Soccer • 3 min read
• By EDGR TEAM
Decision Velocity: Measuring and Training Speed of Play
A practical metric to quantify how quickly teams turn recognition into action—combining time-to-good-option, execution latency, and ΔxT so coaches can train faster, smarter decisions.
In football, we often hear “play faster.” But how fast is fast enough? And what does “faster” really mean—foot speed or thought speed?
Decision Velocity (DV) is a new metric that moves beyond pass counts and sprint speeds. It quantifies the true tempo of decision-making, capturing how quickly players recognize valuable opportunities—and how efficiently they act on them.
Breaking Down DV
DV measures what happens in the most critical 2–4 seconds of a possession—when a Good Option (GO) becomes available.
DV is made of three components:
Recognition Time (TR): How fast the player spots a valuable passing, carrying, or shooting opportunity.
Execution Latency (TE): How fast the player acts on it—by passing, carrying, or shooting.
Outcome Value (ΔxT): How much the action improves expected scoring chances.
Each moment is scored based on this mix of timing and value. Faster and smarter actions score higher.
What DV Reveals
A midfielder who recognizes late but executes fast may need work on scanning and orientation.
A forward who spots early but delays action might need sharper triggers or cleaner first touches.
A fullback who reacts quickly but chooses poorly may benefit from hierarchy training (best vs. first-available options).
By looking at top-quartile DV instead of averages, coaches can see the true ceiling of a player’s speed-of-play under pressure.
How It’s Used
Coaching
Tailor drills to either improve recognition (reduce TR) or sharpen execution (reduce TE).
Diagnose unit-level slowdowns (e.g., does the 6–8–10 chain break down at the 8?).
Scouting
Identify talent who consistently execute fast, high-value decisions—even under pressure.
Training
Add constraints: “no touch unless shoulder is open” or “must play into GO within 0.8s.”
Progress drills from unopposed patterns to live transitions with timers.
Video Review
Auto-cut 4s video windows around each GO.
Tag moments: “good but slow,” “fast but low value,” “perfect.”
A Sample Insight
Match Moment: 57:41 — Press trap on right side
GO appears: Diagonal lane to far-side 10 (+0.032 ΔxT)
Action: 2 safety touches → pass at 57:44
Timing: TR = 0.7s, TE = 1.6s
DV Score: 0.61 (team Q75 is 0.78)
Coaching takeaway: Improve pre-orientation on recovery and diagonal one-touch patterns from traps.
The Bigger Picture
DV turns decision-making into a trainable, trackable, talent ID–friendly metric. It bridges analysis and coaching.
In 4 weeks, a team using DV effectively might see:
↓ 0.15s median TR in the middle third
↑ +0.04 Q75 DV for attackers
↑ 7–10% more fast, high-value actions
Beyond Football
DV can adapt across sports:
Basketball: EPV + pass windows in motion offenses
Hockey: Lane creation post-turnover under forecheck
Rugby: Decision chains post-contact in multi-phase attacks