RECRUITING TIPS AND GUIDES

WELCOME LETTER

Dear ScoutU prospect:

Welcome to ScoutU! For this effort to be a success, each party involved has a responsibility. ScoutU’s role is to create the profile, counsel you through the recruiting process, market you through email campaigns, edit your video, etc. Your role is to submit the necessary information to ScoutU so we can perform our services, inform us of your recruiting progress, send us updates for your profile, follow our advice and provide the video footage. Your responsibility is to make good grades, continue to improve your athletic abilities and stay out of trouble. When everyone meets his or her responsibility, the recruiting process goes smoothly.

We will make every effort to follow your progress and to keep in touch. We keep you aware of what you should do and when. Please return our calls, texts or e-mails promptly so we may keep information flowing.  If you think we have been out of touch for too long, contact your ScoutU scout or contact Owner/Scout Jason Lauren (414-303-7607, Jason@ScoutU.com).  Parents who keep in touch find their experience with ScoutU much more successful.

Once ScoutU receives the necessary profile information, we will create your personal website and contact you once it’s live. If you see any errors or want something changed, please let us know through an email (updates@ScoutU.org).

If you haven’t already done so, please “like” and “follow” us on social media (facebook.com/ScoutUrecruiting, twitter.com/ScoutUrecruit, instagram.com/ScoutUrecruiting), so we can tag you on posts you are mentioned in and see recruiting tips and recruiting rules updates.

Below is a ton of information that can help you be successful in your recruiting process and guides on some ScoutU-realted items.

If you have any questions, please contact us. I wish you the best of luck in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

WEBSITE UPDATES

To be effective, the prospect must submit updates as often as possible. Coaches prefer to see profiles with new information. Suggestions are as follows:

  • Awards, honors, outstanding game performances, season statistics, etc.
  • Completion of video; Picture – at least once every 6 months
  • New ACT or SAT scores (Always submit test scores by sections)
  • Changes in academic standing, weight, height

Submit all website updates to: updates@ScoutU.com

 

PERSONAL ESSAY GUIDELINE

Email it to your ScoutU scout or to updates@ScoutU.com in a Microsoft Word attachment or body of an email only.

Keep in mind that this is the message that goes to college coaches for your Exposure services, so spend some time thinking what you want colleges to know about you!

First paragraph (3 sentences)

  1. First and last name
  2. High school name and location (city, state)
  3. Graduation date
  4. Height & weight
  5. Position(s) play
  6. Academics: Cumulative GPA, ACT or SAT (if taken), desired college major (if know)
  7. Something about you that stands out (ask your ScoutU scout for help with this)

Second paragraph (3-5 sentences)

Something about you that you want the college coaches to know about you that you feel makes you unique and makes you stand out. Such as:

  1. What makes you a special athlete? Think of traits you have that most others don’t have.
  2. Work ethic: Discuss what you’re doing outside of your scheduled games/practices to improve and provide detail (how often working out, what doing for workouts, how long working out, when working out, etc.)
  3. Academic strengths: Taking AP/Honors course, quality of your school, awards/honors, etc.
  4. Misc. strengths (leadership, volunteer work, other extra curricular activities you’re involved in that can reflect on your character, etc.)

Closing sentence

Include thanking coach for reading your email/their time.

Other notes/tips

  1. Make sure one/both your parents read it before sending it to ScoutU.
  2. Do NOT send it in a PDF file, because then we would have to type it up.


COACH EVALUATION GUIDELINE

You can have up to two evaluations from your coaches on your website. 500 words or less for each evaluation. Email to your ScoutU scout or to updates@ScoutU.com in Microsoft Word or body of an email

Includes the following:

  1. Athletic skills/strengths
  2. Athletic areas need to improve
  3. Non-athletic strengths (like work ethic, character, leadership, coachability etc.)

