...

Article Archives for 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007

...

...

...

December 2010

How much time does it take to play at the next level?
If you are serious about competing at the next level, you can't expect it to happen for you over night. It's going to take time; a lot of time. Everyone's recruiting process is different and your recruiting process might take longer than one of your teammates. To keep your sanity, we recommend that you never compare your recruiting, to one of your teammates. You will have different abilities, academic qualifications and will be looking for different things in schools, so it makes sense that things will move along differently for you both.

When you are younger, you can devote less time to your recruiting because you still have time ahead of you. With that being said, there is still plenty of work to be done during your freshman and sophomore years. You need to be researching schools and seeing what different types of schools can offer you. You also have to be focusing on your grades and athletic level of experience. When you are younger, you still have the ability to keep your grades up and get involved on a new club team if necessary. As you get older, it is harder to bring your grades up from a slump and it is harder to gain more experience and exposure as you get older as well. When you look at a school's website, make sure your current background (in athletics and academics) are in line with what those players have in their bios. As an underclassman, you should spend at least an hour each week on your recruiting. If you are on a top club team and are getting seen by top level coaches, you should spend more time on your recruiting each week because those level programs will be completing their recruiting sooner.

Once you enter your junior and senior years, you should be dedicating a significant amount more time to recruiting. You will still be researching schools often, but you will be in more communication with college coaches, which will take up a great deal of your time. You will also begin to take visits. You should be spending approximately 3 hours a week, aiming to spend a half hour each day and an hour on Saturday or Sunday.

Everyone knows you are busy as a high school student-athlete, but you must find this time to devote to your future. The times we listed, should be doable for every student-athlete no matter your schedule. Whenever possible, you should always try to spend more time each week on your recruiting; you can never spend too much, you can only spend too little.

November 2010

What Every Student-Athlete Needs…

Any student-athlete who aspires to compete in their sport in college must have an online recruiting profile. This will act as your resume, and college coaches prefer their prospects to have an easy-to-view resume. Recruiting is changing year after year, but this change that took place a few years ago will be the norm for years to come.

In order for a profile to be useful, you must include several important pieces of information:

1. Highlight Video: College coaches need to have some way to evaluate your athletic abilities, and highlight videos are the easiest, first method of evaluation. If they have interest, they may ask you for a full game film or may try to observe you live. Evaluating student-athletes live is the most accurate form of evaluation for coaches, but they start with videos first.
2. Academic Information: Before the majority of college coaches will seriously consider you as a recruit, they need to know your academic history. They need to know your cumulative GPA and ACT or SAT scores (if you have them).
3. Club and High School Team Information: You will also need to give college coaches information on the club team for whom you play and on your high school team. Club experience is more important than high school play, but coaches will use both to determine your strength of competition.
4. Club Tournament Schedule: This is vital in order to get evaluated by college coaches. As stated earlier, coaches would prefer to watch you live. They will not be able to do that if they don't know where you will be playing. Make sure you always include your club tournament schedule on your profile. In most cases, high school schedules aren't necessary because college coaches primarily attend club events.
5. References: The last thing every profile should include is several references. Make sure you choose 2 or 3 people who know your abilities and character well and would speak highly on your behalf. College coaches can only tell so much from profiles and they rely on references for a more accurate depiction of a prospect.

Recruiting profiles are mandatory in today's recruiting and if you don't have one put together, you will be limiting your opportunities greatly. The above information is all vital towards an athlete's recruiting success. Don't let yourself fall behind!

October 2010

Top 5 Things for Parents to Avoid in the Recruiting Process

Every parent has an important role in assisting their son or daughter in the recruiting process, but as a parent, you should not be taking full control of your child's recruiting. For many student-athletes, this is their first true test of responsibility and if you do all of the work for them, you will be doing more harm than good.

