How to Start the College Volleyball Recruiting Process

Hello, my name is Madalyn. I am a 5'8" libero/ds. I have a few questions I really hope you can help me with. 

I know I am not the typical height for a defensive player, but I have no objection to hitting the ground. I give 100% at all times. I have a 38mph float serve and I play defense against a high school men's volleyball team. I am currently a sophomore who made varsity this year. I sat the bench for reasons not explained to me and I don't know where to go. 

I want to play for a junior college in the North West, but am open to anywhere. I don't know where to start in the recruiting process. I believe I have talent and potential but how am I supposed to show colleges my interest? I am committed to this process 100% and I will give everything. Please help me get started, or any advice at all would be phenomenal!

Thank you so much!!

M.M.

Best advice I can give you, is read through the Recruiting Plan (find under Labels) on the collegevolleyballcoach.com site or with Inside College Volleyball; follow the suggestions as many, many players/families have used this plan for great success.

As a Libero, your position is usually the last one to be recruited and commit to a college.  On  average, OH's are 1st, MB/RS 2nd, Setters 3rd and.........then Liberos.  This is due to the fact that there are a large number of talented players who play this position, so college coaches understand they can commit a quality Libero very late in the recruiting process.

For Libero VolleyFamilies, they must be consistent and very patient in the outreach and communication process.  

Stay open to any collegiate possibility; don't limit yourself to a specific category or a small region.  Let the responses from your collegiate outreach provide feedback.  For instance, if you reach out to all the Pac 12 schools (and ALWAYS include video with any email outreach), and none of them response, then this feedback tells you that the Pac 12 is beyond your abilities.

Also consider getting a Free Recruiting Profile with NCSA Athletic Recruiting - The Free Profile has a tremendous amount of education, a college search map for doing research about various colleges/universities, along with the ability to link videos to you profile and send to college coaches.

Good luck!

Coach

Rally the Volleyball Recruiting Effort

Hi Coach,

I had the opportunity to see you at the parent program at the Phenom event in Nebraska. I love that you are able to advise from so many perspectives - coach, recruiter & player.

Our situation - 

I have a 6' daughter who can play every position.  She played MB during her sophomore year winning a state championship at a 6A school, she has been libero & setter for club & now plays as an outside hitter.  She has a profile up on multiple sites (BeRecruited, NCSA, SinjinVB etc) with videos.

She isn't getting may responses when she sends letters to coaches and she is starting to worry.  

I have 2 questions:

1. Is she just too late into the recruiting game to be seriously considered?

2. We now are getting calls daily from recruiters who want to help...(loaded question knowing you work with NCSA) - who do we pick or do we have many working to get her noticed this club season?  And yes, I am going broke fast!

Thanks for your advice!

Volleyball Mama

Thank you for attending the Recruiting Session at the Phenom Program in Omaha and glad that you enjoyed the information.

As you noted, I work for NCSA Athletic Recruiting.  But, I work for them because I used them for many years as a DI/DII coach and I trust that they provide a great service for volleyball families.  If you are considering moving into paid/premium support with a service, be clear about what your membership is purchasing.  

As I have written about in previous posts, recruiting services can really be divided into 2 categories; a took kit or personal support.  Each has their own strengths, but make sure you understand exactly what any paid service is going to provide to you.  If you are going to spend money and you want personal support, then NCSA should be your choice.

Your daughter is definitely not too late.

These are crazy times in college volleyball recruiting; a program scholarships an 8th grader and this same program will need a senior in March.  Recruiting starts very early and continues very late.  

But, there are still some constants - The majority of volleyball players will find their collegiate home in their Junior year or Senior year of club volleyball.  And, the fall into December of each recruiting season is always slow; college coaches are in their collegiate season, and they are immediate upcoming roster/scholarship changes that they will need to manage in the New Year.

Back to your daughter, I would suggest that her all around ability may have hindered her recruiting process a bit, but, but, but, this is not a bad thing at this point. Not bad because she has experienced a variety of positions and improved those positional skill sets. And, most important, she has matured and garnered more time in the recruiting process.

The downside of early commitments, is that many non-desirible things can occur in the 3 to 4 years before a recruit actually shows up on campus.  The obvious is going through a head coaching change, and the new coach does not want the player.  Because your daughter is still recruiting, her window for bad occurrences is much less.

Moving forward, your daughter needs to figure out what position she wants to play in college, not what position she thinks will get her a scholarship/roster spot in college.  Then, move forward with the collegiate outreach process in her desired position, supported with current video.  Remember that her outreach process needs to be focused on schools where she would have the ability to play; if she it not a Pac 12 athlete, then she should not be writing Pac 12 schools.

The slow time of the collegiate recruiting period is coming to an end; the MLK weekend starts active recruiting time.  As a Junior, your daughter is entering the prime recruiting segment, and it is important that your outreach set the table for college coaches to evaluate her.

Good luck and now go send a bunch of emails with video to college coaches.

Coach Sonnichsen

College Volleyball Recruiting Opening Weekend

The MLK Weekend traditionally 'opens' the college volleyball recruiting season.  Even though recruiting happens all year long and there are combines/showcases/tournaments/shootouts/drive-thru's/popup-yogurt-stands, the MLK weekend is the first serve because those much desired NCAA Division I programs are finished with the Dead/Quiet Periods.