 

NCAA/AND NAIA ELIGIBILITY CENTERS

If you haven’t already done so, register with the NCAA (eligibilitycenter.org) and NAIA (playNAIA.org) eligibility centers. On the NCAA eligibility center, there are a few questions regarding scouting services. Here’s how to answer those questions:

  1. Have you paid anyone to market your abilities? Put “Yes” and list ScoutU and our phone number (414-303-7607).
  2. The types of services received: Public web site, video available to every coach, emails to coaches.
  3. Did you enter into an agreement for future representation? No.
  4. Contact email address: jason@ScoutU.com
  5. Individual relations: Advisor/family advisor
  6. Did you enter into a written agreement? Yes
  7. Did you pay for services? Yes

These questions are to make sure you don’t have an agent, which we are not. ScoutU follows all NCAA rules. So, don’t worry about answering these questions with these answers.

Also, on the NCAA eligibility center, it has two sections, one for Division I and II and another section for Division III. The NCAA is trying to segment out kids who know they are definitely going DIII so as not to go through the trouble of clearing their grades.  This saves the NCAA staff time. Also, they will send info to DIII-bound kids about what they need to be doing. So, if you have a goal to compete at the DI or DII levels, fill that section out. If your only interest is DIII, then fill out that section.

Once you have completed registering with the NCAA and NAIA, please email me your numbers for each to add to your profile and so I know you have registered.

 

PROSPECT RESPONSIBLITIES

1. Update your profile regularly: College coaches must receive current data to properly evaluate you. It is absolutely crucial that you update your profile with new statistics, activities, grades and pictures as often as possible. Email ScoutU any updates (updates@ScoutU.org) you wish to be made. You can submit new data as often as you like. Keeping your website fresh only help attract more coaches.

2. Respond immediately to college coaches: College coaches are impressed when prospects promptly return their questionnaires, emails and phone calls. This should be a top priority anytime a college coach contacts you. Developing strong ties to coaches can mean the difference between receiving or not receiving scholarship offers. Prospects often have been tendered offers because of their diligence in communicating regularly with coaches. Also, initially, reply to EVERY email you get. Answer whatever questions they have. Otherwise, send a simple email like this: “Thanks for emailing me coach. I would like to find out more information regarding your school and program. I look forward to hearing back from you.” Do NOT eliminate any schools at the beginning, because you never know which schools will make you offers in the end. When you start getting offers from schools, then you can send the coaches an email to let them know you appreciate their interest, but you are no longer interested in their school after receiving other offers. They actually appreciate a “thanks, but no thanks” email, so they don’t waste any more time recruiting you. Also, the emails should come from you, not your parents. They are recruiting you and want to hear from you.

3. What information to send to college coaches when emailing them: It’s important to include the right information to make them more likely to reply to your email or to recruit you. Do NOT just send a generic email with your name, position and grad year. Remember, you’re trying to IMPRESS these college coaches, so don’t be afraid to brag about yourself!

Make sure you include your top athletic (stats, awards/honors) and academic (GPA, ACT, awards/honors) accomplishments, skill numbers (arm velocity, 40 time, etc.) and your ScoutU website link. If you have video on your website, make sure to mention that as well.

4. Make unofficial visits to campuses: One of the best ways to gauge if a college is going to be right for you is to actually visit the campus. When you go to a campus on your own, that is, without an invitation from the coach, you are making what is called an unofficial visit. You may do this at anytime during your high school career. The more campuses you visit, the more confident you will be when making a decision. You can stop by the coach’s office to say hello, even if you are an underclassman.

5. Stay in top condition: If you play sports in college, expect to be on a year round conditioning program. Prospects that routinely work out and follow a rigorous training schedule make great impressions on college coaches. They love to see youngsters demonstrate that type of dedication. Start today working out on your own, if you haven’t already done so.

6. Keep your grades up: You are competing with other prospects academically as well as athletically. The better GPA and standardized test scores you post, the more college doors that will open for you.

7. Maintain contact with your ScoutU scout: Anytime you are contacted by a college coach, make a campus visit (official or unofficial), or take the initiative to contact a coach on your own, let your Recruiting Coordinator know by phone or e-mail. When we know what is happening, we can provide advice and maintain a watchful eye over your progress. This includes, letting your Recruiting Coordinator know if you are playing in showcase tournaments where college coaches will be. If there will be college coaches there, let your Recruiting Coordinator know what schools you are interested in (up to 25) that are expected to be there (the schools sometimes are listed on the showcase website).

