You would be absolutely amazed at how many recruiting videos are sent to college baseball coaches everyday. And the larger the school, the more videos they're going to receive. So, if part of your recruiting plan is sending videos to coaches (and it should be!) I want to give you a few tips about making videos that coaches will enjoy watching.
First, let me say that a good video doesn't guarantee that you're a good fit for a particular school, and a poor video doesn't mean that you won't have the opportunity to play college baseball. These are just tips coming from a college baseball coach about what we like to see, and some things we don't. These are just my opinions, but I know a lot of other coaches feel the same way that I do!
1. Send a DVD or link to YouTube?
I think that every coach would rather have a PSA (prospective student-athlete) send them a link to a video hosted on YouTube, Vimeo, or a recruiting service rather than send them a physical copy of a DVD. The reason for this is because it's quicker for us to click on a link and then watch the video as opposed to inserting a DVD into our disc drive, waiting for it to load, and then watching the video. You may be thinking "It may only take 30 seconds for a coach to load a DVD, what's the big deal?" Well, imagine a coach is getting a dozen DVDs in the mail everyday...they may spend 10 minutes just taking DVDs in and out of the player. It's much more convenient to just click a link and immediately see the video.
Also, it's a lot easier to find that video again just by searching for the prospects name in my inbox than it is sorting through a stack of DVDs. So, if I like your video and want to pull it up again to show one of the other coaches I can just forward them the email that you sent me instead of giving them the only copy of the DVD that I have.
This one is a no-brainer...coaches want video emailed to them.
2. Include all your crucial information in the video.
Let's say I like your video and it sparks some interest. The next thing I'm going to ask myself is "What are his grades like? What is his coach's contact information? What year in school is he (you would be surprised, but this is left out A LOT)? What summer ball team does he play for?"
All of this info should be in the intro/exit to the video. Include anything you think is important that a coach might need to continue recruiting you. Here are a few examples of info that MUST be included:
Name
Age
NCAA ID#
School
Grades/Test Scores
Height/Weight
Position
Email
Phone #
Coach's Contact Info
60 Yard Dash Time
Don't have all that info scroll for the first minute of your video! Put it up there briefly (10 seconds or so) just so the coach knows it's there and can reference it if he needs to.
3. How long should the video be?
I've received videos that are as short as 1:30, and some that are as long as 10:00. You have to remember that college coaches are busy and receive a lot of videos. I said earlier that we might receive a dozen videos a day. If they're all 10 minutes long do you really think that we have 2 hours every day to devote to watching videos emailed to us? No, we don't! We watch every video that crosses our desks, but can't spend all day doing it!
I'd recommend keeping the videos to 3 or 4 minutes maximum. If the coach isn't interested after watching 3 minutes of video that YOU SELECTED he may not be interested in you.
4. Use a Tripod.
It's much easier to evaluate a player when the camera is stabilized and not bouncing all over the place, and ultimately that's what you want! An inexpensive tripod can be bought at Wal-Mart or Target for about $20.
Sometimes when Mom is videoing a game and you crush a ball in the gap she will jump up and down and scream right next to the microphone. That doesn't make good footage, and it brings me to my next point...
5. Know what audio is in the video.
Using the same example, I know that Mom is excited that you just hit a double, but we don't want to hear her screaming. Sorry Mom!
I have also been sent videos where whoever is recording was having a conversation with another parent about the coach...that's going to get your video immediately turned off and deleted! Listen to the video before you post it online or send it out. If there are any derogatory comments about the coach put the video on mute and add a song to the background music.
Here is another tip about adding a song in the background...believe it or not, it doesn't have to be an AC/DC song! I actually like AC/DC, but it seems like half of the videos I receive either have Back in Black, or Thunderstruck in them. Be sure to choose a song that has clean lyrics and gives off the right message about you.
6. Game vs. Practice footage.
This is one that could create some debate. I prefer receiving practice footage over game footage, but all coaches won't agree with me. The pros of practice footage is that you get more "bang for your buck" from a time standpoint. I can see you throw a 20 pitch bullpen in 2 minutes. For me to watch you throw 20 pitches in a game situation it might take 10 minutes. Or, if you're a hitter, I don't want to see your entire 12-pitch AB...I just want to see your best swings.
