How to win spot the ball competitions?

Do you think you know where the ball is in the image? Or do you know for sure where the ball actually was in the image? Great! Although… none of that matters: The single most important tip on how to win spot the ball is that it’s not about you or where you think the ball is – it’s about the judges and where they think the ball is. In other words for you to win in spot the ball as a skill-based game, you have to match your own skill with the judges’.

The judging process may differ from competition to competition, but below are a few general pointers on how to get better at spot the ball and if you’re serious about winning it; how to decide where the ball is like the judges do:

How to Win Spot The Ball – Tip 1: Watch all judging videos …

When you go and see the results on any of the spot the ball competitions like BOTB, always watch the latest judging videos from their website or YouTube channel as well. And especially if you haven’t played before, it’s highly beneficial for your success to watch them. Yes, even multiple times! This is so you can not only fully understand how the judging process works, but also what things to consider when placing your spots.

Tip 2: … Pay attention to the discussion being held between the judges …

When watching the videos pay close attention to what the judges talk about when the justifications for their spots. It might be anything from the most obvious like where the players eyelines are pointing towards, but smaller and more subtle things like the position of a players’ arms to determine how mid-jump they are can be used, and also how open a player’s eyes are to determine how close the ball is to the player.

Tip 3: … Consider influence by the other judges …

It’s not only important to be able to place your spots like the judges. But also sometimes the final winning spot will be moved a tiny bit to a direction that might seem counter-intuitive to you. Even if this might be only to humour the other judges in placing the final spot or if someone throws the average off by judging differently than other judges. But for you to truly to be able to judge like the judges do; you just have to reflect on all of these factors that are affecting their decision process and more importantly the end result.

Tip 4: … And notice any changes and trends in judging.

And as always, there might and probably will be be changes over time in how the judges do the judging. The spot the ball judges might start paying more attention to other things, and less attention to something else.

How to Win Spot The Ball – Final Tip: … Take notes! (And learn from them)

If you really want to learn how to win spot the ball, you have to keep track of your weekly results and compare it to the judging – and track if you’re getting closer or further away from their results. By taking weekly notes after judging results you can see if you place your spots higher than the judges, or if you usually see the eyelines differently than the judges – and then you can adapt your guesses to be more like the judges’!

And that’s how to win spot the ball – by judging the images like the judges do! Make sure you check out all the spot the ball tips and tricks on this website if you’re serious about winning!

Ready to win?

Watch some of the latest judging videos by BOTB below taking the previous tips on how to win spot the ball in consideration – and then give it a go when you are ready! But make sure you also check out all the tips on this website, and practice with our spot the ball quizzes if you are serious about winning.