Video is your recruiting BFF

Video is the primary vehicle for your recruiting efforts, even more so during the current pandemic.  While there is much uncertainty with the 2020 college volleyball season, college coaches will continue to recruit and families must continue to manage the recruiting process.

 

Since club volleyball was shut down in March, it is not possible for families to provide tournament video from the spring. So, volleyball video must be captured in whatever way possible this late summer and fall:

 

-       Club practices – If your state/county/city is allowing your club to practice, make sure you are filming.  Unfortunately, because of the continued spread of COVID 19, this access to the volleyball court could be stopped at any time.  Focus on capturing as much video as possible, because you can always edit later.

-       High School practices – Again, if you are in the gym, film it; same rationale and protocol as for club practices.

-       Private lessons – Either through your club, high school or another coach, private lessons can be reformatted into a recruiting video session.  With a one hour window, you can easily capture a ton of quality film, specific to your position and skill strengths, which can be edited into a great recruiting video.

-       ‘Old’ video – While the 2019 high school season is too old, club volleyball videos from February and early March can work.  College coaches know that the lights were turned off in mid-March, and they need to see you on video to recruit you.

 

Don’t overthink or stress about your recruiting video.  We are in a unique situation now and college coaches understand; they don’t need to see an Academy Award quality film, they need to see your volleyball abilities.  

Stay focused on your position specific skill sets – If you are a middle blocker, don’t film passing; if you are a setter, don’t show your hitting abilities, etc.  Five minutes of quality repetitions are superior to thirty minutes meandering play; the edit button is your best friend when it comes to recruiting videos.

 

Film what you can film, edit the most current video you have, and send it to college coaches.  Recruiting video and email distribution is tailor made for social distancing!

USA College Volleyball Recruiting for the Canadian Athlete

Dear College Volleyball Coach,

Thank you all of the awesome information on your website, I am learning so much. Which I need to do because I’m writing from Canada and I’m completely new to the US recruiting process. I’m wondering if you would be able to give some advice on volleyball recruiting to your neighbour to the north? Here are my questions:

1) We have send a video to a number of Div 1 colleges. My daughter has received a handful of emails back saying that they are “adding her to their recruiting list”. What does this mean? I number of them have also made the comment that they can’t talk to her until “Sept 1st of her Junior year”. We are in Canada, so we don’t use those terms, but I know that means grade 11 (she is currently in grade 10). Is this a hopeful sign or do many colleges just send this as a form letter?

2) She was invited to call one of the schools (which she did). What does a coach want to hear from a potential player on these calls? Does this indicate a strong interest from the school or is this pretty standard?

3) Approximately how many “recruits” are placed on recruitment lists?

4) The analytics on her Youtube page show me the most coaches have not viewed the video. Is there any way to compel a coach to watch the tape? If they don’t, should we just remove them from our list of target schools? Or do coaches just take their time because they are inundated with emails?

5) There are target schools who seemed to have watched the entire video,  but we haven’t heard from them. Are there cases where a coach is interested in a player, and have a certain player “on their radar” but don’t contact them to let them know?

6) My daughter is a setter. I checked out a few of the public videos a noted that most of the setters do not show themselves blocking. This is a huge strength for her, but would it be considered “unimportant” for a setters video? (Seems like it would be important, so I’m surprised I’m not seeing it more).

7) Are Canadians at a disadvantage when competing for spots with their American counterparts?

8) How does a Canadian get noticed even though they are not playing in US tournaments?

Okay, that’s just a few things I have rattling around in my brain. I would greatly appreciate any advice and feedback you are willing to give. I will continue to make my way through your archives. :)

Thanks,
Canadian Volleyball Mom

​Always happy to he​lp a neighbor and please see the answers below!

 

Here are my questions:

​​

1) We have send a video to a number of Div 1 colleges. My daughter has received a handful of emails back saying that they are “adding her to their recruiting list”. What does this mean? I number of them have also made the comment that they can’t talk to her until “Sept 1st of her Junior year”. We are in Canada, so we don’t use those terms, but I know that means grade 11 (she is currently in grade 10). Is this a hopeful sign or do many colleges just send this as a form letter?

​Each category of college volleyball will have their own recruiting rules - NCAA Division I, Division II, Division II, NAIA and Junior Colleges.

NCAA Division I schools are only allowed to send a letter/questionnaire ​before September 1st of a player's Junior Year (grade 11), but they can also send camp brochures at any time (and unfortunately, some collegiate programs will use the possibility of recruitment to drive camp enrollments).

Generally speaking, college coaches have a template email that they will send to any high school age player who reaches out to them.  It can be hard for a family to determine if the college is sincerely interested or just following recruiting protocols.  If you had included video, and the college program also contacted your club or high school coach to chat, then they would be extremely interested.  Most players, outside of the tall, elite athletes, will not be able to determine exactly the interest of the collegiate programs until the club season of their Junior year.  

