Recruiting Got You Confused? Here’s 5 Tips to Help Calm Your Nerves
Those of us that have been around the game long enough know that when it comes to recruiting, it’s all about the effort that YOU put into it. Everyone wants to go to college, and most players have huge dreams of playing at a well-known Division I college — competing for a National Championship and ending up in the Olympics. Well…Unfortunately…that only happens to a handful of players a year. However, that doesn’t mean that your chances of playing college volleyball have vanished. There are TONS of competitive programs at ALL Levels — Junior College, NAIA, DIII, DII and DI! Finding the right fit for you is the MOST important. Here are 5 Tips to help you get started:
- Get Your Own Email Address
Email is your best friend when it comes to college coaches. Sending regular updates on how your season is going and what your successes and failures have been allows them to see the REAL you. Don’t get too wordy, but make it personal enough that it doesn’t just feel like you copied and pasted it from the last email you sent. ALWAYS address the coach by name: “Hey Coach Smith…” With all of the changes happening in regards to how players can be recruited and when coaches can make contact — it’s important that even if THEY can’t reach out to you, YOU are still reaching out to them!So, if you haven’t yet: Create your OWN Email Account (don’t use mom or dads)…We suggest something with your name that is professional and clean. Then, make a list of schools that you’re interested in and start sending!
- Relax! The recruiting process can be very stressful. Trying to decide where you want to go and what schools are a “good fit” is a hard decision for a 15-17 year old, so just make sure you slow down and enjoy the process. Take it one day at a time, and don’t be afraid to “hurt someone’s feelings.” Many athletes are afraid that if they tell a coach that it isn’t a good fit and they aren’t interested, they are going to be mad at them. It’s actually the opposite. College coaches WANT athletes to play volleyball at the next level — if you don’t think you’re a good fit for their program, they would never want to make you think otherwise. From my experience, when you KNOW, you know.
- Be Present
When you’re playing at huge tournaments with lots of coaches and people around — pay attention! I have chatted with lots of coaches who were interested in an athlete until they saw them at a tournament and witnessed some unattractive behavior. Things like the way they interacted with their parents, or the need to dive into their phone as soon as they finished playing, or going through the motions during their reffing assignments. Being a poor teammate also made the list. Coaches talk. Not only within their program – but to other coaches as well.
Decide what your personal brand is going to be and live by that EVERY day — no matter who is watching. - When They Ask You To Call, Call!
If you’re super interested in a school and their program, it’s always in your best interest to PROVE that to the coach. Just like you, they want to feel wanted. And they want each of their incoming athletes to make them feel like they are the ONLY place the want to go. Having the confidence to call up a coach and chat with them — about volleyball, your family or just what’s going on in your life is a very important skill to have.
- Enjoy it!
As dumb as it sounds, ENJOY the process. And let your family enjoy it with you! When you get a really cool email or letter — show it to your parents! When you get done calling a coach — TELL YOUR PARENTS what you talked about. So many parents feel left out of the process once the athletes start doing all the calling and emailing on their own, so keep your parents in the loop, too. They are just as excited as you are!
From All of Us at PrepDig — You Got This!!