However, a lot of coaches want to see game footage to know that you can do it in a real game.
My suggestion is to have both. If you're a hitter show 10-15 swings in the cage or at practice, and then show a video of you blasting a HR in a game.
7. What to include in your video?
Position Players:
We want to see you hitting, fielding, throwing, and running.
Hitting: Practice swings or game swings (read above).
Fielding: Taking ground balls/fly balls so that we can see your mechanics.
Throwing: Place the camera where we can watch the flight of the ball. That is how we're going to measure your arm strength (if a radar gun isn't available).
Running: If you have video of the 60 dash that's great, if not include yourself running to 1B. Coaches will put the stopwatch on you just like if they were at the game so use a clip that shows you hitting the ball and touching first base.
I hope these 7 tips help you create better recruiting videos and to also understand what coaches are looking for in your video!
Pitchers:
We want to see you throw all of your pitches. FB, CB, SL, CH, whatever you've got, show it to us in the video. Be sure to throw them out of the windup and the stretch!
It's not a bad idea to show it from a few different angles too. Have some video of the camera behind the mound (so we can watch the flight of the ball), and some video of you from your open side (camera at 3B for a right handed pitcher) so that we can really watch your mechanics.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Friday, September 21, 2012
What do your Social Media profiles say about you?
The Internet has changed over the past 5 or 6 years and is now primarily dominated by social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, etc. I'd be willing to be that the majority of people reading this found out about it through Facebook or Twitter! On my social media pages I try to share catching tips, general baseball knowledge, motivation, and updates about myself and the ETSU baseball program. Here is the question though, what are you sharing on yours?
I'm not exactly referring to the coaches or parents who follow me, but really I'm talking about the players. There is a lot of competition among players to earn athletic scholarships or sign professional baseball contracts. How do you think coaches/scouts decide which players they want in their program or organization? There are two main things that coaches look at: 1) The players athletic ability and skill/talent level and, 2) The player's make up.
The talent is easy to evaluate. Anyone who earns their living by coaching or scouting baseball can go to a game and pretty quickly tell you who the best player on the field is. What is more difficult is trying to determine if the player is going to work hard, stay out of trouble, act in the manner that you want him to act, and basically be an "ideal" student-athlete.
Coaches will try to determine the player's make up through telephone calls, emails, talking to references, and campus visits, but it can still be hard to know if the player is really being sincere or just on his best behavior while around a coach/scout. However, it is very easy to click on a player's Facebook or Twitter page and see how they act when they're not around you!
For example, I follow a lot of players that I'm recruiting on Twitter and I can learn a lot about them by doing so. You would be surprised how many players regularly post inappropriate photos, dirty jokes, and write words that wouldn't make their mother proud! What do you think that tells me about them? Does that make me want to continue recruiting them, or move on to the next player who has similar skill set?
So, from now on, you aren't allowed to make the excuse that "I didn't know coach was reading what I was posting" or "Why would he be looking at my Instagram photos?" Coaches are looking at how you act...all the time! Once your baseball days are over your future employers will be doing the same thing so please make wise decisions! It is so easy pull up a person's history on the Internet now that you have to be really careful about how you project yourself.
If you think people aren't paying attention to what you're saying online you're wrong! Watch what you say or write and think if what you're communicating reflects positively or negatively on you as a person!
In case you haven't seen my social media profiles here is a link to each of them:
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
I'm not exactly referring to the coaches or parents who follow me, but really I'm talking about the players. There is a lot of competition among players to earn athletic scholarships or sign professional baseball contracts. How do you think coaches/scouts decide which players they want in their program or organization? There are two main things that coaches look at: 1) The players athletic ability and skill/talent level and, 2) The player's make up.
The talent is easy to evaluate. Anyone who earns their living by coaching or scouting baseball can go to a game and pretty quickly tell you who the best player on the field is. What is more difficult is trying to determine if the player is going to work hard, stay out of trouble, act in the manner that you want him to act, and basically be an "ideal" student-athlete.