Once college programs are allowed to communicate via email/text, then families will be able to determine interest levels - Is the college program sending you regular updates?  Asking about your season? Inviting you to campus for a visit?  Or, do you rarely hear from them, even after you update them?

2) She was invited to call one of the schools (which she did). What does a coach want to hear from a potential player on these calls? Does this indicate a strong interest from the school or is this pretty standard?

​This is a good sign - Because of the sheer volume of talented recruits, college coaches are only going to invite players to call whom they are very interested in.  Believe it or not, having conversations with multiple 16 year volleyball players is not high our our enjoyment list as college coaches!

​

3) Approximately how many “recruits” are placed on recruitment lists?

​Depends on the category and budgets of each collegiate program, but it easily numbers into the hundreds.  Finding talent is easy - It is filtering talent to secure the best possible player for the program which is the challenge.​

4) The analytics on her Youtube page show me the most coaches have not viewed the video. Is there any way to compel a coach to watch the tape? If they don’t, should we just remove them from our list of target schools? Or do coaches just take their time because they are inundated with emails?

​For college volleyball programs, the later spring is the absolute busiest time of the year; even more busy than the fall season.  In the spring, college coaches are traveling to watch recruits, they are training their indoor team full time (same hours of training as the regular season), they are traveling with the team to play in spring matches, they are probably engaged in community outreach and fund raising activities, they are hosting recruits on campus, and, if they also are responsible for a beach volleyball program, then there is that entire program's time commitment.  

All of this piles up to make quick communication sometimes very slow.  Not hearing back from a collegiate coach quickly would not concern me, but the low view rates of the YouTube video would.  This is a broad statement, but college coaches will view every video they get and in a timely manner (remember that college coaches are competing for that perfect fit, and being late in recruiting a player because the coach waited a couple of weeks to view a video is not going to happen); they may only watch 30 seconds or they may watch it 5 times in a row, but college coaches watch video like it is Netflix.  Maybe, the coaches are truly too busy to watch?​

At this juncture, I would not remove any school from your list just because of the nature of spring volleyball combined with your graduation year.  As you move through your Junior year, and back and forth communication occurs (or doesn't occur), then you can start to remove programs from consideration.

5) There are target schools who seemed to have watched the entire video,  but we haven’t heard from them. Are there cases where a coach is interested in a player, and have a certain player “on their radar” but don’t contact them to let them know?

​Absolutely!  Often times, college coaches know they will have a certain number of scholarships but not know exactly how they wish to use they scholarships (in DI).  So, they will build up their recruiting database, and then drop athletes as they work through the Junior year of club volleyball.  Each collegiate coach has their own protocol for recruiting.

​

6) My daughter is a setter. I checked out a few of the public videos a noted that most of the setters do not show themselves blocking. This is a huge strength for her, but would it be considered “unimportant” for a setters video? (Seems like it would be important, so I’m surprised I’m not seeing it more).

Your video is your first best vehicle to showcase strengths - If blocking is a strength, then that should absolutely be included.  If a program runs a front to back 6-2 offense (a setter and opposite player are subbing in for each other every 3 rotations), then blocking is not important.  I can't say how may collegiate programs run a 6-2 offense, but from watching DI Volleyball on television, it seems the majority still run the 5-1 offense, where the setter will play front row.

​

7) Are Canadians at a disadvantage when competing for spots with their American counterparts?

​No - College coaches recruit talent.  If a player has the talent to make the team better, she will be recruited.  That being said, players from bigger cities are easier to recruit than from the countryside, USA players are easier to recruit than international players and native English speaking international players are easier to recruit than non-native English speaking players.  Because of the common border and language, recruiting Canadian players does not present a barrier (unless the coach really hates the accent or is just too darn lazy to jump through a couple of protocol hoops).​

8) How does a Canadian get noticed even though they are not playing in US tournaments?

​Video, video and more video....and, come south to play in a USA tournament.  There are enough very large northern USA club events (either USA Volleyball or JVA/AAU Volleyball), that Canadian players who wish to be recruited by USA colleges, really need to participate with a club program that will play in at least one club tournament in the USA.

If your height and talent is fantastic, then college coaches will come see you play but your video has to illustrate that your talent merits the travel.  Most college programs don't have the budget or need to travel to Canada to recruit solely from a video, because the same talent can be found at any of the large club events being held every weekend from January 15th to April 30th!

​

Okay, that’s just a few things I have rattling around in my brain. I would greatly appreciate any advice and feedback you are willing to give. I will continue to make my way through your archives. :)

​Glad to help and I believe the collegevolleyballcoach.com archives can provide some additional direction!​

Best Tournaments for College Volleyball Recruiting

In your opinion out of all the multi day volleyball tournaments which ones do a greater majority of college coaches attend (e.g. JVA World Challenge, Colorado Crossroads, Presidents Day Classic, Spring Classic)?   

