What “scanning” actually means
Scanning is the quick look over your shoulder that a player takes before the ball reaches them. It is not glamorous and it does not show up on a highlight reel, but it is the difference between a player who receives the ball and then has to work out what to do, and a player who already knows.
The Norwegian sports psychologist Geir Jordet made this his life's work. He sat through hundreds of hours of Premier League footage counting how often players turned their heads before receiving a pass, and the pattern that came out was consistent: the players who scanned most often were also the players who were most effective once the ball arrived. The names that keep surfacing in his research — Xavi, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard — were relentless shoulder-checkers long before anyone was measuring it.
The good news for a coach is that scanning is a habit, not a talent. It responds extremely well to repetition, and it needs almost no equipment to train. That is all this app is: something behind the player that changes, so they have no choice but to keep looking up.
How to use this app
- Placement. Prop the phone on a cone, clip it to the net, or lean it against a bag — roughly at head height, behind the player or off to one side. The whole point is that it sits where they cannot see it without turning.
- Distance. Colors read clearly from 25–30 yards. Numbers are harder; keep them inside about 15 yards, or switch to a 1–9 range so the digits are bigger.
- Brightness. Turn it all the way up outdoors. On a bright day, colors beat numbers every time.
- Interval by age. U8–U10: 4–6 seconds. U11–U14: 2.5–4 seconds. U15 and up: 1.5–2.5 seconds. If they are calling every cue correctly without effort, go faster.
Five drills to run with it
1. Scan and call (solo, 60 seconds)
Player juggles or does close touches facing away from the phone. Every time the cue changes, they call it out. Nothing else. This is the one that builds the habit, and it is worth doing first every session.
2. Check before you receive (pairs)
Two players pass back and forth; the phone sits behind one of them. Before every reception, the receiving player must shout the current color. Miss a call and the pair restarts the count. This wires scanning to the moment that matters — the instant before the ball arrives.
3. Rondo with a caller
Standard 4v1 or 5v2 rondo with the phone propped outside the grid. Whoever receives the ball calls the cue as they take their first touch. If they cannot, the pass does not count. Players discover very quickly that they have to look before the ball comes, not after.
4. Arrow turns (body shape)
Switch the app to Arrows and stand the player with their back to it. On each change they call the direction and open their hips that way, as if they were about to receive a pass and play it there. Scanning is only half the habit — the other half is turning early enough that the information is still useful by the time the ball arrives. The four cardinal directions are on by default because they are the ones a player can shout without thinking; switch on the diagonals once calling them is automatic.
5. Color sprint (reaction and decision)
Set out cones matching your selected colors. Player faces away, working the ball. On each change, they leave the ball and sprint to the matching cone, then return. Use the color chips above to limit the app to the cone colors you actually brought.
Common questions
Does it work without a signal?
Yes. Load it once and it keeps working on the field with zero bars. On iPhone use Share → Add to Home Screen, on Android use the install prompt, and it opens like a normal app.
Will my phone lock mid-drill?
It should not — the app holds the screen awake while a session is running and releases it when you stop. If your phone still sleeps, set Auto-Lock to Never for training.
Is it free?
Completely, with no account and no data collection. If it saved you buying a gadget that does the same thing for $80, the coffee button below is appreciated but genuinely optional.