Here are the top 5 things, you as a parent, should try to avoid doing during your son or daughter's recruiting:

1. Doing all of the research on schools for your child: In order for your child to enjoy their time in college, they need to be figuring out what they want in a school. Let them do the research and find the schools that they have interest in.
2. Emailing a college coach, pretending to be your child. Most coaches are able to decipher between an email from a high school student and a parent. If a coach feels that the student-athlete is not putting effort toward their recruiting, they will lose interest in them.
3. Calling a college coach for your son or daughter because they are too busy or don't know what to say. The only time this can be appropriate is near the end of the process, when you are finalizing things with the school. The bulk of the phone contact must done by your son or daughter. If they don't know what to say, you can help them with this, but when it is time to call the coach, they have to be the one picking up the phone.
4. Pestering a college coach at a tournament or showcase. Unless your child is a senior, the coach will not be able to speak with you off campus, according to NCAA rules. They are at games to work and you must be respectful of that.
5. Being unrealistic. Your son or daughter might be the best player on their current team, but that doesn't mean they are the best in the country. If your child is a Division I athlete, they will be hearing from those schools. Set realistic expectations for your child so they don't lose confidence in their abilities.

Every parent wants the best for their children, but high school students have reached an age where they have to start doing things for themselves. You won't be there to hold their hands once they begin college, so by teaching your kids to take control of their recruiting you will set them up for a successful transition to college life. They are fully capable of doing this on their own; you just have to let them take on the responsibility and help keep them on the right track.

September 2010

Back to School and the Start of Fall Recruiting

For high school juniors and seniors, the fall marks a very important time in the recruiting process. Coaches are now allowed to increase their contact with you and you are left knowing how seriously you are being recruited, if at all. Freshmen and sophomores, take note. You will be facing these complicated rules soon enough and you need be aware of what is and isn't allowed in terms of being contacted by a coach.

Due to NCAA rules, Division I and II coaches are limited in the contact they are allowed to have with prospective student-athletes. These coaches must follow strict rules in terms of what type of contact they have and when. Division III and NAIA institutions work on their own set of rules and they can contact you at anytime they wish.

The important fall date for juniors is September 1st. This is the date when Division I and II coaches can begin to have more personalized contact with you! They can start sending you recruiting materials, such as personalized letters, media guides, game schedules, and official university publications. Coaches can also begin sending you emails and can now respond to emails that you send them; something they were not allowed to do prior to this date.

As high school seniors know, the fall is centered on campus visits and narrowing down college choices. Beginning the first day of class senior year, student-athletes are permitted to take official visits. This rule holds true for Division I, II, III and NAIA institutions. Official visits are offered by the coach and are often paid for by the college or university. Official visits may include the following: transportation to and from the campus, lodging, meals, and up to three complimentary tickets to a home athletic event. Prior to the first day of classes, students can only take unofficial visits. Unofficial visits are visits that are paid for by you and your parents.

If you are a junior or senior who is receiving emails or letters in the mail and have been asked on at least one official visit, congratulations, you are being recruited! For those upperclassmen who are not as fortunate, don't worry just yet, there is still time! However, it does mean that you will need to act quickly. If you are not receiving recruiting help from NCSA, then you and your parents are going to have to put more effort towards your own recruiting. If playing soccer at the next level is important enough to you, then the added work will be worth it. Whatever you situation may be, remember to always be pro-active and contact as many potential coaches as you can in order to increase your chances of playing at the next level.

July 2010

The Importance of Honesty in the Recruiting Process

We've said it before and we'll say it again: recruiting is a game, on both the athlete's end and on the coaches. However, coaches have told us overwhelmingly that one of the biggest turn-offs that they come across is when an athlete is not being honest with them.

Whether you have an injury, you aren't interested in their school or they ask you what other schools you are speaking with, you should always be honest with college coaches with whom you are communicating.

If you hear from a school you know you would never go to, tell the coach you aren't interested and thank them for their time. It's good to remain open-minded until you have several solid options, but when you are 100% sure you would not go to a school, spare the coach some wasted time and be honest with them. If you are unsure of your interest level, give the school a chance before closing the door on it. Do your research and get to know the coach a little bit. It may end up being one of your top schools or you may ultimately decide it's not for you; keep the coach in the loop with what you are thinking.

It's good to be selfless at times throughout the recruiting process as well. You should remind yourself that the time you needlessly take up with schools you know you would never attend could be spent on another athlete that has genuine interest in that school. Let them have their chance there if you don't want it.

When a coach asks you what schools you are hearing from (they almost always will), tell them. They wouldn't ask if they didn't want to know! They are realistic and know you are talking with other coaches; they would be worried if you weren't. You should tell them the other schools when asked, while also reassuring them that you still have interest in their school. This will not only create leverage, but will make you look like a stronger prospect.