If you are a Freshman VolleyFamily - Stop reading this article right now, and research exactly what a Dead Period is, what a Quiet Period is, what organizations/divisions these terms apply too and what you can/can't do, what the college coach can/can't do.  The above congregation of letters is based upon the reality that if your baby girl who grew up in the blink of an eye is not 6'2"plus amazing studnacious player, then thinking about recruiting is not what you and your daughter need to be doing.  Your daughter needs to play and have fun, and the parental units need to be educating themselves about all the important boring stuff.

Should you be a more mature VolleyFamily and have desires to play collegiate volleyball, then how did the weekend go?  Not from a Win/Loss perspective (college coaches don't care if your club team won or lost), but from a recruiting view?  And, how do you know this?  How many emails did you receive in the days following the conclusion of whatever MLK event you played in?

This is the evaluation of your current standing in the college volleyball recruiting process - How many follow-ups from college volleyball coaches?  And this is also not the way to engage in the recruiting process.

College Volleyball Recruiting is competitive.  VolleyFamilies must understand that they are in competition with a thousand other VolleyFamilies that they will never know. They are competing to give their daughters the opportunity of choice.  Being able to choose your school, scholarship, job, partner, car, health plan, pizza toppings and shoes is a great luxury.  

Waiting for the email inbox to bing is not competing.  Hoping that some coach saw their daughter play on court #54 and believes she is worth an email is not a plan.  

Because college volleyball recruiting is competitive, VolleyFamilies must be proactive.  They must be reaching out to the appropriate level of collegiate volleyball to tell that coach he/she/it should recruit their great volleyball student-athlete.  

Starting as a Sophomore, VolleyFamilies must start to manage the process and understand what is the best fit for their daughter and for their family.  Based upon their daughter/family desires, email college coaches with your VB profile, video and the next couple of tournaments you will attend.  The way to be 'seen' is to make sure they know where to see you (video, in person, practice).

Here it is folks - The best Volleyball recruiting feedback you will ever receive; if a coach thinks you will make their program better, they will recruit you.  If they do not, they won't.  

College coaches cannot be at every tournament, or see each player at every tournament, or have the desire to do both.  College coaches walk into big tournaments with a lengthly list of players to evaluate; players that have reached out to them with a VB profile and video.  This reach out allowed the college coach to do a 1st evaluation, and determine that watching the player live was the next step.

So, back to this weekend - How many college volleyball programs did you reach out to before the MLK Tournament?  

None and you had 25 schools write you?  Congratulations and you are fortunate.

25 and none wrote you back?  Then you reached out to an inappropriate level of playing ability.

25 and 25 wrote you back?  I would suggest that you should elevate the playing/competitive level of volleyball programs you are writing to?

25 only?  Well, please know that college volleyball programs usually evaluate 200+ athletes who had previously written them, in a large weekend tournament.

College Volleyball recruiting is competitive.  If you can manage the process yourself, them move forward with that competitive mindset.  If you need some help, then take a look at NCSA Athletic Recruiting (full disclosure, I am the Volleyball National Speaker for NCSA and I used them extensively as a college coach).

Junior Year Recruiting Management

Hey Coach,

Awesome site and most helpful as we volley parents attempt to make sense of the recruiting process.

Our daughter falls into what I read you describe as the Toyota Camry of the college volleyball recruiting process. The 5'10" outside with good athletic ability. She can hit most shots, plays 6 rotations and has nice hands and sets occasionally. 

We follow your recruiting plan outlined in your book but wanted to get some further clarification from you in the recruiting process. We have a pretty solid out reach program with info fliers and youtube link that we send out with film. We are also being realistic as to what schools we reach out too (mostly mid to lower D1 and competitive D2/NAIA).

Now for the questions..... Please share insights on screening the schools to determine which are sincerely interested vs just dragging us along for the ride? I imagine that being a Toyota Camry, many schools may want to drag you along just as a back up plan in the event that they can't get the 6' kid that they have atop their list. Seeing that we are now in February, any advice on how much time to give a school before writing them off? Should we hold out for a D1 or jump if a nice D2 or NAIA offer comes along? Also, regarding unofficial visits, most schools will gladly accept a potential recruit to pay their way for a visit but any insight on qualifying a potential school before paying for an unofficial visit? Also, how should we view the school that emails to invite to their summer camp seeing that our daughter will be a senior next year? Lastly, is it realistic for a Camry recruit to receive offers during the spring or summer prior to their senior year or do they typically go into their Senior year before receiving offers?

Thanks again for your insights.

Unfrozen Volley Parents

Glad to hear that collegevolleyballcoach.com and Inside College Volleyball have been a positive resource for your family during the recruiting process. It sounds as if you are doing a great job of managing the process and putting your daughter into the best position to make the best decision for her future!

As you mentioned, the timing of being a Camry can be a challenge because each college volleyball coach will have a different tempo in their recruitment of these solid, all around players.  One of the new trends which I have observed, is how college programs, especially D1, will slow down their recruiting efforts of Juniors during the late spring/summer.  I think this is a result of the college coach wanting to 'hold' that scholarship for a bit to see what comes around the corner.  