I know it was mentioned in one of your responses that a lot of the NAIA and Division III colleges don't have the money to travel to tournaments that are not drivable.  So the ones that travel to tournaments outside of their state that they have to fly to are mostly Division I and II. 

So then a players best chance with an NAIA or Division III school is to make sure video is updated on their recruiting website (volleyball recruits, etc.) unless the club the player plays for goes to a tournament in the state he or she is looking at a NAIA or Division III college in, right?  Would another option be to attend a summer volleyball camp at that school if financially affordable for the family of the player? 

Thank you. 
Mom of a DS/Libero player

In terms of multi day tournaments which attract the largest number of college coaches, it would be the USA Volleyball National Qualifiers and then the early club season non-national qualifier tournaments (MLK weekend and President's Day weekend multi day tournaments). 

College Volleyball Recruiting is year round, but the earlier club season tournaments - January, February, March - tend to draw the most college coaches because they are very focused on their recruiting needs and they still have money left in their recruiting budgets.  As the club season progresses the urgency of recruiting fades, even for the later National Qualifiers; the budget starts to run out, the college coaches are also engaged in their spring season, and they may have already secured their needed commitments.

Because of budget limitations, the college programs which are flying to recruit are the Division I programs and a rare Division II or NAIA program.  The mid to upper level DI programs will have the budgets to attend a few National Qualifiers and early Holiday weekend tournaments, while the lower DI, elite DII/NAIA programs may have the budget to fly a coach to one National Qualifier and then they will be driving to the remainder of their recruiting events.

Video, and current video, is any players best opportunity to market themselves to all levels of college volleyball programs.  Hosting the video on a recruiting website gives a player the greatest exposure opportunity, and in full transparency, I support NCSA Athletic Recruiting as the best service for volleyball players.

As a player, if you are considering non DI schools outside of your geographic region, then video will be your primary, and maybe only way, that those collegiate programs can evaluate your abilities.  

If you have read collegevolleyballcoach.com or Inside College Volleyball, you will know that I am not a big proponent of using college volleyball camps as a recruiting vehicle.  DII and NAIA programs allow for seniors who have finished their high school season to train with the team during a visit to campus.  Better to go on a multi campus tour, play with a few teams, rather than pay hundreds of dollars per camp to do the same thing.  But, if the family has the financial means to go on a summer fun camp tour, then go for it!

Coach

Volleyball Recruiting Videos

Hey Coach,

It was great running into you in Omaha.  Always appreciate your feedback and wisdom!

I am trying to put together a skills video for my daughter (junior setter).

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated (length, type of drills to include, etc.).

Also, do majority of coaches prefer skill video or game footage?

And as far as game footage, what should be the duration of video clip?

Hope you enjoyed the Holiday Season and Happy New Year!!

Best,

Grateful Dad

Thanks for coming to chat in Omaha, when I was speaking for NCSA Athletic Recruiting at the AVCA Phenom Program!

In terms of recruiting videos, take a moment to search the collegevolleyballcoach.com website, as I have written a few posts about the topic.

The biggest stumbling block I see with videos, is families get too hung up on the details; intro, music, graphics, etc.  The video is the prime tool for college coaches to make their first evaluation of a Prospective Student-Athlete.  Focus on showing skills and make it easy/quick for the coach to watch.

Some coaches prefer to see skills/highlight video first, while others prefer to see game film first. When I was a big time college coach, full of strong coffee and arrogance, I liked to see a skills/highlight video first, then if I was not able to see the player at an upcoming tournament/practice, then I would request a game video.

Skills Video - Make sure you are showcasing the skills that college coaches want to see.  College Volleyball is a position specific and specialized sport.  For instance, college coaches don't want to see a setter attacking or a middle blocker passing.  This video is the first evaluation, so college coaches want repetition after repetition after repetition specific to the player's potential collegiate position.  I suggest that the video be approximately 5 minutes of volleyball.

Game Video - Ensure that the coach can easily identify the player with an arrow or shadowing (nothing is more frustrating with videos, than trying to figure out what player the coach is supposed to be watching). Pick two of the most recent games (not matches; I guess sets is the correct term now), and then cut out the 'dead time'; side changes, time outs, delays, etc.  Make it easy for the college coach to watch the video and they will watch it; if you make it hard to watch, then they will move on to the next video.

One last thing about video, is that it has a shelf life - Old video (2+ months old) does not help an athlete.  In fact, it can hurt them.  College coaches are always recruiting in real time, and if they are looking at an older video, then that player will not look as good as the real time player the coach saw today at a tournament.

The Coach

Non Traditional College Volleyball Recruiting Effort

Hello,

So my daughter is a 6’2 middle blocker who has already played her two years in JC and unfortunately did not get recruited her sophomore year. She’s received numerous of awards and was on first team all conference both freshman and sophomore year. However, she’s working two jobs while training and being a volunteer assistant coach at her old JC to upkeep her volleyball skills and such. 