If you find yourself with a serious injury, inform the coaches you have the strongest relationship with. Injuries happen and they will respect you more if you come to them with the news directly. You don't want to advertise the injury to all coaches however, only those you feel closest with, as those will be the ones you will be hearing from most during your time off. If another coach asks about your upcoming schedule, that is your in to tell them. If you try to hide it, they will find out in the end and will feel that you were being dishonest with them.

A coach's time is precious and you need to show them the respect they deserve. They understand how the process works and they want you to check all of your options before making any decisions. Keep them informed and let them know of any hesitations you may have; they have heard it before and might even be able to help!

June 2010

Choosing the Right Camp or Showcase for You (Part 3 of 3)

With an overwhelming number camps, combines, and showcases to choose from, it is crucial for every soccer player to make educated decisions on which are most beneficial to attend. Parts One and Two of this series discussed the purpose of camps, ways you may receive camp information, and how to choose the right camps, combines, and/or showcases for you.

This time, we will highlight benefits and downfalls of attending these events.

Benefits of attending a camp/combine/showcase:

• Assessing your competition. You are able to see what type of competition is out there. This allows you to see the level of competition you are going up against.
• Quality. High caliber training is an obvious benefit to a college run camp. Outside of camps, there are not many opportunities for high school athletes to work with college level coaches.
• The opportunity to learn new techniques with the necessary repetition.
• Working with college coaches will help you see your skills from a perspective different than that of your high school or club coaches.
• If a coach is unable to see you in person, camps can prove to be an excellent way to get evaluated.
• Last, but not least, camps are a great way to stay in shape and keep your skills sharp during the off-season.

Downfalls of attending a camp/combine/showcase:

• Dollars and Sense! Camps can be expensive. The time and money required to attend camps may be put to better use by visiting college campuses, thus securing valuable, one-on-one, face-time with coaches.
• Size matters. Often times, these showcases are very large and you may not receive much time in the "spotlight."
• If you stand out, that is phenomenal! However, if you are having an off day, you run the risk of being eliminated from the coach's recruiting list.

Click here to learn what every serious student athlete needs to know about the recruiting process.

...

May 2010

Choosing the Right Camp or Showcase for You (Part 2 of 3)

How to choose the right camp:

Every year, thousands of soccer players attend camps with the hopes of being discovered by college coaches. Unfortunately, they often leave those camps disappointed.

Camps can be extremely productive for soccer players looking to take their game to the next level… if they have the right intentions! This time, we will break down how you can pick the right camp for the right reasons.

There are two main reasons for attending a camp:

1. Evaluation purposes
2. Training purposes

Here is short guide of things to keep in mind when picking camps.

If you are attending for training:

• Do some research on the coaching staff. How much experience do they have? How successful have these coaches been? Do they have a reputation for producing great soccer players? Who is actually going to be coaching at the camp? Often times, you will find a college camp, but the head and assistant coaches for the host college program are not doing any of the training for it.
• Consider how they actually run the camp. Are you with girls/guys your age and ability level? Do they run the camp at a fast pace? Are you getting personal attention?
• You may want to talk to someone who has attended the camp before signing up.

If you are attending the camp/combine/showcase for exposure:

• Choose to go to camp at a school where the coach is recruiting you.
• Find out where you are on the recruiting list, and how interested are they in you before you attend the camp. Be sure that you KNOW this coach is interested before investing your time and money to go.
• Most college coaches attending the camp already have a list of student-athletes at whom they are looking - if you are not on that list, it is not likely they will be looking at you.
• Be sure the school is a realistic fit.
• You are likely not to be the only recruit they are inviting to the camp.
• Do not expect to be discovered at the camp.
• Ideally, you should go to a Division I camp as a sophomore, because most DI schools already have their commitments by summer of junior year. For Division II, you should go the summer after junior year.
• Be sure to ask the coach whether the camp you are attending is an "Elite" level camp and not just for anyone.
• If you do attend a camp and have a list of the coaches that will be attending, I highly recommend that you research the college each coach is from, contact them, and let them know that you will be attending.

Regardless of your reason for attending a camp, you must remember that this is not the first step in the recruiting process. Many recruits that attend camps have already developed relationships with the college coach prior to arriving on campus. To learn how you can connect with college coaches and make sure your name is on their list, click here.