8. Register with the eligibility centers: You must register with the NCAA Clearinghouse to participate in Division I or Division II sports. The NAIA also has a clearinghouse. Do this by going online at eligibilitycenter.org for the NCAA and playNAIA.org for the NAIA. Communicate with your high school guidance counselor when you have registered. See the NCAA and NAIA Eligibility Center section above.

9. Choose a college for the right reasons: This choice will influence the remainder of your life. Carefully consider what each school offers athletically, academically, financially, geographically and socially. This is your life, not your friends’. What they like may not be what you really like. What they dislike may not be what you don’t like. Take boyfriends and girlfriends out of the process, too. Take care of yourself and your education now. The main question you should ask yourself is: “Would I be interested in this school if I didn’t play my sport there?” If not, then you’re choosing the school for the wrong reasons. Of course, athletics are a major reason why you pick a school, but it shouldn’t be the ONLY reason. Make a list of things that you are looking for in a school and list them from most important at the top to least important at the bottom. Come up with a scoring system that weighs the top things more heavily. Odds are you won’t be able to check off every category when choosing a school, so this will help you decide which school is the best fit for you.

10. Go to camps: Check when and where the colleges you are interested in are hosting their camps. Let your ScoutU scout know what camps you are attending and when. Email the coach before the camp (at least 1 week before) to let them know you will be there and give them a link to your ScoutU website/video. Then, send a “thank you” email to the coaches after the camp. You can talk to college coaches at camps all you want, which allows you to get a feel for if the coaches would be a good fit for you. You also can tour the campus. Coaches can evaluate you both athletically and you as a person. Colleges often recruit athletes that attend their camps, because it is easier for them to bring athletes to them, all in one place, then to go out and recruit each one individually. Also, if a coach can’t see you play in person at one of your games or at a showcase, you may have to attend their camp for them to make a scholarship offer to you, because some coaches may require seeing you compete in person before considering making an offer to you. However, be picky about what camps you attend, keeping in mind that colleges put on these camps in part to make money and will often invite almost anyone who is willing to pay. Make sure you have a true interest in the school before going to its camp and try to have a phone conversation with a coach there to get a feel of their interest in you and your interest in the school (refer to the Questions To Ask The Coach).

11. Stay in contact with college coaches: Every month in the offseason and every other week during your season you should be contacting college coaches with a text, email or phone call to keep your name in their heads (more often seems annoying or desperate and less could result in them not remembering you). During the season, email college coaches to let them know how you’ve done the last couple weeks and what you have coming up in your schedule in the next 2 weeks. Remember, the more interest you show in the school, the more interest they likely will show in return. Even if you don’t hear back, keep at it. They may not reply the first, second or third time, but eventually they might. Once you start getting offers/serious interest from schools, when communicating with coaches — especially on campus visits — do not be afraid to let them know that you do have interest from other schools. This could make that school more interested in you and increase their scholarship offer to you, especially if it’s from a conference rival. If it’s a conference rival, specifically name the school. Otherwise, you can just talk in generalities, like “several D2 schools” or “several Midwest schools.”

Here is what you should keep in mind during your enrollment with ScoutU:

  1. Submit updates to ScoutU: This can be athletic, academic or personal info. Email us any updates you wish to be made. You can update your profile as often as you want.

Weekly:

  1. Contact your ScoutU scout  to let him know of any contact made with college coaches, any visits planned to college campuses, questionnaires received and any online questionnaires you filled out.
  2. Review your website thoroughly: If you see any errors or anything that is out of date, let us know via email (updates@ScoutU.org) and we can make those changes.
  3. Email each coach that has shown you interest: Do not worry if coaches do not respond. These emails can be short and provide quick updates about you. These updates can be what you have accomplished recently and what games/events you have coming up in the upcoming weeks (also can include your remaining schedule). Always be respectful, use proper grammar and give them your ScoutU website address and make sure you let them know you have video on your website. Colleges are much more likely to view your website if they know there’s video they can watch.

