crowd, back-post screen”
  • Free kicks: “#7 takes direct shots from 25 yards and in”
• Game plan:
  • Where you want to build
  • Which channel to target
  • Specific matchups to attack or protect

In 2024–2025, more soccer staffs are layering GPS and physical data into these templates (high-speed running, sprints, pressing intensity). That data often comes from sports science departments or commercial GPS systems; guidance on workload management is outlined by organizations like the U.S. Soccer Federation and research collected by NIH on athlete monitoring.

This soccer format is one of the best examples of scouting report template examples for coaches who need to connect tactical ideas with conditioning and recovery.

American football: example of a defensive scouting report template

Football scouting reports get dense fast, so the trick is organizing them by situation rather than by raw playbook size. Here’s an example of how a defensive coordinator might structure a weekly opponent report.

Core sections:

• Opponent overview: Tempo (huddle vs no-huddle), primary personnel (11, 12, 10), run/pass ratio, RPO usage.
• Formations and personnel:
  • Top 5 formations by usage
  • How formation changes by down and distance
• Run game:
  • “Inside zone 35% of snaps, mostly to field side”
  • “Power with pulling guard on 2nd-and-short”
  • RB tendencies by number
• Pass game:
  • Top concepts: “Four verts, mesh, smash, spot”
  • QB tendencies: scramble direction, time to throw
  • Favorite targets on 3rd down and in red zone
• Situational breakdowns:
  • 1st & 10: “Heavy play-action”
  • 3rd & long: “Screens and draws if backed up”
  • Red zone: “Fade to boundary WR, QB draw inside 10”
• Protection schemes:
  • Slide vs man protections
  • Who struggles with blitz pickup
• Defensive call menu:
  • Your base calls vs each formation
  • Pressure packages tagged to their protections

In 2024–2025, many high school and college staffs are importing data directly from Hudl or Pro Football Focus-style breakdowns. The template above is a strong example of scouting report template examples for coaches who want to turn raw film into specific defensive calls, not just pages of tendencies.

Volleyball: example of a simple opponent and rotation report

Volleyball scouting reports revolve around rotations, serve-receive patterns, and hitter tendencies.

A practical template might include:

• Team snapshot: Strengths, weaknesses, preferred tempo.
• Serve-receive formations:
  • Who struggles with tough float serves
  • Who passes nails and must be avoided
• Rotational breakdown:
  • For each rotation, list:
    • Primary hitters and their favorite shots (line, cross, tip)
    • Setter tendencies (who gets the ball in tight sets)
    • Blocking matchups you want
• Serving plan:
  • Target zones by player
  • Aggression level ("zone 1, deep, force them off the net")
• Defensive plan:
  • Base defense vs each rotation
  • Adjustments for star hitter

This is one of the best examples of scouting report template examples for coaches who want a clean, rotation-based layout they can hand to setters and liberos before a match.

Digital vs paper: examples include video-linked scouting reports

In 2024–2025, many staffs are ditching thick binders in favor of hybrid templates that live partly in the cloud and partly on paper.

Popular digital examples of scouting report template formats include:

• Google Sheets / Excel dashboards where each tab is a phase of the game (offense, defense, special teams, set pieces).
• Clickable PDFs with links to video clips for each tendency.
• Learning management systems (like Canvas or Blackboard used by some universities) where players complete short quizzes on the scouting report.

An example of a modern template: a one-page PDF with your usual categories (personnel, tendencies, keys), but each bullet point has a tiny text link to a Hudl clip. Guards can tap “#2 PG – right-hand dominant” and instantly see three clips of him driving right.

Coaches who want to keep players healthy and prepared are also starting to tie scouting reports into recovery plans. For instance, if you expect a high-tempo opponent, your sports medicine staff may emphasize hydration and recovery protocols informed by sources like CDC physical activity guidelines or Mayo Clinic’s advice on sleep and recovery.

These hybrid formats are fast becoming the best examples of scouting report template examples for coaches who want technology to actually help, not just add work.