In today's college volleyball recruiting environment, there are late opportunities for a program to secure a college transfer (JC or 4 year), an international player, a talented high school senior returning from injury, etc.  College coaches have learned not to offer a scholarship to a Camry in the late spring/summer of the Junior year, just incase a more talented recruit comes available the next recruiting season.

I now counsel Junior families not to panic and take a "good enough" scholarship offer in the summer or fall of their Senior year, but to wait until the next club season to see what comes around their corner.  With the craziness of today's college volleyball climate, just as coaches are waiting for a better recruit, families should consider waiting for a better college program/coach as a result of job changes and roster changes (kids quitting or getting cut).

Because of the stall game that many college programs employ, and my advice for Junior families to also stall, managing the communication can be a challenge.  My advice is to keep 'chatting' with all the current schools, along with using the fall to reach out to new schools.  You have to keep in casual communication with so many schools as a Junior Camry, because of the potential upside of a scholarship offer.  Casual because you can't force the mindset of the coach and you don't want to show your hand in poker first.

With regards to a low DI or better D2/NAIA, that is really a function of your family's comfort zone.  A DI scholarship will be a full, while the D2/NAIA will be a package scholarship that could vary in amount from a small partial to a full offer (combined scholarship avenues).  In general, the majority of D2/NAIA schools will wait until the Senior year to secure their recruits (majority but not entirety).  

My advice is to put the recruiting process into managed cruise control at this juncture - Keep in casual communication with programs, keep reaching out to new programs, keep your PSA focused on developing her skill sets because talent creates opportunities, only make an unofficial visit if the school directly extends an invite and it is a school that is of interest for your PSA, and the hardest part of all…..be patient; while it is daunting to believe, the winter of the senior year brings a ton of new scholarship and roster opportunities.  

Camps, never for recruiting…….

Coach

College Volleyball Recruiting Beginner

Hello Matt Sonnichsen,

First of all, I just want to say that I really appreciate what you are doing. I think it is very nice of you to help out young athletes like me by answering our many questions. 

I am going to be starting my sophomore year in high school and last year I played on my school's varsity volleyball team as a freshman. I think the idea of playing volleyball in college is amazing but first I want to know more about it since I am new to all of this and have no clue what I am supposed to be doing! 

First of all, I play setter and I am 5ft 8in, is there any possibility of me even playing for a D1 college at that height? Also, as much I'd love to continue my volleyball career in college I don't want it to get in the way of my studies so I was wondering how often colleges practice, how long they practice for and what kind of stuff would be expected for the off season? 

Also, if I do have a chance of making it to a college volleyball team, what would be the recruiting process that I should be doing to get my name out there to college coaches?

Thanks, R.K.

Thank you for your compliments on my efforts helping athletes manage the college volleyball recruiting process!

As you have asked a number of questions, please allow me to separate them for individual answers.  The college volleyball process can be confusing and overwhelming; just the fact that you have reached out for help is a positive first step.

First of all, I play setter and I am 5ft 8in, is there any possibility of me even playing for a D1 college at that height? - Yes, there are any number of DI setters who are 5'8".  Two items count when a coach considers a 'shorter' setter (which by DI measure, you would be considered a 'shorter' setter): 1) How athletic is the player and how good of a setter is she?  2) What type of an offense is the program running?  

If you are a shorter setter and want to play DI, then you need to be very athletic and have the physical and mental ability to manage the position at a high level.

With the NCAA increasing the substitution count a few years ago, a number of program are using a 'front to back' 6-2 offense where 2 setters substitute in/out with 2 opposite players.  In this type of an offense, setter height does not have as much importance.

Also, as much I'd love to continue my volleyball career in college I don't want it to get in the way of my studies so I was wondering how often colleges practice, how long they practice for and what kind of stuff would be expected for the off season? - With this statement, I would recommend against NCAA Division I volleyball because of the huge time commitment required.  As many DI athletes have shown, you can excel in the classroom and the court, but it mandates supreme time management and not being able to experience many other facets of being a student in college.  

During the season, daily practices range from 2 to 3 hours, which does not include a lifting/condition segment in the morning or post practice.  You also need to factor in time in the training room and any 'volunteer' film or training sessions.  In addition, you will be playing 2 to 4 matches a week and traveling at least every other weekend.

The off season depends upon the category of NCAA Volleyball and the budgets of the individual programs.  In general, the DI programs (especially the better programs) will have an off season which is really not an off season; they practice and train non-stop.  With D2, there is an off season, but the time commitment is usually no where near as much as D1.  D3 arguably has the smallest off season time commitment per their division rules and philosophy.

Also, if I do have a chance of making it to a college volleyball team, what would be the recruiting process that I should be doing to get my name out there to college coaches? - Your opportunity to play collegiate volleyball will be a combination of two factors; 1) your talent level, 2) how hard you promote/market yourself to college volleyball programs.

There are 5 categories of 'college volleyball' - NCAA Division I, Division 2, Division 3, NAIA and Junior College Volleyball.  Each of these categories has different scholarship opportunities, philosophies and time commitments.  Your talent level and education desires will naturally position you for a category of college volleyball, and the challenge is to maximize your options within that category.  Not everyone has the talent to play DI, or wants to sacrifice so much of their collegiate experience playing DI even if they have the talent.