Quarterly:

  1. Submit at least one new picture for your website: Keeping fresh pictures on your site will make it more interesting.

     

    SENDING IN VIDEO TIPS 

    Tips for sending in video to ScoutU:

    • Include notes of what plays you want and where they can be found on the video with timestamps. For example, “3-pointer at 4:67.” If you’re not sure what plays should be on your video, include timestamps of all plays and ScoutU will determine which plays are best for your video. Having notes of where the plays are will greatly increase the speed of processing the video and getting it on your website.
    • If you are sending in only skills video and want us to determine what footage to use, only send video footage you would consider going on your video. For example, you send in several video clips and some you didn’t perform like you wanted. Do no send those clips. This speeds up the process of getting your video edited.
    • If you have a lot of video that is several gigabytes in file size, it’s best to mail the video on a flash drive/SD card, rather than uploading to a cloud service, which can literally take days for you to upload and a long time for us to download once we receive it. If you only have a few small files to send, then uploading to a cloud service is OK.
    • HUDL Videos: With many videos coming from HUDL accounts now, the quickest and most accurate way for ScoutU to access those videos is to simply order a downloadable version (HD version) and forward us the e-mail with the link.  This ensures we get the correct clips in the correct order and will include all the highlights, graphics, etc., that you want.
    • Returning videos: With everyone having access to YouTube, HUDL, cloud-based storage and easy flash drive/SD card copy creation, it is very important that you know that ScoutU will not return video materials received for editing. So make sure that you keep copies of your originals before sending them to us.  If a need arises that requires originals for editing, we will be happy to return them to you, as long as we know prior to editing. If you would like your flash drive/SD card returned, please include a postage-paid, addressed envelope to quickly and easily return it to you.
    • Full-game videos: While we can capture or download short videos, or small sets of clips for editing, we cannot download entire games. It ties up valuable computer processing power and can take an exceptionally long time to complete the transfer. Full games need to be sent on disc or inexpensive flash drives/SD cards for editing. This speeds up the entire process for everyone.

QUESTIONS TO ASK

Here are some questions to ask college coaches. Many of these questions you can get answered by doing online research. Keep this handy when talking to college coches on the phone and bring it with on campus visits.

Athletics

  • How many freshmen are being recruited at my position?
  • Have you seen me play and what parts of my game do you like the most and what area do you see me needing the most attention?
  • Where do I stand on the list of athletes being recruited? Do you see me as a scholarship player at this time?
  • What positions will I play on your team?  
  • How many players do you carry on the roster?
  • What is the depth chart at my position?
  • Do you see me playing as a freshman?
  • Do you see me starting as a freshman?
  • Describe the other players competing at the same position.  
  • Can I, or will you, “redshirt” my first year?
  • How many players are currently redshirted? 
  • What are the physical requirements each year?  
  • How many hours per week are required? What are the morning, afternoon, evening commitments?
  • How many full-time, part-time, and graduate assistant coaches are on staff?
  • How would you best describe your coaching style?
  • What are your goals for the team?
  • When does the head coach’s contract end?
  • What is the coach’s overall win-loss record?
  • What did the team do in the conference last year? 
  • What are the facilities like?
  • Does the program have a strength coach/supervised training programs? What is your conditioning program like?
  • Is the strength and conditioning program run by an individual specific to the sport or are they shared with other sports. If not, which other sports?
  • Does the program have a certified trainer?
  • Is medical insurance required for my participation? Is it provided by the college?
  • If I am seriously injured while competing, who is responsible for my medical expenses?
  • How does the team travel?
  • How much class time is missed for travel?
  • What is the practice schedule?
  • What is your expectation for incoming freshman as related to early summer reporting, summer camps and summer school prior to freshman year?
  • Do you feel obligated to play scholarship players based even if a non-scholarship player is out-playing them?
  • How do you feel about me staying in my local community and playing over the summer?

