Start the recruiting process early
Anyone who starts the recruiting process early will have a jump on most other student athletes. With this commitment and responsibility you will soon find your self ahead of the game. Coaches will have the opportunity to gauge you from the get go. They will let you develop, and watch you through out your high school career. Most college coaches say that seeing an athlete develop for a couple years really lets them see the athlete they were and the athlete they have become. Which in turn will lend to some insight for the coach on how the athlete will continually develop.
Quality Highlight Film
This is a quintessential part of the recruiting process. With good quality highlight film a coach can really get a taste of what an athlete plays like when he hits the field. In any sport it will be rare if a coach offers you a scholarship because you say you can:
Athlete says "coach I can throw a line drive to first from third."
Coach will say "I would like to believe you but, I need film to verify that."
The most common way in the U.S. of trying to get exposure is through sending out highlight reels. Here are some things to remember when creating a highlight reel:
- Keep the plays short and sweet (unless coach specifically asks you for a whole non-stop game. Which is common.)
- Use a high quality video recorder if possible.
- Most high school's take film of there athletes playing. All though film is film, its not recommended to use the schools footage. The reason is because they tend to film the whole team at once which then coaches will tend to lose you during plays. Try getting a parent or friend to record just you through out the season.
- If you start a new season, its best to start a new film and segment seasons out accordingly.
- Sending DVD's through the mail is a bad idea. So many things could go wrong, such as a miss-handling of a package, scratched or broken disk which will lead to a useless video and money and postage wasted. The coach will now be able to view you film and will simply move on.
Communicating with college coaches
*This is one of the most important part of obtaining a scholarship.
Remember, if a coach can'tcontact you there will absolutely be no scholarship offered no matter what you have done up to this point. Be proactive when contacting college coaches, don’t wait for them to contact you. You never know how the recruiting process will go so keep your options open.
It is imperative to your scholarship efforts that you open the line of communication to all coaches regardless if they are not on your list of interested schools or not. Every coach that approaches you whether they want to make an offer, or just take a glimpse, you must show them respect by making sure any information they need gets to them ASAP. Coaches talk to each other, so don’t burn your bridges before you cross them.
If you like a school, make sure you show your level of interest by asking questions and taking notes for further conversations.
Learn the academic requirements and regulations for NCAA and NAIA eligibility
*This is one of the most important part of obtaining a scholarship.
- Register with the NCAA and NAIA Eligibility Centers to be cleared for athletic scholarships.
- There are certain minimum requirements for test scores, core classes, and grades that must be met or exceeded to become eligible.
- Research and read the NCAA and NAIA Guide for the College Bound Student-Athlete. Then create a plan to reach that goal and follow it.
- Also read up on how and when coaches can contact you, and how you can contact them. They sound synonymous, but in fact are completely different.
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