Today's college volleyball recruiting environment is competitive and supply has exceeded demand in the recruiting equation.  This results in VolleyFamilies needing to be focused on promoting/marketing their PSA to the appropriate category of programs, rather than just hanging back and playing high school/club volleyball while hoping for something to happen.

A few suggestions to help you along your way:

1)  Consider using NCSA Athletic Recruiting, and for sure, take advantage of their Free Site because of the wealth of information and education they complimentary make available.

2)  Take a moment and read through my Recruiting Plan on the collegevolleyballcoach.com website - I have updated the plan and provided even more background/support in my book, Inside College Volleyball.  In a nutshell, you need to contact college volleyball coaches with video showing your setting skills.

3) Bring your parents in on this process.  College volleyball recruiting is a serious process and it is important to include your parents because of their maturity and that this process will have a family impact.  

Good luck with your upcoming season!

Coach Sonnichsen

Double Quick of Volleyball Questions!

Hey Coach!

I love your site.  What a font of knowledge.

My daughter is 14 and playing up a year at club.  Her coach pulled her and the other outside hitter aside last week and told them they will be six-rotation players.  He then said his setters "weren't talking" and he need my daughter & the other girl to talk more on the court, to basically be the court captains.

Being a year younger, she's a little nervous and unsure of what to say.  I think she's in her head too much instead of stepping into the action on the court and letting that guide her.  She's very smart about the game for her age.

Any advice for me in pointing her in the right direction?

Thanks,

M.T.

Glad you enjoy collegevolleyballcoach.com and thank you for the compliments - I have written about leadership aspects with Inside College Volleyball, and the book may provide some more suggestions.

I am happy to hear that your daughter is a 6 rotation OH - Nice to see when club teams are not front to backing every single position on the court and the players actually play more than 3 rotations!

My suggestion for her stepping into a verbal or court captain role is to simply Talk about what is going on before/during the match/play.  Talk about who has the seam in passing, who has the middle on defense, call out the hitters on the block, call the ball, call for the set, go slap hands with the team mate that made a good play, call yours, go slap hands when you make a good play, say "my bad" when you do something not good, say "nice pass" when a team mate makes a nice pass, etc.

Coaches sometimes are not specific enough when it comes to the communication they want or expect from their players - They say "talk" or "communicate more" - This is so nebulous.  The players think they have to take charge and be demanding like a general, or they turn into yappy cheerleaders just making noise (instant headache for me!).  Better to view "talking more" as communicating about what is about to happen, what is happening and what just happened.

Good luck!

Dear Coach,

I'm so confused!  My daughter is a freshman and helped her varsity team to a conference championship.  She has also played club for the past 4 years.  Here's where the confusion lies.  Can she write college coaches and submit her film?  Should I write college coaches and submit her film?  How does she get on the huge radar (DI/DII or DIII)? There is a major tournament in a couple of weeks in DC and I wanted to get her name out there prior to such a huge event.

Any help would be appreciated.

Volley Mom

First of all, I want you to go to the collegevolleyballcoach.com website and click the Label "Recruiting Plan" - I have also updated and expanded the Recruiting Plan in my book, Inside College Volleyball!  This plan is parent/athlete driven, so you would be doing everything.

If you are not comfortable with technology and the computer/internet (which many people are not because of their busy lives), then I strongly suggest you take a look at using NCSA Athletic Recruiting - They are an outstanding recruiting service, which makes the process so much more manageable for families to achieve their collegiate goals.

The last thing I will say, is that your daughter is just a freshman - She has a long time in the recruiting process and I strongly suggest you keep things mellow this year.  Just let her play and have fun - You take the time to get educated about the protocols, rules, etc. but don't stress out.  One of the biggest mistakes I see families make, is go too hard, too early in the recruiting process - Understand that there will be a world of changes which will occur in collegiate athletics, in club volleyball and the natural maturation of your daughter, that to go gonzo as a freshman will just drive you crazy!

Read the Recruiting Plan, get Inside College Volleyball, contact NCSA Athletic Recruiting by clicking link - Educate and slow down.

Coach

College Volleyball Recruiting Challenges

Hi Coach!

I'm from Northern Illinois and I am a 5'5" junior in high school. I've been a setter my entire life, and have played club since the 12's team and am now in my 17's club season.

My club isn't one of the "big" clubs to watch or that you'd hear about, and my teams have never been spectacular, although I've always been listed on the "best" teams in my age division. I'm rather short for the position, and I wouldn't say I've had the best of training throughout the years either.

It's my dream to play college volleyball as a setter somewhere, and I'm definitely willing to play at a college far away from home. I know I'm too short to play at a D1 school or anything really big, but is it too late for me to convince my parents to start video taping games and to start recruiting profiles online?

Also, how would I contact coaches (and, who would I contact, the Head Coach himself or the Athletics Department of the college?) and what would I say to them in the e-mail/phone call/way of contact?

Not to brag, but I know I have pretty good skills and I know the game like the back of my hand, so I know I have what it takes, I just want to know how, if it's not to late, to get into the "recruiting game" and how to be recognized and picked out of all of the other players trying to be noticed as well.

Thanks! A.M.