Academics

  • How good is the department in my major?
  • How many students are in the department?
  • What credentials do faculty members hold?
  • What are graduates of the program doing after school?
  • What percentage of the players graduate?
  • Have you had other athletes on the team with my major in the past?
  • What scores on SAT/ACT are required at your university?
  • How do students make up work for missed classes due to traveling?
  • Is an academic counselor provided for athletes? Explain the educational support services that will be available to players.
  • Is the advisor specific to the team or to the athletic department?
  • Are tutors provided? Cost?
  • If I have a diagnosed and documented disability, what kind of academic services are available?
  • Are study sessions required?
  • What is the graduation rate for the athletes on your team?
  • How many credit hours should I take in season and out of season?
  • Am I required to attend summer school? If I need to take summer school, will it be paid for by the college?
  • Are there restrictions in scheduling classes around practice? 
  • What are your tuition and room and board charges?
  • Does your school offer assistance in locating internship opportunities?
  • Does your school offer assistance with job placement and resume building?

College Life

  • Describe the typical day for a student-athlete.
  • What are the residence halls like?
  • Will I be required to live on campus throughout my athletics participation?
  • May freshmen have a car on campus?
  • Do your athletes stay with other athletes in the same sport, different sport, or with general student body?

Financial Aid

  • What scholarships are available for my freshman year? Do NOT ask this right away. Some coaches will be turned off by that. Ask many of the above questions first. Then, if you feel like the coach is interested in you, ask this.
  • How long does my scholarship last?
  • What other financial aid is available?
  • How many players are on scholarship?
  • What does my scholarship cover? Are meals provided in this scholarship?
  • Does the school have a 5th year scholarship program?
  • Does my scholarship include work study?
  • Can I take summer classes? Will they be covered by this scholarship?
  • What can I receive in addition to the scholarship and how do I get more aid?
  • Do your senior players typically graduate with a higher scholarship than they came in with?
  • For what reasons could I possibly lose my scholarship?
  • If I’m injured, what happens to my financial aid?
  • Are there academic criteria tied to maintaining the scholarship?
  • What will happen to my scholarship if I am ineligible?

Questions to Expect

  • What are your strengths?
  • What are your weaknesses?
  • What role do you see yourself in during your first season?
  • What other schools are on your list?
  • Why did you choose this school?

Questions to Ask Team Members

  • What is the team’s impression of the coaching staff?
  • Did any member of the coaching staff make a playing time promise? If so, did you get the playing time promised?
  • What is the relationship between coaches and players?
  • Why did you choose this school?
  • Does the coaching staff take academics seriously?
  • How long are practices?
  • How much time to do you devote to your sport? In-season? Off-season?
  • What is the morale of the team?
  • If given the opportunity, would you pick this school again?
  • Are the professors and counselors accessible for the athletes?
  • What are the professors’ and counselors’ attitudes toward athletes?
  • How are the academic support services?
  • What do you do in your spare time?

Questions to Ask Yourself

  • Does the school fit my requirements? Academic programs, size of school, distance from home?
  • Will the size of the community in which the school is located make a difference? If so, what size?
  • How do I learn best – small classes, vs. big classes, lecture vs. learn by doing, individual tutors?
  • Did the coaches and players seem excited about me and recruiting me?
  • Were the coaches interested in academics?
  • What was the players’ enthusiasm in talking about their school?
  • Will I be happy there if my athletic career abruptly ended?
  • Will I fit with the rest of the student body?
  • Does it make a difference if the coach is male or female?
  • How important it is to me for my family and friends to see me play?

NOTE:  Knowing the answers to some of these questions (i.e., coaching record) sends a message that you are interested enough to have done some homework.  This is impressive to the coach and leads to a discussion of these items instead of you just asking questions of the coach.

 

HOW TO VIDEO BASEBALL/AND SOFTBALL

Here’s how to shoot your video. It’s important you follow this guideline to ensure you have a quality video that college coaches will more likely respond to.

IF USING A PHONE OR TABLET, MAKE SURE TO HOLD HORIZONTALLY

Tips

  • Your edited video will show each skill in one shot with no cuts in between throws, swings, etc., because college coaches want to see you can do a skill consistently and it’s not 5 of 100 throws, for example.
  • Do NOT submit video clips you do not want on your video.
  • The numbers listed below for each skill will be on your video, so keep recording that skill until you feel you have enough good consecutive swings/throws to use on your video. If you need 5 of a skill and you like 4 of 5, that is fine. For example, you need 5 swings for hitting with a behind-the-plate angle. You foul off the first two pitches, then keep recording. You hit two solid line drives and then foul off two more, keep recording. You hit 3 solid line drives, hit one grounder and then another line drive, then stop recording. ScoutU will use the last 5 swings in that clip.
  • Take your time and relax! If you’re tired, take a break.

