Post by gq on Nov 8, 2013 16:07:16 GMT -6
Dave Betcher asked me to contribute my thoughts from time to time on this board as my schedule allows. I didn't expect him to give me my own titled forum, but whatever.
By way of background, I started the Chill softball program in 1998 so I am about 15 years into this now. Since 2003 I have been coaching 18U and 2004 was the first year we played what is known as a "gold" schedule. During this time period I have spent a LOT of time building relationships in the travel ball community and with college coaches nationwide. As a result I have participated in numerous recruiting experiences with our athletes and have developed an approach to the process that I believe has served both our athletes and the colleges that recruit them well.
Each year I meet families that our entering the "recruiting years", and for the most part, they are uncertain about what to do, what to expect, etc. Part of what I hope to do with the kids in our program is educate them about the process and to demystify it. I am happy to share my thoughts and opinions with people outside our organization too. Therefore, the recruiting process seems like a good general topic for me to "essay" about from time to time. Because it is such a broad topic I will always try and keep it bite sized by talking micro topics rather than macro topics.
Today's topic is what I call "recruiting tunnel vision". I stress to our athletes that they need to think about their own recruiting first and foremost, not about the recruiting of their friends at school or their club teammates. The reason this is important is because there is so much noise out there about the deal someone else is allegedly getting, the school that allegedly offered so-and-so, the opinion that all the good players in a certain recruiting class have all been already offered, etc. Kids get recruited at different paces and for different reasons. Therefore, unrecruited athletes can get pretty demoralized trying to analogize their situations to athletes that have already been recruited. This is one of the many reasons why I really don't care for the early verbals some kids are making these days as high school freshmen and sophomores. This process leaves a lot of really good softball players feeling inadequate and hopeless when the reality is that their "ship" (play on words) is going to come in if they stay focused on their development, their recruiting, their college choices, etc.
It is one thing to tell a player to not give up on the process and that everything will work out. It is another thing to give her specific advice that can help her succeed in the recruiting process. In very general terms, here is how I move our kids through the recruiting process:
1. I use feedback from the marketplace to help the kid identify how recruitable she is. We are fortunate in that we play a very visible schedule against highly competitive opponents. If you do well against our schedule coaches will take notice and you will be recruited. Our kids also participate in college camps and other forums where they get feedback about their skills. When one of our players attends a camp I try to discuss their performance with the coaches in attendance and get that feedback to the athlete. We use the data we derive from competition and the qualitative evaluation we get from college coaches to help shape the player's development plan while she plays with us.
2. What do you do when the athlete is not getting positive feedback from the marketplace.? I have a good sense of the skill level it takes to play at the various levels of college softball. I have been doing this awhile and have developed my own set of measurements that I use before I choose to roster players. I use these standards as benchmarks that I try to move our athletes towards. For example, I generally require an athlete to have a 60 mph overhand throw if she is going to be a position player. Most of our kids have that ability when they try out, but if they don't I only take them if they understand they have to get there. If need be we get them throwing instructors but they eventually make it. The same with hitting. They need to be able to hit all kinds of pitches in all sorts of locations. I give them a chance to do things their way, and if the results are not satisfactory, we quickly move them to a hitting instructor that can produce better results. Once they show me they can do what they need to do to be a college player I can advocate on their behalf with tremendous conviction and a clear conscience. I tell our players that they have to convince me they can play before I am going to bat for them with a college coach. In the end, if our players move their game to the standards that we use for our athletes, someone will recruit them. This is the case no matter how old they are - freshman, sophomore, junior or senior.
3. Because kids reach their levels of proficiency at different paces it is important to accept the fact that your best friend may get recruited before you do. This is where the tunnel vision becomes important. Ultimately this is about you and where you go to school. Not about Jane, not about Mary, etc. When the final choice is made I always want it to be the right athletic, social and academic fit regardless of what the scholarship amount is. I have no problem with an athlete taking less money to go to a school that fits them better. There are certainly quirks in the recruiting process that occasionally yield puzzling results. However, it is my belief for the most part that athletes get recruited to their demonstrated level of proficiency. Therefore, raising the level of proficiency is the ultimate weapon for the athlete in the recruiting process. The higher your level of proficiency the greater your number of choices.