Coaches will try to determine the player's make up through telephone calls, emails, talking to references, and campus visits, but it can still be hard to know if the player is really being sincere or just on his best behavior while around a coach/scout. However, it is very easy to click on a player's Facebook or Twitter page and see how they act when they're not around you!
For example, I follow a lot of players that I'm recruiting on Twitter and I can learn a lot about them by doing so. You would be surprised how many players regularly post inappropriate photos, dirty jokes, and write words that wouldn't make their mother proud! What do you think that tells me about them? Does that make me want to continue recruiting them, or move on to the next player who has similar skill set?
So, from now on, you aren't allowed to make the excuse that "I didn't know coach was reading what I was posting" or "Why would he be looking at my Instagram photos?" Coaches are looking at how you act...all the time! Once your baseball days are over your future employers will be doing the same thing so please make wise decisions! It is so easy pull up a person's history on the Internet now that you have to be really careful about how you project yourself.
If you think people aren't paying attention to what you're saying online you're wrong! Watch what you say or write and think if what you're communicating reflects positively or negatively on you as a person!
In case you haven't seen my social media profiles here is a link to each of them:
YouTube
Monday, January 16, 2012
What's the scariest part about being a catcher?
If you haven't caught before you may not know exactly what can be the scariest part about the position. It seems obvious that it would be getting hit by a swinging bat or getting run over on a tag play at home plate. If you ask me though, neither of those are remotely close to as scary as having an uneasy feeling about which pitch the pitcher is throwing.
Every pitching staff seems to have at least one pitcher who crosses up the catcher on a consistent basis. Sometimes it's because he forgets to wear his contacts and doesn't want to tell anyone, he can't remember the signals with a runner on second base, or just plain "can't see at night." As a catcher, it's very unsettling when he is on the mound and you aren't 100% sure which pitch he is going to throw. When we're expecting an off-speed pitch to be thrown and the pitcher throws a fastball it is scary and can do serious damage to a catcher!
If you've read my book, Catching-101: The Complete Guide for Baseball Catchers, you would know that there are a few things that I have recommended to catchers that can help the pitcher have an easier time seeing the signals. Some of these are putting chalk on your fingers, using athletic tape between the knuckles, or even using white out on the catcher's fingernails. Until now, my favorite has been using white out. The problem with white out is that it can be a real pain to try to get off of your hand and sometimes takes days to fully remove all of it!
There is a new product available called Game Signs (www.dontgetcrossedup.com) that now seems to be the best solution. Game Signs are stickers that come in 3 different colors (white, safety yellow, safety orange) that are placed on the catcher's fingernails. From my experience with them they seem to work really well.
When I first heard about the product I thought it was a good idea, but I was curious how they would actually hold up in a game situation. My biggest concern was if they would come off when a catcher is taking his batting gloves on/off. From my experience, they seem to stick really well and they shouldn't come off unintentionally.
Each sticker is in the shape of a fingernail and is about .5" wide by .25" tall. They will probably be a perfect fit on youth players fingernails and take up about half of the fingernail on college/professional players. My first thought was that I wished they were slightly larger and took up the entire fingernail, but after testing they're actually a good size that is easily visible by the pitcher.
I'm a fan of Game Signs because I know how frustrating it can be to have a pitcher on the mound that crosses you up time and time again. This is a great product that I'm going to require my catchers to use...there is no reason not to use them because they only costs about $.50/game! Check out Game Signs at DontGetCrossedUp.com.
When I first heard about the product I thought it was a good idea, but I was curious how they would actually hold up in a game situation. My biggest concern was if they would come off when a catcher is taking his batting gloves on/off. From my experience, they seem to stick really well and they shouldn't come off unintentionally.
Each sticker is in the shape of a fingernail and is about .5" wide by .25" tall. They will probably be a perfect fit on youth players fingernails and take up about half of the fingernail on college/professional players. My first thought was that I wished they were slightly larger and took up the entire fingernail, but after testing they're actually a good size that is easily visible by the pitcher.
I'm a fan of Game Signs because I know how frustrating it can be to have a pitcher on the mound that crosses you up time and time again. This is a great product that I'm going to require my catchers to use...there is no reason not to use them because they only costs about $.50/game! Check out Game Signs at DontGetCrossedUp.com.
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