SportsForce How to:

 

How to choose the right level of college athletics for your student-athlete

 

STEP # 1 – Talk to Your Coach

 

The first thing we recommend is talking to your high school and/or club team coach.  Most often, these coaches have been involved in this process for a long time and have coached student-athletes that have been through the recruiting process before. Their experience will give them a good idea of what potential level you could play at in the future.

 

Parents and student-athletes need to ask their high school or club team coach what level they should look at for playing beyond high school.  Often, the coach will give you an idea of your skill set and abilities athletically and academically. You must use your high school and club team coach as a resource to get an assessment, advice, and then a recommendation.  Remember, they’ve often already been through this same process with other athletes and can be a good evaluator of your skill level because they have seen many other teams and players compete.

 

STEP # 2 – Watch

 

The next step in picking the right collegiate level of play is watching. Look at colleges from all levels of play (Division 1,2,3, or Junior College) and try to figure out when they’re going to be playing in your local area. If you can, go to a game and watch them in person. Try and scout college freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors to see how they’re playing and what their skill set is like physically. This will give you a good idea of where you fit in best. SportsForce recommends that student-athletes and parents attend a few local games to get an idea of their caliber of play.

 

If you can’t physically attend a local game you can also watch a number of games over the Internet. Again, it is important that you evaluate the caliber of play for each collegiate level. For example, if you’re watching a Division 1 football game, you can get a solid idea of how good the quarterback is at USC or how good the running back is at the University of Alabama. Once you understand this you can ask yourself if you stack up with that level of size and athletic ability.

 

STEP # 3 – Research

 

It is also essential that you visit the websites of your potential colleges and look at their team roster. For example, go to a number of Division 1, 2, and 3 team websites and look at the size and background of their players. What do they look like physically? What kind of academic or athletic awards did they receive in high school? Try to match your physical traits and athletic and academic success with the right collegiate level of play. 

 

To get started today take advantage of our FREE 30 Day Trial. 

 

 

For more College Recruiting Tipsand specific details on our proven Step-by-Step College RecruitingandAthletic Scholarship systemcontact one of our college recruiting experts at 858.350.5889 or visit www.sportsforceonline.com

 

 

 

SportsForce Blog

 

3 Tips for Dealing with College Recruiting Coordinators

 

TIP # 1 – Understand Their Circumstances

 

In order to best deal with recruiting coordinators you must try and understand their frame of mind. A college recruiting coordinator is typically in their late 20s or early 30s.  They are working 60 to 100 hours a week trying to manage the recruiting process and develop a successful team simultaneously. They travel 15 – 25 weeks a year and are juggling a lot of moving parts. It is important to realize that some recruiters get sometimes over 100 emails a day while receiving anywhere between 20 to 50 phone calls.

 

In simple terms, they are often overworked, underpaid, and constantly traveling, leaving them with a limited amount of time and attention span to interact with parents and student -athletes. 

 

TIP # 2 – Keep it Simple

 

When you send an email, keep it short and to the point.  Be sure to provide a clear and compelling subject line (ex. Josh Smith – 2013 – QB – 3.8 GPA – All-League with 20 TD’s). You see how that subject line is like a HEADLINE of the player to grab the attention of the recruiter. We’ve created sample email templates of what college coaches prefer to maximize our families recruiting communication efforts.

 

If you send them a highlight video make sure it is between three to five minutes in length; make it to the point, easy to identify yourself and quality enough video. Also, remember to always provide them with all of your contact information at the bottom of your email. Their time is precious and they're looking for efficiency and effectiveness. You need to make it easy for them to recruit you.

 

TIP # 3 – Keep Them Informed

 

Lastly, it is really important that you keep the recruiting coordinators informed. You need to tell them when and where you’re going to be playing. For example, if you are playing in an upcoming recruiting tournament or showcase that they’re going to be traveling to, make sure that you let them know what team you’re on, what your schedule is, what position you play and what jersey number you wear. Send them an email with all this information along with a quick update on your athletic and academic status. This will improve your chances of being evaluated by them at the tournament or showcase that they’re traveling to. Most coaches have a list of players they want to see but you can improve your chances of being added to that list of prospects to evaluate.

 

Another thing for parents to keep in mind is periodically updating them with their son or daughter’s athletic progress.  So, let’s say your child was recently named all country or all state.  It is a great idea to send an email to the college recruiting coordinator saying, “Hey, you know my son John was named all state and here’s his final season statistics.”  After this, provide them with a quick wrap up of some of the highlights from his season.

