Millions of high school athletes compete every year against each other. Often, their ultimate goal is to get to the next level, the NCAA. According to NCAA website “of the nearly 8 million students currently participating in high school athletics in the United States, only 480,000 of them will compete at NCAA schools.” You read those numbers right, only 16 – 17 percent of high schoolers make it to NCAA sports. Competing off the field is just as hard as competing on the field. Here are some tips that will help increase your chances!
1.Start Early
“The early bird gets the worm.” This phrase is more important now than ever. From waking up early to work out, watch film, and study your game inside and out to reaching out to coaches, scouts and recruiters at the schools you want to go to. Train yourself mentally and physically to go harder than the day before. Start networking with your fellow coaches and peers in your particular sport and always try your best!
2. Academics are Very Important
This is something important not only for non-athlete, but just anyone in general who want to take that next step in college. Less than 2 percent of all NCAA athletes are granted a full athletic scholarship. Unless you have God-given talents like Peyton Manning or Steph Curry, it’s best to keep your grades up. In fact, most academic scholarship provide more money than an athletic scholarship.
3. Highlight and Skills Videos
A professionally produced highlight or skills is the best platform to showcasing your skills and talent. YouTube is also a favorite among coaches because within a few minutes of the video they can determine if you can play at the next level and if you will benefit their program. We’ve been helping athletes play at the next level for over 10 years and can help showcase your skills.
4. Connect with Coaches
Like the rest of life, it’s all about relationships. It’s important to update different coaches whenever you’ve mastered a particular skill, had a break through game or won an award. Developing a connection with coaches is vital to giving you the opportunity you seek.
5. Be Realistic
Many of the athletes and parents that hire us to produce a highlight or skills recruiting video often have unrealistic expectations of where they want to play at the next level. We often ask them, “do you want to go to Alabama or do you want to play on Saturday?” We understand that thousands of hours and dollars have been put into a high school athletes career, but we’ve also discovered that actually getting to play – even if it’s not at your dream school – produced a lifetime of memories and helps your family afford college.
6. Compete Against the Best
Don’t wait to test your skills. Search and find where all the best players will be at and go there to play them. Competing against other athletes around the country helps you elevate your game just like getting a Recruit Reels professional video! Check out our highlight and skills video packages (https://recruitreels.com/index.php/sports-video-pricing/) here or call us about customizing your video today!