Practice-planning focused examples of scouting report template examples for coaches

The most underrated template is the one that directly shapes practice. Instead of a standalone document, some staffs now build a practice-integrated scouting report.

How it’s structured:

• Column 1: Opponent tendency
  • “High ball-screen volume with short roll”
• Column 2: Our tactical response
  • “Ice side ball screens, tag roller from weak side”
• Column 3: Practice drill
  • “3-on-3 ball-screen coverage, 10 reps each side”
• Column 4: Evaluation note
  • “Coverage solid vs second unit, need more talk vs starters”

This format gives you a living document: you start filling it out on Sunday when you begin film, then adjust it after each practice. By Friday, you’ve got both a scouting report and a practice log in one place.

As an example of scouting report template design, this is powerful because it forces you to connect every bullet point in the report to a specific drill, not just a speech in the locker room.

Player development: internal scouting report examples

Not every scouting report is about the opponent. Some of the smartest staffs run self-scout templates on their own players and schemes.

Example of an internal scouting report template:

• Player profile: Position, role, minutes, usage.
• Strengths: Backed by data (e.g., “45% from corner 3, 65% at rim").
• Weaknesses: Specific and measurable ("Turnover rate of 20% vs pressure").
• Opponent view: If you were scouting this player, how would you attack them?
• Development plan: 2–3 targeted skills with drills.

This type of template turns your own roster into a scouting project and helps you anticipate how opponents will prepare for you. It’s one of the more advanced examples of scouting report template examples for coaches who want to think like their rivals.

How to customize these examples without overcomplicating things

Looking at all these examples of scouting report template options can be overwhelming, especially if you coach multiple teams or levels. A simple way to customize without getting lost:

• Start with one page for players, more detail for staff only.
• Limit player-facing reports to three to five keys.
• Use consistent language all season so players don’t have to relearn your format every week.
• Tie every key point in the scouting report to a practice rep.

When in doubt, strip it down. A clean, repeatable format that players understand always beats a beautiful, overloaded document that ends up ignored on the locker room floor.

FAQ: examples and practical questions about scouting report templates

Q: What are some simple examples of scouting report template formats for youth coaches?
For youth levels, a half-page sheet often works best. One section for “Their Strengths,” one for “Our Plan,” and one for “Key Matchups.” Include just a few notes on their best player, their favorite play, and one or two things your team must do (rebound, sprint back, communicate). That’s usually enough without overwhelming young athletes.

Q: Can you give an example of a digital scouting report that players actually use?
A common example: a Google Doc with sections for personnel, tendencies, and keys, where each bullet point links to a short video clip. Players can open it on their phones, skim the headings, and tap only the clips relevant to their position. It’s fast, shareable, and easy to update weekly.

Q: How much data should I include in a scouting report template?
Use just enough to support your message. A couple of shooting percentages, a run/pass ratio, or a formation frequency can sharpen your plan, but once players start glazing over, you’ve gone too far. Save the heavy data for staff meetings and keep player-facing reports focused on actions: what they run, how you’ll guard it, and how you’ll score.

Q: Are there best examples of scouting report template examples for coaches that work across multiple sports?
Yes. Any sport can use a three-part structure: 1) who they are (identity and personnel), 2) what they do (tendencies by phase or situation), and 3) how we respond (game plan and practice drills). Whether you coach basketball, soccer, volleyball, or football, that core template adapts easily.

Q: Where can I learn more about using data and video in scouting reports?
Look at research and education from organizations like Harvard’s sports analytics initiatives, sport science papers indexed by NIH, and coaching education from national governing bodies such as USA Basketball and U.S. Soccer. They often publish case studies and guidelines on using video, analytics, and workload data effectively.

The bottom line: the best examples of scouting report template examples for coaches are the ones that match your level, your time, and your players’ attention span. Steal what works from these examples, cut what doesn’t, and keep refining until your scouting report directly shapes how you practice and how you win.