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Post by footy on Nov 28, 2015 20:57:07 GMT -5
I have some friends with juniors in high school who told me to get an earlier start with highlight reels and letters/emails to college coaches. How young should kids start to make videos and send emails? Do you pay somebody to put together clips, or is something made on iMovie or another home program OK? Anything special to know for goalkeeper vs. field player videos?
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Post by rifle on Nov 28, 2015 21:21:33 GMT -5
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Post by silverback on Nov 29, 2015 9:44:01 GMT -5
A few additional tips I leveraged and/or heard from others: - short clips are preferred, but make sure you get the build up so coaches get a sense of the play - make videos that highlight a well rounded player, which includes offense, defense, passing, shooting, etc. Don't just focus on the "goals" - might want to show some drill work (later on in the video or video of practice that highlights a specific skill/talent) - show some speed and agility. (I did this and a coach actually commented on my sons footwork/speed) - a short 15-30 second video of his coach talking about your son/daughter at the end (makes a nice reference) - put a little context up front (resume type information so coach sees it before watching video. stuff like height, weight, level of play, jersey number, club, age group, etc.) - put a little context on the actual video clip of who they are playing, especially if it is a DA or RPL game (easy if using iMovie). Highlights opponent and level of play.
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Post by footy on Nov 29, 2015 22:26:39 GMT -5
Great idea about putting info about who they are playing. Also, I hadn't heard the tip about having a coach talk about the player; that could be interesting . Thank you both for the tips!
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Post by atlcoach84 on Nov 30, 2015 17:16:12 GMT -5
When reaching out for the first time to colleges, videos are a great way to showcase your player to the potential schools he/she would like to attend. What I would deem to be the most efficient format is a combination of these items:
-Opening slide with name, number, position, club/high school, and GPA -Individual highlights of the player (Be sure to use an arrow/spot shadow or something to show which player is being highlighted-can't always tell the numbers of players in some videos shot from afar or with older cameras) -For field players, we usually want to see passing/receiving, attacking 1v1 situations, finishing/creating chances, and winning tackles/1v1 defending -For goalkeepers, we usually want to see saves, set pieces, distribution, and maybe some training videos of shot-stopping/footwork -End the video with contact information for the player and any references -Usually 3-8 minutes in length (for introductory videos) -No juggling -Instrumental music is OK but usually I turn the sound off -Feedback from a coach can't hurt (in the video), but personally I usually just skip that part in the video as I contact references directly if interested
For producing the video, Windows Movie Maker is a good (and free) PC alternative to iMovie if you don't have a Mac.
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Post by SoccerMom on Nov 30, 2015 19:49:01 GMT -5
What I have heard is that they shouldn't be too long and that we shouldn't send one unless the coach asks for it, otherwise they probably wont watch it.
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Post by footy on Nov 30, 2015 23:05:09 GMT -5
When reaching out for the first time to colleges, videos are a great way to showcase your player to the potential schools he/she would like to attend. What I would deem to be the most efficient format is a combination of these items: -This is awesome! Thanks!
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Post by silverback on Dec 1, 2015 17:33:03 GMT -5
What I have heard is that they shouldn't be too long and that we shouldn't send one unless the coach asks for it, otherwise they probably wont watch it. Recruiting is like getting job, even if your kid plays at the highest level. Research the schools, reach out to many, and be persistent. As you can imagine, it's so competitive for very few spots, especially if you are looking at D1, so I would send out to any coach who meets your selection criteria (and be realistic). I would also have your son/daughter follow up with emails, phone calls, and texts to stay in front of the coaches- not that you want to stalk, but make sure the coach knows you are interested. One coach asked my son to text him every five weeks and give a quick updates date. As you can imagine, my son followed up every 5 weeks like clockwork. Also, expect to continually update your video. Makes for a great excuse to follow-up with the coach and provide an update and let the coach know the video is updated.
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Post by footy on Dec 1, 2015 19:12:10 GMT -5
What I have heard is that they shouldn't be too long and that we shouldn't send one unless the coach asks for it, otherwise they probably wont watch it. Also, expect to continually update your video. Makes for a great excuse to follow-up with the coach and provide an update and let the coach know the video is updated. Good idea about updates being a great excuse to follow up. I like that! Thanks!
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Post by mamampira on Dec 2, 2015 15:45:58 GMT -5
Thanks for this thread. We just had one done for our junior. We also attended the CASL showcase in Raleigh, NC. It seems like all the U17 and U18 boys teams from metro Atlanta area were there. Amazing to see the coaches lined up on the sidelines with their clip boards. We also had brochures prepared to hand out to coaches from all over the eastern seaboard, from D1 to D3 colleges. So far, my son has received invitations to their camps, which is where they further identify prospects. It is really like getting a job as silverback said.
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Post by footy on Dec 24, 2017 14:28:32 GMT -5
Two years have flown by since I first posted this topic, and the one piece of advice I would like to share is that timing is everything. Making a highlight video too early may be a waste of time. Looking back at videos from my son's freshman year, he has come such a long way that those clips are now useless. That said, we have done nothing for a current (junior-year) highlight video and are feeling like we are now behind in the game. If I had to do this again, I would recommend putting together a video from pre-junior year summer (such as State Cup, ODP region trials, Super Y, etc.) and junior year fall games in time for winter tournaments/showcases and coach communications. Since we haven't done this, we will get together a current highlight reel now and send them out in emails to coaches early in the spring season. My friend with two kids playing college soccer says that the highlight video and a soccer resume are must-haves so don't procrastinate like we did, but I'm guessing all of you with kids wanting to play soccer are more organized than we are!
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