April 2010

Choosing the Right Camp or Showcase for You (Part 1 of 3)

This time of the year players are receiving a lot of camp information from college coaches. Many soccer players incorrectly assume that a camp invite is a sign of serious interest from a college coach. That is not the case! Coaches send out hundreds and sometimes thousands of camp invites to players. Here are some factors you need to consider before attending a camp:

The purpose of Camps and Showcases:
1. To help student-athletes get better and improve skill level.
2. For evaluation purposes. Another common misconception is that you will be "discovered" at a camp. Coaches do NOT scout at camps. If college coaches are running the camp, they do not have the time or interest in discovering NEW talent. If the coach doesn't know about you beforehand, they will not know about you on your way out! Many coaches will use camps as an opportunity to evaluate your abilities if they know who you are.
3. Camps are also a source of revenue for the organizers. With that in mind, beware of overpriced camps. They do not necessarily indicate the best training or coaching. Cal South is one example of a world class organization that provides proper training and exposure opportunities.

How can you get invited to a camp?
1. You are someone the coach is already recruiting or interested in recruiting and potentially evaluating.
2. You are in some type of database or on a list and the coach does not really have a serious interest in recruiting you.

In our next edition, we will teach you how to choose the right camp!

March 2010

Being a Walk-On

A lot of athletes have heard the term "walk-on" but aren't exactly sure what it means. A good way to define a walk-on athlete is a non-scholarship athlete who will try-out for their sport. They are guaranteed nothing, not even that spot on the team. There is always the potential of getting cut, which is a large risk. A walk-on's role can vary but the basic definition remains the same.

If you do make the team as a walk-on, you should be prepared for what comes next. Walk-ons often have multiple roles on a team. You could be somebody who just practices against the starting players and come game time, can be found cheering on the bench. You may not travel to every away game, especially as a freshman. Your role could remain the same all four years, or can change; it's different for athlete and every school. Some players are able to work their way up and are able to see minutes and potentially even receive scholarship money.

If you consider walking on to a team, you need to ask the coach several questions before deciding if it's a good option for you:

• What exactly does it mean to be a walk-on at your school?
• Would I be a preferred walk-on?
• Will I travel with the team?
• How many other athletes are expected to attempt walking-on?
• Is there potential for me to earn scholarship money in the future, if I've earned it?
• Have any walk-ons in the past earned scholarship money?

Walk-on players are important to any team and are necessary for a team to succeed. It's not a position that is for everyone, however, because many challenges are associated with this role. You will need to have a positive attitude and understand that even though your role doesn't receive a lot of recognition, you are still important for that team. You also need to realize that you will be treated differently than the scholarship athletes and your four years of school and soccer will differ. You will be paying your way through school, you will be working hard every day on the field, but most likely not seeing the reward of game time; it's tough and not every athlete can handle a position like this.

If you love the school and think it's worth the risk, then it could be a good option for you. Talk to the coach and try to form a relationship with them before tryouts. They need to know just how much you want to be part of the team and know that you will be a key contributor, no matter what.

January 2010

Senior Year Pressure

If you feel behind in the recruiting process you are not alone. Every recruiting experience is unique, so even if it seems late in the game do not compare yourself against your friends and never give up.

As a senior, some doors will be closed because some coaches have completed their 2010 recruiting already; especially top level programs within each division. Not every school has completed their recruiting, however, and there are still plenty of opportunities available if you are persistent. If you don't act fast, you could miss out on the roster spots that are still available.

If you have been waiting for coaches to discover you, you will probably be waiting longer. You are beginning second semester of your senior year and you cannot afford to waste any time. Since few or no coaches have found you thus far, you need to reach out to them on your own. You will need to research as many schools as possible and remain open-minded. If you are too specific in your search criteria, you will reduce your options and may miss out on a great fit.

Call college coaches! Introduce yourself and express your interest in their school. At this stage in the game, a phone call will be much more productive than an email. Emails are great early on, but now that you are in the final stretch of your recruiting, every second counts.

Before you can make a college decision you absolutely must visit campus and meet the coach face-to-face. See the campus through your own eyes in order to decide if it will be a good fit for you. Campus visits take time and may cost you some money, but they are a valuable part of the recruiting process. The more research and time you put into communicating with the coach prior to the visit, the more beneficial your time on campus will be.

There are still college coaches who are looking for players; you just need to find them. If playing college soccer is important enough to you, you will find the motivation to do the work. If you truly want to be a college athlete, put in the time and step out of your comfort zone to find the opportunities that are still available.

...