Pitchers

  • Film behind the pitcher AND catcher, so you can see the travel of the ball.
  • Throw 3-5 of every one of your pitches (3 if throw 4 different pitches, 5 if 2-3).
  • Throw around 5 total pitches where you can see your mechanics from the side view (arm/throwing side) in front of you.

Catchers

  • First show film of receiving the ball. 5 pitches in a variety of locations.
  • Show 5 examples of blocking. Make sure to include showing some to your left, middle and right as well as bouncing up and throwing the ball to second.
  • Show different examples of throwing to first (2 throws), second (3 throws) and third (2 throws) with a variety of pitch locations. First, show some from the side to see footwork. Then, also some from behind so you can see the travel of the ball and get an accurate pop time. When throwing to third, film this with a right-handed batter in the box to show you know how to make the throw around the batter. When throwing to first for softball catchers, if you can make this throw from your knees as well as standing, make 2 throws with each technique. Baseball catchers should only make this throw standing.
  • Fielding bunts: Have a coach set up behind you and toss balls out in front of you for you to field. Be sure the balls are thrown to all three locations – left, right and up the middle. Do 2 of each.

Infielders

  • Show fielding ground balls of a wide variety. You should have some right at you, backhand, going towards first and charging. Do 2 each.
  • Also show about 5 examples of throwing to first where you can see the travel of the ball (throwing to second/third for first basemen). Good angle is from behind 1B.
  • Middle infielders: double plays (receiving/throwing to second and first). 1 of each.
  • Third basemen: Field bunts, throw to first and second. 1 of each.
  • First basemen: 3 stretches/scoops of poorly thrown balls.

Outfielders

  • Just like infield but showing a variety of flyballs. You should have 3 right at you,
    1 going back, 1 coming in and 1 ground ball.
  • Show 3 throws each from right field to third base and home and make sure the camera has the flight of the ball in view.

Hitting

  • Soft toss or live in the cage/outdoor field is best.
  • Show about 5-6 swings from behind where you can see the travel of the ball. Then about 5 swings from the side so you can see your hands, hips and overall mechanics.
  • Bunting: If you’re a strong bunter, lay down 2 bunts each down the third-base line and first-base line.

Running

  • If foot speed is one of your better tools, film running from the batter’s box to first. Camera should be positioned up the RF line. Softball: Do one on contact (swinging at pitch) and one just running. Baseball: Film a 60-yard dash from straight on if you can.

 

HOW TO VIDEO BASKETBALL

Getting quality video that college coaches will be able to properly evaluate you is not difficult! But following these few and simple steps can be important for a college coach to be able to properly evaluate you on video.

  • If using a phone or tablet, make sure to hold it horizontally.
  • If possible, use a tripod to keep it steady.
  • Position yourself as close to the half-court line as possible. You’ll likely have to be higher up in the stands (or at a higher up position if there are no stands) to accomplish the next tip. If you can’t be at half court and have to be on a baseline, then zoom in/out on the side of the court the ball is on.
  • When in half-court offense/defense, keep half the court in the frame, so coaches can see what you’re doing when you don’t have the ball/aren’t defending the ball. Do NOT zoom in on the player you are getting video of or any closer than half court.
  • Keep the same zoom percentage as half court as you move the camera on transitions from offense to defense and vice versa.
  • We know this one can be tough, but do not cheer loudly and keep quiet. We prefer to edit video with no music background (coaches usually just turn the volume down when it’s music anyway) and just have the natural game sounds in it. Cheering loudly right by the camera is distracting, so if you just can’t hold in your cheering during a big moment, try to get as far away from the camera as possible! If you want to be able to cheer freely, then have someone else take the video for you who can stay quiet.

 

HOW TO VIDEO VOLLEYBALL

Getting quality video that college coaches will be able to properly evaluate you is not difficult! But following these few and simple steps can be important for a college coach to be able to properly evaluate you on video. 