She still wants to play at the higher level but is having trouble getting recruited for the 2015 school year especially since she legally cannot play another year of volleyball due to rules. Should she continue trying to get recruited or try to try-out as a walk-on to a college of her choice or just go off to college and focus on studies?

Sincerely,

A Frustrated Father

Sorry to hear of your challenges - While there are many 4 year playing opportunities, college volleyball recruiting is an inexact science with many disappointments.

In situations such as these, my first question is, how comprehensive was your outreach process to 4 year schools?  

-  How many schools did your daughter (or you) directly reach out to?  If it was less than 150, then it was too little.

-  Did you expect or assume the college coach was going to market/reach out to schools for your daughter?

-  Did you match the schools your daughter was reaching out to, with her comfort zone (academic, athletic, academic)?

-  Did you match the reach out to appropriate level of collegiate play?

While it must be frustrating for the family (and especially your daughter), there are still options available for her to attain the goal of playing at a 4 year school.

1.  Restart the outreach process with 4 year schools, but be very aware of matching these schools with your daughter's specifics; academic standing, athletic ability, geographic comfort zone.

2.  Video is your best friend, and as she is still interacting with her JC, she can generate multiple videos to demonstrate her skills sets.  Don't worry about the year off; this stuff happens.

3.  Your best opportunity, because of eligbiity and transfer rules will most likely be with the NCAA Division II and NAIA levels.  Be prepared with official transcripts, test scores and a timeline which show what her playing history is.

4.  Start the heavy outreach in early November - You are competing against every senior in high school, JC transfer and 4 year transfer in the country.

5.  Be prepared to attend tryouts of schools in which your daughter is interested, and if they are reasonable to travel to (not cost prohibitive).  NAIA's and D2's can have tryouts.

6. The term Walk On only applies to Division I, which scholarship protocols dictate being on a full athletic scholarship or not.  All other 4 year divisions will package out their scholarship offers through various avenues and her abilities will influence this packaging.

It is time to become proactive and not reactive!

Good luck!

Coach Sonnichsen

Let's Get This Recruiting Video Started!!!

Before getting to the below Question and outstanding Answer - Today is my Birthday!!!!  You only turn 28 many many times and I posted on the time I came into this VB world (according to my parents!).


Coach,

My daughter is a current Junior (class of 2015) and is USAVB age 17.  She'll play on an 18s team in the upcoming SCVA club season.  At 5'7" she's a shorter setter with a 4.3 GPA who is willing to consider colleges in any part of country.

I've got a couple of questions involving "best practices" for editing the player highlight video.  My daughter is a setter so I'll stay specific for that position, but I imagine that guidelines for a good highlight video would be useful for all positions.

1) Obviously it critical to put the best plays at the start of the video in order to keep the college coach interested in watching the rest of it.  However, is it best to organize clips by specific skill?  For example, should my daughter's highlight video start with a whole series of sets to the OH ("4s"), followed by sets to the OPP ("5s"), followed by sets the MH ("1s") with each series starting with the best example of each specific set?  OR... should her highlight video start with her best 5-10 overall plays regardless of which type of set she is executing?

2) How important is the "Skills Video" (video shot in a closed, practice-like environment to repeatedly demonstrate specific skills)?  I'd appreciate it if you could discuss the relative importance of the "skills video" vs. game footage.  My gut says that game footage is much more important, but don't want to "miss the boat" on something here.

3) My daughter will play on a MUCH better club team in the upcoming 2014 season than she played on last year.  As a result she will be able to run a much quicker offense this season.  I have highlights from the 2013 club season.  Lots of good footage, but very little that involves a good middle attack.  Would we be better off getting the highlights out there NOW that we currently have ready to go and then follow up with highlights from early tournaments; OR would it be best to wait a couple of months and send out video for the 1st time that contains the best from last season AND clips from this season?  I guess I'm trying to weigh the difference between being late with getting ANY video out there vs. getting video out there now that doesn't necessarily "paint a complete picture" of my daughter's ability.

4) Any general suggestions that you can provide to putting together the best possible highlight video would be appreciated.

Thanks Coach for all you do for volleyball community. K.H.

With regards to videos, there are two trains of thought - Skill and/or Game video.  A large number of coaches want Skills, a large number of coaches want Game and a large number want both.

I recommend a two step approach to the video - Start with a Skill video of approximately 3 to 4 minutes in length, shot in a controlled environment (practice or private training) which provides many repetitions of the skill sets to be used in college.  The goal of this first video step is to garner the attention of the collegiate coach, and get the PSA on the program's recruiting  database.