 

*For more College Recruiting Tips and specific details on our proven Step-by-Step College Recruiting and Athletic Scholarship system contact one of our college recruiting experts at 858.350.5889 or visit www.sportsforceonline.com

 

To get started today take advantage of our FREE 30 Day Trial.  

SportsForce Blog

 

Are You Being “Over-Recruited”?

 

It is a fact that many colleges over-recruit during the college recruiting process. What this means for example, are teams with 20 roster spots could be telling 40, 45, and sometimes 50 parents and student-athletes the same thing: that they are seriously interested in them. Even some schools will offer way more scholarships then they can award knowing that they will pull the offer if they get the players they want. In order to know if colleges are potentially over-recruiting you, it is essential to follow the tips below.

 

TIP # 1 – Be Direct

 

One of the best ways to deal with this issue is to be direct when you’re talking with college coaches. What this means is being upfront and honest about any recruiting questions, concerns, or problems you have about the recruitment process. SportsForce highly recommends that both student-athletes and parents become heavily involved in this process.

 

TIP # 2 – Ask Questions

 

Here are three directways to ask a college coach about being over-recruited:

“Coach, I was wondering where I am on your recruiting list?”

“Can you tell me where I stand your recruiting board?”

“How many players are you recruiting at my position and where am I on your depth chart?”

 

Often, if you ask college coaches direct questions, they’re going to give you direct answers. Being upfront and straightforward with them is a good way to ensure a truthful answer.

 

Another question to keep in mind is, “how many athletic-scholarships are available for this recruiting class?” This is a great question to ask especially for sports that are not fully funded like baseball, lacrosse, or softball in which, they have more roster spots than they have scholarships.

 

Parents and student-athletes need to be direct in order to clarify what each college is offering them. Asking these specific questions will allow families to understand where they stand within a college coaches recruiting process.

 

TIP # 3 – Don’t Be Afraid

 

It is very common that both parents and student-athletes are too afraid to ask some of these direct questions to college coaches.  The earlier you start the conversation and the more direct, clear, and honest you are with them, the easier you will see where you stand in their recruiting process.

 

Don’t be intimidated when talking to a college coach. If you ask direct questions and find out where you are on their recruiting board, you can avoid being over-recruited.

 

Our staff of College Recruiting Experts has developed a proven Step-by-Step College Recruiting and Athletic Scholarship system so you can know what to do and when and how to do it.

 

To get started today take advantage of our FREE 30 Day Trial.

 

If you have any questions or you would like to learn more about the college recruiting process and our custom highlight video packages contact one of our college recruiting experts at

858.350.5889 or visit http://www.sportsforceonline.com/

 

SportsForce Blog

 

Keys to Being a Successful Sports Parents

 

What is the role of a sports parent? 

 

Today, the role of a sports parent is to provide support, encouragement, leadership and understanding. Student-athletes continually deal with many changing and moving pieces in their lives. They have to carefully balance the stress and pressures related to their academic, athletic, and social activities and responsibilities. Not only do they need to keep up good grades and prepare for the SAT and ACT tests, they also have to worry about making the team, being a starting player, hanging out with friends, dating, peer pressure and more. Today’s hyper competitive college preparation landscape has also added more pressure on many families. All these things can often bring on serious anxiety to your son or daughter’s life if they are not supported and encouraged.

 

Treading a Fine Line

 

High school sporting parents are often treading a fine line between providing support and demanding perfection and control. We often see parents who are very passionate about their child’s sports careers, but some can also be too involved and too invested. Without consciously knowing it, these parents are creating more pressure and stress for their child. 

 

The best student-athlete is the relaxed student-athlete. A relaxed and confident student-athlete will perform better in the classroom as a student and on the field as an athlete. Parents must be conscious and supportive of their son or daughter and should not identify their child’s successes or failures with how they are. Another key point is that it is very important for parents to let the players’ play, and the coaches’ coach.  You have to surrender your child to the sport, team, and coaches guidance as they are now providing the leadership role.

 

The more a parent allows their son or daughter to relax as a student-athlete, the better they’re going to be able to perform and the more they’re going to want to take ownership of their careers and gain the confidence and self-esteem that will help them grow and learn.

 

Our staff of former college athletes and have coaches have developed a proven Step-by-Step College Recruiting and Athletic Scholarship system so you can know what to do and when and how to do it.

 

If you have any questions or you would like to learn more about the college recruiting process and our custom college recruiting highlight video packages contact one of our college recruiting experts at 858.350.5889 or visit www.sportsforceonline.com.