Let me give you the quick version, as you need to get moving on this recruiting thing:

1.  On www.collegevolleyballcoach.com, you should read the Label "Recruiting Plan" - I have listed a year by year plan you can follow, if you are comfortable with the process.  In my book, Inside College Volleyball, I have an updated Recruiting Plan available for VolleyFamilies

2.  I also have a Label for Videos, which should provide some guidance.

3.  You are a shorter setter, but with the increase in substitutions, many NCAA teams are now running 'front to back' 6-2 offenses, where the Setters and Opposites positions sub for each other.  This has resulting in setter height becoming a non-factor because they only play back row.

4.  I suggest you take a look at NCSA Athletic Recruiting.  The reality is you are in a position and height/skill set in which you will have tremendous competition for the collegiate roster spot.  NCSA has a tremendous Free Site, along with the best Premium Paid service in the country - You want to use whatever resources possible to get yourself seen by collegiate coaches.

5.  The new reality of collegiate recruiting is it starts way, way early and lasts way, way late.  You can absolutely find the collegiate future you want, especially if you have an open mind about level/category/region.

6.  The best way to do the initial outreach to college coaches is via email; make it short and direct, with the pertinent contact information and ALWAYS attach/include video.

Good luck and get going now, in preparation for the upcoming club season!

Coach Matt

International Volleyball Recruiting Advice

Hi Coach, 

I just found your amazing site and I could not be happier. This is a great tool for all athletes look to play in the NCAA. My daughter is a sophomore in high school. She has been playing volleyball since the age of 10 with great success. She is playing both sand and indoor volleyball. This past summer, she represented Canada at the 19U World Championships in Cyprus. She is a member of the youth provincial and national beach volleyball team. Also, she was successful playing against Canadian senior women this past summer. Since she started playing indoor, she has played up two age groups. We are in process of contacting NCAA coaches. I was wondering if you could give me some advice on how to proceed about this. 

Thanks, L.M.

Congratulations on the success of your VolleyDaughter!  I would have two immediate suggestions:

1)  On my site, I have put together a year by year plan for high school age players; you just need to click the Label "Recruiting Plan".  I also have an updated version of the "Recruiting Plan" in my book, Inside College Volleyball.

2)  You may wish to consider NCSA Athletic Recruiting - I say this because you are outside of the USA college volleyball recruiting mainstream.  Similar to what I advise good players from Puerto Rico and Hawaii, you will have to use technology to bridge the distance.  

Some families are very comfortable with the intensive outreach necessary to bridge the distance, while other families find it a better use of time/money to use a recruiting service.  I know NCSA Athletic Recruiting is the best service available; also remember that NCSA provides a 'free site' which is plentiful the education it provides - Just click the NCSA box on collegevolleyballcoach.com, to access the NCSA free site.

Whether you do it in-house or utilize a service, video is your biggest exposure tool - Remember that college coaches would rather watch tv than read a book!  

When I speak to Club Volleyball teams and to VolleyFamilies at the larger tournaments in which NCSA partners (I have added the Far Westerns NQ this club season), I inform/remind them that one of the biggest changes in the recruiting landscape is the dramatic increase in good volleyball players.  

Volleyball participation continues to grow in the USA, and the southeastern United States has boomed in its support of high school and junior high school age volleyball - Just take a look at all the new club teams which are emerging from this region as proof.  The popularity of Volleyball in Canada, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and add Europe and South America VolleyFamilies creates an over-abundance of talent.  But, there are just a few colleges each year which add the sport of volleyball.  VolleyFamilies must work hard to get in front of college coaches and must separate themselves (in a positive way) to be noticed.  

5 or so years ago, if you were a 'good' player, the college coaches would find you with not too much effort on your part and you could find a nice place to play.  In today's climate, there are many, many 'good' players who are scrambling for walk on spots in DI or taking minimal DII scholarships because that is all which they could secure.  All too often, this is a result of VolleyFamilies still operating under the old model of supply and demand - The new model is that supply has exceeded demand.  

It is a competitive environment to secure the desired collegiate destination - Because of this environment, I encourage VolleyFamilies to use all the tools at their disposal and for parents to be active in the vetting of collegiate programs.

Coach Matt Sonnichsen

Senior Year Preparation for College Volleyball

Hey Coach Sonnichsen,

First of all, thanks for all your help!  My Daughter told me at the end of her freshman year she wanted to play volleyball in college.   Shortly thereafter I found your website and followed your recruiting plans to a T.  By the end of her Sophomore year she had 35 schools actively recruiting her with a good mix of D1, 2, & 3.   After receiving multiple offers, she ended up verbally committing to a D1 program at the beginning of her Junior year and has maintained good communications with the coach.  She will sign her NLI in November. 

My question is:  could you offer some advice to the Class of 2013 commits and what they need to do to prepare themselves to arrive that first day in college camp & impress the coaches?

Gratefully yours,

Big Fan of the Volleyball Coach

Congratulations on your daughter's success within the craziness of college volleyball recruiting - I am glad that collegevolleyballcoach.com and my recruiting plan helped you in the process.  Hopefully you were also able to use the updated recruiting plan, which I feature in my book, Inside College Volleyball.

With any incoming PSA who has signed/committed, collegiate coaches are looking for three things to happen between before arriving to campus - Stay Healthy, Keep Improving, and Arrive in Shape.