The second step is the Game video - It is important to make the Game video as current as possible because the PSA's abilities will be judged in real time.  If a coach comes back from a tournament in Dallas, after watching a few setters, then remembers that there is a video of your setter out in California, the coach will judge your setter against what they just saw live in Dallas.  There will be no 'offset' or accommodation if your PSA's video was from 4 months ago.

Coaches put various weight on each video, but starting with a short Skills video, then following up or having a Game video available is a good starting point.

In terms of the video itself, coaches want to see repetitions.  Rarely will a coach offer a scholarship just off of video, most especially at the DI level.  We want receptions so we can do a first evaluation on the various skill sets specific to the position.  We each have a certain eye for what we want to see; we each have preferences for how we want a certain skill set performed.  It is frustrating only getting a couple of examples of an attack, or a block, or a pass, because it is hard for coaches to really get a first evaluation.

With regards to the setter video, this may be the hardest position to capture on video just because of the position dynamic.   So much of an evaluation of a setter must be done in person because of all the nuances; how does she communicate with her hitters, how does she communicate with her coach, what is the level of her hitters, what is the level of the block she is setting against, what is her court demeanor, is she loud or quiet, is she a leader, does she run an offense or just set, etc?

I believe the setting video should be focused on the Skill segment and create this Skills video in a practice or private training situation.  I want to see a setter 'dry' setting all the zones for the OH attacks (no hitter), so I can see her hand release, body position, footwork and targeting.  Then I want to see her setting the MB position with a live hitter, so I can see the placement of the ball, the hand position and the consistency.  My whole focus is her setting the ball.  If I am happy with her physical ability with the ball, then I will make plans to come see her in person to evaluate all the additional details I listed above.

A few coaches may ask for Game film of setters, just to get another layer of evaluation, especially if they won't be able to see the PSA in person immediately.  But, this Game film tends to be a two dimensional when trying to evaluate those nuances.

As to your specific questions:

1) Series of sets to the specific zones of the court.

2) Skills video should be the first video sent, but have Game video ready.

3) Make all video as current as possible, especially the Game video.

Good luck this club season and keep working through the recruiting process!

Coach Matt

The Introductory College Volleyball Recruiting Letter

Coach -

I have questions about introductory letters.  Having read your great website and book, one piece of advice comes through loud and clear:  cast a wide net in contacting coaches and programs.  Based on this advice, I suspect that many athletes send introductory emails/letters to dozens of schools.  I also suspect that in many cases, the only thing the player initially knows about many of those schools is that they have a volleyball team.  So, at a very early stage when just trying to get on the programs' recruiting radar, how much research and personalization is appropriate or necessary?  In other words, what should you say to a coach about why you're interested in his or her program (i.e., sending an email/letter) when, candidly, you're not entirely sure that you are?  This seems particularly true when an athlete is still undecided on a major or does not honestly know what collegiate level is appropriate for her skill level.

My gut tells me that every correspondence should have at least some personalization (e.g., "Congratulations on your strong finish in the MAAC tournament last year..." or "It's impressive to see that your team's record has improved each of the five years since you were hired as the head coach...")  But is that enough?  Obviously, the goal of the correspondence is to deliver a player's information, a link to some video and a tournament schedule in the hope that the coach will see something that captures his or her interest and gets him or her to either come watch the athlete in person or to contact her coach.  So, what should be in the first paragraph, in order to help encourage the coach to read the second paragraph and/or click on the link?  Or are the coaches simply looking for stats (year, height, position, approach touch) and video, and not really reading the rest of the letter?

As always, I appreciate your insight and advice. P.R.

Glad to help and thank you for the compliments on the book and site - Did you know that collegevolleyballcoach.com and Inside College Volleyball were voted the #1 resources for college volleyball and recruiting?  At least by me and my mother!

In general, because of the value of video, the importance of the introductory letter has diminished.  A player could literally write, "hey, knucklehead coach, look at my video" and we would!  

The player could write an introductory letter which could be read at a Presidential Inauguration because of its artistic beauty, and a coach will still want to see the video. Conversely, a player could just send a link to a video and say, "thanks for watching" and we would still want to see the video.

In the early stages of the outreach process, college coaches understand that families are trying to figure everything out.  Sure, we may say that we like a personalized letter or some reference to the program, but we understand how overwhelming this can be for a family.

I believe the first contact/outreach with a college program should be short and honest.  "Dear Coach, I am just starting to explore my collegiate future. Please find my video link and basic information about me.  I hope to hear from you soon!".

After that first outreach, hopefully the family can begin the evaluation process of colleges based upon their responses and the year in school of the PSA. It is at this juncture, that doing some research on the school and program would be important because not only do you want to convey to the coach that you do have a sincere interest in their program, but you want to also start to gather information so you can ask questions and review them being a good fit for you!

But, back to the initial outreach - Short, simple, include video link, team name, number, position, height, and schedule.  If your PSA can help the collegiate program, then the coach will respond, if she can't, then the coach won't.

California Dreaming and College Volleyball!