Shooting your video 

  • If using a phone or tablet, make sure to hold it horizontally.
  • If possible, use a tripod to keep it steady.
  • Position yourself on the base line on the side you are playing on. Get as close to center as possible. If possible/necessary, raise your camera/phone up with your tripod to get high enough to be above people that may walk by.
  • Get the entire half of your side of the court in the frame.
  • We know this one can be tough, but do not cheer loudly and keep quiet. We prefer to edit video with no music background (coaches usually just turn the volume down when it’s music anyway) and just have the natural game sounds in it. Cheering loudly right by the camera is distracting, so if you just can’t hold in your cheering during a big moment, try to get as far away from the camera as possible! If you want to be able to cheer freely, then have someone else take the video for you who can stay quiet.

What do college coaches want to see in your video? 

  • Middles: hit, block, handle a free-ball pass and serve
  • Outsides: hit, block, pass, serve and dig
  • Setters: setting in system and out of system (all sets, including entry footwork), dig, serve and block
  • DS/Ls: pass, more pass, dig, serve and set

Attackers

  • Arm speed and athleticism — How smooth do they move? How fast do they move from an explosiveness standpoint? How high do they reach while blocking and attacking?
  • Defensive and serve/receive range
  • Attacking range (shots/location, etc.)
  • Foot speed
  • Pass to attack

Passers

  • Vision
  • Defensive and serve/receive range
  • Platform
  • Serving ability
  • More serve receive

Setters

  • Hand mechanics
  • Foot speed
  • Serving ability
  • Defensive range and mechanics
  • Verbal cues

 

HOW TO VIDEO GOLF

IF USING A PHONE OR TABLET, MAKE SURE TO HOLD HORIZONTALLY

Tips

  • Videos should be 3-5 minutes maximum. Coaches won’t watch videos longer than that.
  • Make sure you are zoomed out enough to see the top of the swing.

Driver and Irons (7-iron)

5 shots from behind the golfer.

5 shots facing the golfer.

Pitching, chipping and putting 

5 shots of each from behind the hole.

Pitching

Chipping

Putting

RECRUITING RULES TO KNOW 

When/how colleges can contact you

Go to the following links to print/download/bookmark the NCAA and NAIA college-bound student-athlete guides. These have a ton of useful information for each governing body, from when/how/how often colleges can contact you, to academic eligibility standards and much more. NAIA recruiting rules are very relaxed. NAIA schools can contact you whenever they want, how they want, as often as they want, can watch you play at any time and do not have a specific signing period. Click the links below to view each organization’s guide:

NCAA

NAIA

NCAA recruiting calendars

When and how colleges can contact you and watch you play varies by sport and by division. Click on the to the following link to find your sport’s recruiting calendar:

2019-20 NCAA Division I & II recruiting calendars

NCAA Division III:

NCAA Division III schools do not have a set recruiting calendar. However, here are some rules to keep in mind regarding NCAA DIII schools (more detail is in the NCAA publications guide listed above):

  • Off-campus contact is allowed after your sophomore year.
  • Unofficial visits are allowed at any time.
  • Official visits are allowed beginning January 1st of your junior year.
  • Does not have any rules on the number of evaluations/contacts per athlete.

Official visits 

NCAA Division I: Five are allowed per athlete, one per school.

NCAA Division II & III: Less common at these levels, but unlimited amount is allowed.

Misc.

  • There are specific rules on when/how colleges can contact you. But you can contact colleges when and how you want (except for NCAA Division I softball which does not allow recruiting contact until Sept. 1 of junior year). For example, you can call college coaches before the set dates when they can call you and talk with them. However, if they don’t answer, they can’t call you back. Sometimes phone calls with college coaches can be arranged through a third party, like your coach. Also, you can email college coaches before they can initiate emails to you. But, they can only reply with certain information (questionnaires, camp invites) until those dates.
  • College coaches cannot have contact you in person on competition or practice days until you are finished for the day and are dismissed by the proper authority.
  • Recruiting contact rules pertain to the athlete’s parents as well.