In the past, this trifecta of wishes was to ensure a positive freshman experience for the benefit of the team, but now, with the onset of the One and Done, it is to ensure a positive freshman experience for the player.  

With the One and Done, too many VolleyFamilies believe it will never happen to them; because of how much the school wanted them and how nice the coach is and how talented their PSA is, they are immune from the One and Done.  So many VolleyFamilies have written to me to express their frustration/hurt with the One and Done, because of the false impressions they were under about the situation.

Back to the Three Points:

1.  Stay Healthy - This is one thing which drive coaches to drink (well, drink even more); players arriving not perfectly healthy to camp.  Whether it is tendonitis, a sore shoulder, a hurt back, stress fractures, arriving not healthy to your collegiate experience is unacceptable.  Two reasons; 1) A scholarship PSA must understand the value of the scholarship and its value over four/five years is more important than the last couple of club tournaments;  too many PSA's have pushed them selves into injuries, or not allowed injuries to heal because they were worried about Nationals, or AAU's or some High School All-Star match.  2)  Because of Athletic Department's overwhelming concern with keeping all Olympic Sport's budgets/expenditures at a minimum, if a player arrives with a pre-existing condition, this gives the basis for the Athletic Department to refuse to cover medical costs and/or a Medical Scholarship, if said injury gets much worse.  

A PSA has control over their athletic health; stop playing, go to a medical trainer, get rehab, etc.

2.  Keep Improving - College coaches expect a PSA to continue their development during the Senior year and Senior summer leading up to campus arrival.  What we don't want to see is what we saw as a Junior or even as an early club season Senior.  Collegiate volleyball is elite, and no matter how good you are as a Senior in high school, the majority of collegiate players are better.  There is always something to improve upon, and when you are trying to elevate your game to the next level, your weaknesses stand out.  Most often, these improvements are small improvements; hitting line to use the block,  being more comfortable diving/rolling to your left, improving your slide angle attack, using your hands on free balls.  Just focus on those skill sets you know are not your strength (and if your club coach is worth their salt, or if you can watch video with both eyes open, you will figure out what to work on).

3.  Arrive in Shape - This is the one area which is mandated, and arriving out of shape can flush your Freshman year, and with today's collegiate mentality, your scholarship.  The college game is so much faster and more powerful than club; the SA's have been lifting and conditioning and competing against other collegiate level players for 1 to 4 years.  Half of them are not teenagers any more, they are young adults.  Arriving out of shape, either noticeably heavier, or not having acceptable cardio conditioning, is an instant 2 1/2 strikes against you in the coach's eyes.  If you arrive in the best possible shape (and I literally told my new players to arrive in the best physical condition of their athletic lives), then you will acclimate to the speed of the game quicker, you will recover faster from the physical pounding of training, and avoid injuries better because the body can respond to what the mind asks.  Physical conditioning is something which is completely within the control of the player; you don't even need a weight room.  Coaches don't care if you can bench 200 pounds 10 times, if you can't do a set of sprints without losing your breakfast.  

I would close by changing the mentality from Impressing the coaches, to not disappointing the coaches.  They are already impressed; they awarded you a full scholarship to play Division I Volleyball.  What you don't want to do upon arrival, is have them question if that decision was a good one.

Coach Matt Sonnichsen

Never too late for College Volleyball!

I'm going to be a senior in high school this coming year and i have no idea what i'm doing for college, I filled out a ton of  prospective athlete forms forms and emailed a few coaches but that's about it. Is there even hope of me playing in college at this point?  


And if there is whats the best way for me to contact coaches at this point, I want to send film and my club coach said he would help me with that and everything else but he hasnt responded to any of my emails in about a month now so I'm getting kinda frustrated. It's always been my dream to play a D1 sport in college but now I feel like there is little hope for that, Is walking on still an option for me at this point or am i too late in the recruiting process for that too? 


If its not how should Contact a coach about walking on, I've been told calling is the best way to contact coaches to show your serious about there school but what sort of things do i talk to them about if I'm the one that calls them, and should I say I'm interested in walking on or wait to say that? I understand what walking on means once you are at college but I have no idea how to get there. 

Sorry if this doesn't make a lot of sense or sounds like the same question over and over again but I hope you can help me, Thanks so much in advanced. MM

Yes, plenty of time in the recruiting process and many athletes will secure their collegiate future during their senior years.  With Inside College Volleyball, I have written extensively about how to proceed with a later recruiting effort. 

Don't get panicked because you have heard that so many have already committed; there are still so many other opportunities out there, and many opportunities will open up during and after the current collegiate season.

My suggestions:

1.  Online prospective athlete questionnaires are not a very effective way to reach out to a collegiate coach, and neither is a cold call (calling a coach before sending in information).

2.  When you reach out to collegiate coaches, do so by email and have attached your personal volleyball bio, along with a web link to your video.  It is later in the process, so coaches need to quickly digest your physical characteristics, position and the video of your skills.

3.  Don't over think the video - Just put together a 3 to 5 minute clip of you demonstrating the skills specific to your volleyball position.  This can be cut/spliced from game film, from practice film or you can just take your iPhone/iPad and have your parents film you while you demonstrate skills in your high school gym.  Again, does not need to be fancy, and only needs to be a few minutes; you just want a visual to go along with your email.  Your goal is to make an impression upon the collegiate coach so they come watch you play in person.