Dear Matt,

I have very much appreciated your advice on this blog- you are positive, straightforward, and always seem to have a very thoughtful and complete reply to any question thrown your way.  I thank you for this obvious labor of love and I have benefitted from it!

I have a 17 year old Jr. just beginning her 17N club season in Ohio.  MB/OPP, 6'1'; currently approach jump 9'8 and block jump 9'3'.  Second team all league, HM all Region.  

She is hoping and planning to attend school and play in California, division 2, NAIA or division 3.  She absolutely loves the game of VB and feels she would keep loving it and work hard at this level while at college.  This fall she contacted, went out and met a couple of coaches from schools she's interested in and they both gave her a tour and asked her to send her JO schedule and tapes of her upcoming season.  

The dilemma is - How can we bridge the gap between all the tournaments and showcases she's playing in Ohio, IN and PA with all the local D2, D3, NAIA recruitment going on in CA- how can she keep herself as a prospect and on their radar even though she's too many miles away for them to watch her play?  Is it necessary to join a recruiting site for the several schools she's interested in or should she contact each and follow-up?  

We have planned a week in California at the end of April to visit more schools and keep working the plan.  But we don't quite have a plan.  Any insight you could provide would be so appreciated.

A million thanks for sharing your expertise.

C.C.


Questions:  Do we send links to complete game tapes, or should we edit when she leaves rotation? Is a skills/highlight tape link a good idea?  Thanks Matt!

Thanks for the compliments on the site and glad it has helped - Remember that Inside College Volleyball makes a great Spring Break read!!!

So your daughter is 'California Dreamin'?  I can understand, because California is a cool place and loves volleyball.  Also, it only snows in the mountains versus everywhere else in the upper midwest!!!!

Her challenge lies in the fact that California is home to plenty of talented volleyball players and for the majority of schools (even the power conference DI's), then can successfully recruit the majority of their roster (if not all of it) from their state.  This translates into to very few non-DI's going out of state for recruiting reasons.

What she does have, which we did not as athletes, is technology to assist her.  She has to use technology to bridge the distance.  You asked about a recruiting service to assist; my belief is that everything a service does, a family can do, BUT does the family have the time and technology comfort level to do it?  Your daughter has identified a small segment of the USA to play college volleyball at, but it is a hyper completive segment of the USA in which to do so.  NCSA Athletic Recruiting, for example, makes the communication, outreach and research process extraordinarily effective/easy for their client families, and for these families the fee is well worth the trade off in time/energy/technology of doing it themselves.

Whether you use a NCSA or do it yourself, you need to be very consistent with your outreach efforts and use video as your main tool - College coaches always want to see video and current video; we would rather watch tv than read a book.  When using video, you have to make it as easy for the college coaches to view as possible (when I was a college coach, I always liked getting videos from NCSA because they were click and watch, with exactly what I wanted to see).  Skills videos are the best to send first, then have game videos (with dead time edited out) ready to send also.

Since the Cali colleges you are pursuing won't be making trips out to see your PSA play, your PSA will need to go west to play in front of them.  Each division you are looking at has rules on tryouts, which is what you would be basically be doing by your PSA playing on campus.  If she is too young for a tryout at the majority of the schools she is considering, then you might need to rethink your spring trip into a summer trip to participate in camps.  As a long time reader, you know my belief that camps are not a good vehicle for recruiting, but in your case, it may be the only vehicle available.  Just be sure that you are going to a camp where the coach really wants to see her play (not just really wants to cash your camp fee check).

The last thing that I will say, is her opportunity will be a result of her skills.  While everyone in the family is focused on the recruiting efforts, she must also stay focused on developing skill sets.  There is a reason the CA schools only have to recruit from their states; the players are very good.  If the local players were not good, then he Cali schools would all travel nationally to secure better talent.  The better player your daughter becomes, the more opportunities she will have!

Good luck!

Coach Matt

Volleyball Recruiting Webinar Recordings

VolleyFamilies - I have had many requests for recordings of the Volleyball Recruiting Webinars I conduct, courtesy of NCSA Athletic Recruiting.

Please Cut and Paste the below links to view the previous webinars from January! (Do not Click!)

http://connectpro96398706.adobeconnect.com/p1688duo0yg/ - Early Season Recruiting

http://connectpro96398706.adobeconnect.com/p65l9o8opcf/ - Volleyball Recruiting Videos

Recruiting Video for Libero's

Dear Coach – I have read and enjoyed your book and posts on all the topics volleyball.  My daughter plays libero for her club team (16s).  I have taped some of the tournaments and will be taping some late season practices.  What are college coaches looking for in reviewing video on defensive players and what would be the best combination of snippets to use for creating a recruiting video for a libero?

Thank you, C.K.

Thank you for the compliments on Inside College Volleyball!

Show the college coach everything which a Libero would do for them in college (but not too much film on serving, it any).  

