I'm a Freshman Athlete- Now what? (part 1 of 4)
Freshman recruiting Tips
Freshman Year
As a freshman in high school your main focus should be on your grades and training to become a better athlete. As you progress through high school you will need to know more about the recruitment process. However, for now we need to prepare you for the next 4 years. Here are a few pointers that will help you prepare for the future.
-Hit the Books! As freshman it is very easy to get distracted and slack off in the classroom. Do not slack in the classroom! It is extremely difficult to raise your GPA as you become an upperclassmen. Making a commitment to make good grades your freshmen year will set the tone for the rest of your high school career. It doesn’t matter how good you are on the field…you can’t play if you become academically ineligible. Plus coaches look heavily at your grades. A smart student in the classroom can translate to a smart athletic IQ on the field. We can’t stress enough how important your academics are.
-Train Hard! As a young student athlete you must work hard to perfect your skills. If you want a chance to play at the next level you must train in some capacity 365 days a year. This includes endurance and weight training, sport and position specific skills training, as well as proper diet. Highly trained athletes are ALWAYS in shape and rarely sit around playing X-box and eating OREO’s, Bottom line is that depending on how serious you are about playing at the next level, will dictate how hard you train to get to the next level.
- Keep College on your mind. Although there are a lot of things to focus on your freshman year, you should still think about colleges that might interest you. At this point you have no idea which college recruiters might be contacting you for scholarship opportunities. We just don’t want it to be your senior year and you have not researched any schools. Having a few colleges in mind is a good starting point for when you begin contacting coaches. Look over the school’s academic and athletic information. If you still have an interest in the school then get the coach’s contact information, and develop a list of possible schools that you can contact on a later date. If you are one of our Elite Recruits we will work with you to compile and organize the list of schools, and begin communicating with those coaches as early as possible.
- Set Goals: It is a good idea to sit down and write some basic goals for your high school career.You will want to have both short term and long term goals stating what you want to accomplish by the end of your (4) years in high school. Use the Acronym S-M-A-R-T
(S)pecific
(M)easurable
(A)ttainable
(R)ealistic
(T)imely
-Get Noticed! Attend team and individual camps offered by the universities that you are interested in. This is a good way for the coaching staff to recognize you and get to know who you are. Coaches have an opportunity to converse and interact with you on a different level. During this time coaches won’t be recruiting you but rather evaluating you. Coaches take everything into account when making a decision on a recruit. They’ll look to see if you are on time, if you are focused, do you warm-up or goof off, do you listen well to instructions, how do you interpret instructions, and the list goes on. Just remember a bad attitude will leave a lasting impression.
A highlight video is another great way to gain immediate online exposure. In a lot of cases, a coach will make a decision either to pursue you as a recruit or take you off of your list. So in our opinion a well made highlight video a vital part of your resume, and an important piece to your recruiting process..
-Don’t get caught up in the moment if you start receiving letters. Your first collegiate letter is a big deal no doubt, however; as a freshman you are more than likely just being entered into a database. A lot can change in three years, for example: the coach could get fired, that program doesn’t need a player like you just yet, or the college doesn’t have any scholarships to offer. Getting letters from coaches is exciting, but don’t think that a letter means you will be getting an offer. Stay the course and continue to get better on and off the field. Then the letters will start to become offers.
So, to recap
GRADES: No grades = No Play
Go Hard: Hard work Beats Talent, When Talent’s not enough!
Keep College on your mind: Create a list of schools that you would like to attend, and investigate their academic requirements
Set Goals: Keep them SMART
Get Noticed: Go to camps, invitationals, etc.; Have a professional highlight video made; sign up with a recruiting services that you can trust
Stay Humble! Stay Hungry! If you think you have arrived, you won’t work as hard.
Good Luck,
Coach Reggie
www.reelsportsvp.com
WANT TO GET NOTICED! Fill this out and let's get started today
http://fd10.formdesk.com/reelsportsathleteservices/form1