4.  Before you consider walking on, you need to step back and put together a comprehensive list of possible schools based upon your specific desires; academic desires, geographic location, size of school, size of town, level of program, etc.  After assembling your list of schools, you need to start reaching out to the collegiate coaches to gauge their response.  Many will be done and many will be still looking, thus your contact list needs to be quite large. 

5.  If you find a school, again, a school which you really feels fits all your parameters of a collegiate experience, then you can consider a walk on route.  To explore a walk on route, you do the same outreach, but make it clear you want to walk on because the school is where you are going. Understand that scholarship athletes in DI Volleyball have a tiny safety net (the one year renewable scholarship) and that Walk On athletes are there purely at the pleasure of the coach; you can be cut and removed at any time.

6. Only call a coach after you have established contact via email, and there has been interest shown by the coach. When you call, have a specific set of questions about the academics of the school, and about the volleyball programs support, residence halls, the season, etc.  Write down a list of questions, and also be prepared to give the coach a quick update about what you have going on.

I will close with this - It is never too late.  If you want to play collegiate volleyball, then you need to get organized and you need to be aggressive.  Don't expect a club coach or high school coach to do the work.

If you need assistance, and many families do because they just don't have the time, energy and technology to successfully manage today's collegiate recruiting process, I strongly suggest you explore joining NCSA Athletic Recruiting (just click the box on my website), because they are worth every penny to a player who needs help.

Good luck,

Coach Matt

Early Volleyball Talent and Response

Coach,

I have a incoming 7th grade daughter daughter who has a very strong skill set.  She will play 15s next club season as a 13.  Currently she is 5-7 and has potential to be 5-11 to 6-1.  She has a strong background from our HS coach who also coached at NAIA level.  She plays for a club where the director is also her coach. The coach is an assistant at a prominent D3 power. She was offered a camp spot with USA Volleyball after a tryout at A3 level(not sure how big of deal that is). 

 

How soon is too soon to start getting her exposed?  What steps do you recommend?  If she is offered a slot at A3 or better next year do we go that route? How do we determine what level she start looking at? I trust our club coach to determine that level but am looking for additional feedback.

 

In the process of ordering your book for our Ipad. P.B.

At your PSA's age, I would just keep things as 'fun' as possible - I have just seen too many times where a young player with talent and the potential to become very good gets pushed too hard, too fast and burns out or loses the passion for our great game.

Please take a look at my Recruiting Plan on the site (use the Label or search) and I have an updated Recruiting Plan in my book, Inside College Volleyball, as this should give you some information.

I would not initiate any recruiting efforts until your PSA's  sophomore, which is what my Recruiting Plan dictates.  If your daughter has elite level talents, then the crazy college coaches will reach out to her, but if you have read my site for awhile, then you know I absolutely don't believe in committing early.  If you daughter receives Letters and Questionnaires as a freshman, then return those as you feel comfortable, but nothing more. In today's collegiate environment, it is illogical to actively pursue or commit to a college as a freshman because your PSA's arrival is 4 years away; just look at all the changes in college athletics the last 4 years!

Freshman is Free - It is a free time for volleyball and being a kid. Sophomore go slow.  And if you are not even yet a freshman, the volleyball should be nothing more than laughs and enjoying what a gift you have to play sports.

Just let her play - If she wants to play in the A3 program, then great.  If she would rather hang out with her buddies and go swimming, great also!  Now is not the time to push anything; offer volleyball but DO NOT push it.

Sophomore Slow.  Freshman Free.

Hope you enjoy Inside College Volleyball.

Coach Matt Sonnichsen

Recruiting Season Preparation

This is an updated post from a few year's ago, focusing on the preparation for the Recruiting Season.  College Volleyball coaches usually put their recruiting efforts into a slow motion period over the Holidays because of the hangover from their completed playing season, and the NCAA Quiet/Dead periods.  But, come January, the Recruiting rpm's start to crank up.  


In my never ending efforts to empower VolleyFamilies, please read, recite and memorize the information/suggestions/mantras below.


The NCAA Division I Volleyball Quiet Period will come to a close on Friday the 13th of January. On the 14th of January, the Contact/Evaluation Period will begin and NCAA Division I Volleyball coaches are allowed to leave campus to evaluate players and to have face to face contact with prospects (provided they are in their Senior year and not during the course of an event).

In general terms, the 2012 recruiting year begins on Saturday, takes a few days off for the Spring Signing Date (short Dead Period) and an approximate 1 month holiday in May (a Quiet Period), before heading into summer recruiting.

I hope you have taken the time to read the Recruiting Plan posts, or the updated Recruiting Plan which is published in my book, Inside College Volleyball, or joined NCSA Athletic Recruiting (which I believe is the best Volleyball Recruiting Network); all of which can provide a game plan to handle this craziness of recruiting. 


 In preparation for the 2012 Recruiting Season's first serve, here are some class by class reminders-tips.