There are many, many good Liberos and there is not too much separating them in skill sets.  More than any other position, dedication to the recruiting process (manage the process and be patient) is critical in creating a collegiate opportunity for a Libero.  Because of the focus necessary, I do recommend any Libero take a hard look at NCSA Athletic Recruiting; they can make a VolleyFamily's recruiting world much more comfortable!

I would want to see on a Libero video:

-  Serve receive in all three serving positions.

-  Receiving all types of serves; float, jump float, jump spin, spin, short, the whammy.

-  Defense in all three back row positions.

-  Defending against all types of attacks; hard driven, off center, roll shots short, roll shot deep, high attack, low attacks.

-  Setting from behind the 3 meter line with the hands or by bump setting in front of the 3 meter line.

-  Diving and rolling left and right, forward and back; show me that she can get to the ground, thru the ball and back up again.

Again, not too much serving because illustrating a 'great' serve is hard to capture on video and as a coach, I gotta believe you can serve the ball over the net.

Hope that helps!

Coach Matt

Volleyball Recruiting Video

Hi Coach,

I recently heard you speak and I was hoping to get some clarification regarding recruitment film.  I think you said that it is better to upload small snippets every so often, than one large elaborate video.  Am I correct or did I misunderstand you? 

Do we send continuous (like every month) snippets to coaches that we have interest or not bother them that often? After every tournament,  we add maybe 1-2 minute film?

My daughter is 15 year old sophomore, varsity HS player and on a traveling U16s national team.  She would like to play in college and she is 5'10". In club she has played all three attack positions. In HS she ended up playing and starting primarily DS due to an injury that effected her OH play.  We are fortunate to have a very skilled and talented HS Coach, who coached National club teams to championships and played himself in college (our HS coach recommends mid-lower D1 or D2 for her.)   Our club coach played D1 at an elite level.  

Most coaches like her versatility but it seems like maybe being versatile is not such a great asset for college anymore?  Are coaches looking to specialize more?  

We are getting prepared to start on this recruiting whirlwind and I was just hoping you could help me with some of my questions.  I really appreciate your advice and oh by the way, REALLY like your book too!

Thanks so much, A.Z.

I appreciate the follow-up question after one of my NCSA Volleyball Recruiting Educational Talks - I know how hard it can be to talk to me when I am surrounded by the adoring fans (kidding ;).  Also, glad you enjoy Inside College Volleyball - I think it is time to work on my next book!

On to your questions:

1.  3 minute clips of her college applicable skill sets, are better than one big tape and nothing else.

2.  I think that a once a month, new skills update is perfect - Especially if you are interacting with college coaches outside of your region, which may only see your PSA but one time or very late in the recruiting cycle.

3.  After every tourney might be a little much - I actually think the best way to capture good skills video is just to film practice segments, as it is easy to get what you need quickly.

4. 5'10 OH would do well as a low DI and/or upper D2; much depends on her jumping ability and power in her attacks.  

6.  Upper level NCAA DI is very specialized, but I would say the lower DI's and D2 are still a bit old school and like to have players play all around.  Elite DI can recruit elite players which make specialization possible.  Outside Hitters who can pass, attack, and play defense are move valued than just the OH's who only hit (at the level which you are speaking about).  It is good she is working on her passing and hitting right/left.

7.  Also, consider that the rules are always changing in college volleyball; who know, the NCAA may move to adopt strict FIVB rules?  FIVB does not allow 15 subs, and players can only go in/out once.

I will close by saying that your PSA is the Toyota Camry of the college volleyball recruiting world.  Camry's are great cars, very steady, not flashy, don't stand out but everyone can use a Camry.   The difference is that your daughter's characteristics are shared by many, many and many other recruits; just like there are a bunch of Camry's on the road.

The Families which get their Camry noticed are the ones which work the hardest at the recruiting process and stay positive during the craziness; you have got to keep reaching out to college coaches, you have got to use the support options available, you have to be patient and work your way through the various collegiate possibilities.  

Coach Matt

College Volleyball Recruiting - 3 Q's and 3 A's

Hi Coach,

 

I am a junior setter in high school right now and want to play volleyball at either a division 1 or 2 university. I am a starter on my high school team and play on a good club team. Unfortunatly I don't know where to start the recruiting process. Being a coach I was wondering if you could give me advice on how to get a coaches attention and what to send them. Also when I make my game tape I was wondering if the coach looks to see if the hitter hits the ball out or gets a kill or if the just pay attetiontion to my set? What are the top qualities a coach may look at in film tape? Is there any advice you could give me to create the best recruiting process I could?

 

Thanks for your time,

 

from

A student athlete

Quick Answers:

1.  Click the NCSA box on my site, to be able to access the free recruiting information which NCSA provides.  If you feel you need extra help/additional support, then I suggest you consider joining the paid service of NCSA because their job is to empower your recruiting success.

2. Read the Label "Recruiting Plan" on my site; use the Labels link on the lower right side.  In my book, Inside College Volleyball, I have an updated Recruiting Plan which can provide a framework for you to move forward.

3.  I have written a number of posts on Video tapes; you should use the Search Box on the site and search for Video's, which will pull up all the posts!

Use these three points to get the ball rolling on Recruiting.  It is not rocket science, you can't make a bad move right now, just get it started!

College coaches cannot recruit you if they don't know about you!  Reach out to them so they know about you and trust that your abilities will take you to the next level.

 

Coach Matt Sonnichsen

Coach,

 

Just picked up your book and have enjoyed reading.  My question is regarding club volleyball.  Your book states the 16 year old club season is the critical year for the college volleyball recruiting process.  My daughter is a freshman in high school and gets significant playing time on her school varsity team.  Her goal is to try to pursue volleyball at the college level, more than likely at the lower D1 level or D2/NAIA level.  Having said this, would you recommend her continuing to play up in club which would put here in 16s this club season? My thought process here would have here play 2 years of club at the 16s age (this club season and next year).   Or would it be better to play her a second year in 15s this club and wait until next year to play in 16s with her age?

 

Thanks,

Bee

Thank you for the compliments on Inside College Volleyball and I am happy to hear that you enjoyed the read!

I suggest you focus on her skill development not the recruiting aspect of her playing up or not playing up to 16's this year.

If she moves up to 16's and sits on the bench, then it is better to stay at 15's and play.  What about the difference in the club coaches for each team?  Would she play her primary position on the 16's or be shifted into another position because a 16 year old has priority?

What she wants to be focusing on is becoming a better volleyball player as a freshman - If her skill sets will develop faster being on the 16's team, then move her up. If her skill sets will develop better on the 15's team, then she stays.

Lastly, what team is she most comfortable on?  Which team has better Karma, better attitudes, a better work effort, more supportive, etc?

16's is a prime year for recruiting, but so much is predicated by talent. Better to be playing on a 16's team with obvious talent, than playing up to a 16's team with marginal skills.  

The new model of recruiting is 4 years - The four years of high school age club volleyball is being actively recruited by all levels of collegiate volleyball.  VolleyFolks think power conference programs don't look at seniors, but then they see when a 18's player gets a scholarship to giant state u.

Focus on skill development, because talent creates recruiting opportunities.

Coach Sonnichsen

Hey Coach,

 

Hope you are well!  I have two unrelated questions for you:

 

1.  I am a senior DS/L.  I recently emailed my top choice school academically about the possibility of walking on.  They are midlevel D1, and since I already have an offer from a midlevel school and significant interest from another I felt that this was a realistic possibility.  The assistant coach emailed me back within a few hours and seemed very interested, saying that from my highlights video it looked like I had good footwork and ball control.  She also asked for me to complete their questionnaire, send my high school schedule, and send more unedited footage.  I emailed her back that next day, and she's never responded.  It's been about three weeks.  I'm very confused, because I felt like they were interested, and I don't understand why a coach would act interested if they really weren't.  I have been emailing about once a week since and was wondering if there was anything else I can do?  I'm really interested in this school and am planning to visit next weekend. 

 

2.  My second question is about game strategy.  My high school team has faced three teams this year that play the same kind of game.  They are teams full of 5'0" girls with average or below average volleyball skills and then one 6'0" middle.  This middle gets every set, single blocks the entire net, and has a killer jump serve.  We just can't seem to stop her.  I should mention that my team has four girls over 6'0", and overall, we are a more balanced and talented team than these teams with one standout player.  Can you give me any strategy advice?  We can never seem to block or dig these star hitters, and even though our hitters are always up against one blocker they can't put the ball down. 

 

Sorry for the long questions, and thanks so much for your help! A.B.

I am well; went surfing this morning, then swimming later next to a white sand beach!  I am in Hawaii on a working vacation.

And now I have two unrelated answers for you!

1.  Word play - Assistant coach, walk on, no response for one month, you are taking a visit??????  They are not recruiting you and no matter how busy they are, if you have been weekly emailing them with nada coming back your way, they have moved on and so should you.  

2.  Double block and triple block their player, with your back row players playing defense and not watching how great the other player is.  The block forces players to hit around it, so the defenders need to be where the blockers have left open lanes.  Too many blockers only focus on their zone, and not the hitter who is getting the set - Against this hitter, they should all be close enough in the middle to hold hands before they block.

Your hitters need to force the average to poor players on the other side of the net to play the ball; if they are bad, then they will make mistakes.  They can only make mistakes if your hitters pressure them with consistent tough hits.  They can't set their stud middle if the setter is 20 feet of the net.  Don't worry that your hitter are not getting kills, just encourage them to hit so the opponents can only make bad digs.

Coach Matt Sonnichsen