Unsigned or Uncommitted Seniors - Now is the time of the year that college coaches will try to fill the open spots on their 2012 anticipated rosters. Some NCAA Division I upper level programs may have had a scholarship open up post-season (homesick, academics, unhappy about playing time, etc.), while many DI mid/lower level programs may not have committed their available scholarships last spring/summer. 

It is important that you are focused and prepared to move forward with your recruiting efforts. Now is not the time to sit back and wait for things to happen.  One of the biggest changes I have seen in the last 5 years of Volleyball recruiting is the increase of talented PSA's, while there has been no increase in collegiate scholarships or roster spots; this has created a hyper competitive environment for VolleyFamilies.

* Make sure you have a recruiting flyer available at the tournaments (the coach's hospitality room, available tables at the event or to directly hand to college coaches). This flyer should list your pertinent information quickly - Name, graduation year, position played, club team, e-mail and phone number, along with height, weight, approach touch, block touch, uniform number, GPA/test scores and if possible, make sure your picture is also on the flyer.

* Your club needs to be up to speed about where you are in the recruiting process, so the Recruiting Coordinator/Coach can communicate effectively with college coaches which may ask about you.  This club contact person should be aware of your academic interests, size of school you want, willingness to travel, desired NCAA division, etc. Almost all college coaches work through the club coach/director to obtain initial information about PSA's at a tournament they are attending.

* Be prepared and available to visit with colleges coaches on-site after the tournament has come to a conclusion. Again, your club coach/director needs to be aware that you are available after the tournament to visit and help arrange or discourage (if you don't want to visit with a certain school for whatever reason) meetings.

* Make sure you are focused, rested and ready to have a great tournament every weekend. If playing college volleyball is what you want, then this must take priority. Eat correctly, drink plenty of water before the event, get good sleep the night before and stay focused on volleyball during the tournament.


Uncommitted Juniors - Don't Panic!!!!! Okay, now that we have that out of the way, we can move forward with recruiting. Seriously, there is plenty of time left in the 2012 recruiting cycle. I know that Mary from Club Super Duper committed before she could even take her driving test and Nancy from Team Neoprene has 3 offers from the greatest schools ever and you are 50 times better, but this is not the all encompassing situation.  A suprising number of NCAA DI (not too mention a ton of DII and DIII teams) programs are still active in the evaluations of PSA's in the Junior class, and as such, will begin to extend scholarship offers in the coming months. 

1. If you are entering the game of recruiting this year (1st year in club volleyball), then you would do well to have a recruiting flyer as illustrated above. As mentioned above, the recruiting parameters have become very competitive, so it is important to have video ready to send out to interested coaches (even though they may have filmed you) or be completely up to speed with a Recruiting Service which can instantly get all your information out to potential programs.

2. Your club coach should be aware of your desires academically, type and location of school, along with what level you hope to compete at. Again, colleges coaches will make inquiries about you via the club coach.

3. DO NOT try to conquer the volleyball recruiting world of 17's club in one tournament. If you play your absolute best ever - good for you. If you play your absolute worst ever - it is not as bad as you think.

4. DO NOT be aware of who is watching or not watching you (and that means your parents also) - Just play good volleyball. It can be exciting for families when they see a bunch of coaches around a court, but the reality is most of these coaches are not really pursuing the players on the court; good match to watch, they are talking to another coach, they are letting court traffic pass by while they figure out where to walk to next, etc.


Sophomores - With the acceleration of the recruiting timeline by college coaches and paniky VolleyFamilies, the sophomore year has come more into play. We must recognize and manage this year of club more than in the past. 

1.  Some PSA's are physically and skill wise very developed at this age, and if tall enough, these players can garner tremendous attention and multiple offers by the start of the club season.  If your VolleyPSA happens to be one of these players, the parents must be up to speed with the protocols/processes, as to guide thier 16 year old (or younger) daughter with this tremendously important decision.  Always error on the side of going slower, not faster.

2.  If you are a PSA who is getting offers, DO NOT acquise to the pressure and make a premature decision. Go through the process of calling the coach to chat, to arranging an unofficial visit, to seeing practice, to watching spring season matches.  With all the changes which occure now with coaches, conferences and funding, what you see now can easily be completely different when you (possibly) arrive as an incoming freshman.

3.  If you are a PSA who does not have offers, DO NOT freak out.  It is still very early in the process, and as referenced above, with all the craziness in college athletics, it may be the best thing to have your collegiate options present themselves later in the recruiting process.

4.  Most important, concentrate on getting better in volleyball, because the 16's year is still the separation year for skill and physical volleyball development.  Talent will create opportunities. 

5.  As you receive Letters of Introduction and Questionairres, respond to them, file them in the appropriate place (file cabinet, trash can, etc) and enjoy the process as best as you can.


Freshman
 The only thing I am going to say to the 2015 class is that if you see college coaches scouting your court, immediately send Grandma (and grandma's are good at these things) over to the coaches to shoo them away.  


Many VolleyFolks will disagree with me, but tough, I am right - These are still kids which should not be pressured/stressed/considering college when they are still trying to figure out high school!  The 15's age group should be played on courts that are walled off from the upper age groups - Just play volleyball, you are a freshman in high school!


Upperclassmen need to be prepared to actively manage the recruiting process.  Sophomores need to be aware but not anxious at all, and Freshman should just be having fun!