4. Don't believe that all the money is gone for your recruiting class. We are still finding good money for 2014s and 2015s. This is where tunnel vision is critical. Sometimes you get the scholarship at the end because you got better and everyone else gave up. You kept working on your development, writing to schools, etc.
There are hundreds of variables that go into softball recruiting and picking a college and this is just a look at one issue. Learn to block out what is going on with other people's recruiting and focus on yours.
By way of background, I started the Chill softball program in 1998 so I am about 15 years into this now. Since 2003 I have been coaching 18U and 2004 was the first year we played what is known as a "gold" schedule. During this time period I have spent a LOT of time building relationships in the travel ball community and with college coaches nationwide. As a result I have participated in numerous recruiting experiences with our athletes and have developed an approach to the process that I believe has served both our athletes and the colleges that recruit them well.
Each year I meet families that our entering the "recruiting years", and for the most part, they are uncertain about what to do, what to expect, etc. Part of what I hope to do with the kids in our program is educate them about the process and to demystify it. I am happy to share my thoughts and opinions with people outside our organization too. Therefore, the recruiting process seems like a good general topic for me to "essay" about from time to time. Because it is such a broad topic I will always try and keep it bite sized by talking micro topics rather than macro topics.
Today's topic is what I call "recruiting tunnel vision". I stress to our athletes that they need to think about their own recruiting first and foremost, not about the recruiting of their friends at school or their club teammates. The reason this is important is because there is so much noise out there about the deal someone else is allegedly getting, the school that allegedly offered so-and-so, the opinion that all the good players in a certain recruiting class have all been already offered, etc. Kids get recruited at different paces and for different reasons. Therefore, unrecruited athletes can get pretty demoralized trying to analogize their situations to athletes that have already been recruited. This is one of the many reasons why I really don't care for the early verbals some kids are making these days as high school freshmen and sophomores. This process leaves a lot of really good softball players feeling inadequate and hopeless when the reality is that their "ship" (play on words) is going to come in if they stay focused on their development, their recruiting, their college choices, etc.
It is one thing to tell a player to not give up on the process and that everything will work out. It is another thing to give her specific advice that can help her succeed in the recruiting process. In very general terms, here is how I move our kids through the recruiting process:
1. I use feedback from the marketplace to help the kid identify how recruitable she is. We are fortunate in that we play a very visible schedule against highly competitive opponents. If you do well against our schedule coaches will take notice and you will be recruited. Our kids also participate in college camps and other forums where they get feedback about their skills. When one of our players attends a camp I try to discuss their performance with the coaches in attendance and get that feedback to the athlete. We use the data we derive from competition and the qualitative evaluation we get from college coaches to help shape the player's development plan while she plays with us.
2. What do you do when the athlete is not getting positive feedback from the marketplace.? I have a good sense of the skill level it takes to play at the various levels of college softball. I have been doing this awhile and have developed my own set of measurements that I use before I choose to roster players. I use these standards as benchmarks that I try to move our athletes towards. For example, I generally require an athlete to have a 60 mph overhand throw if she is going to be a position player. Most of our kids have that ability when they try out, but if they don't I only take them if they understand they have to get there. If need be we get them throwing instructors but they eventually make it. The same with hitting. They need to be able to hit all kinds of pitches in all sorts of locations. I give them a chance to do things their way, and if the results are not satisfactory, we quickly move them to a hitting instructor that can produce better results. Once they show me they can do what they need to do to be a college player I can advocate on their behalf with tremendous conviction and a clear conscience. I tell our players that they have to convince me they can play before I am going to bat for them with a college coach. In the end, if our players move their game to the standards that we use for our athletes, someone will recruit them. This is the case no matter how old they are - freshman, sophomore, junior or senior.
3. Because kids reach their levels of proficiency at different paces it is important to accept the fact that your best friend may get recruited before you do. This is where the tunnel vision becomes important. Ultimately this is about you and where you go to school. Not about Jane, not about Mary, etc. When the final choice is made I always want it to be the right athletic, social and academic fit regardless of what the scholarship amount is. I have no problem with an athlete taking less money to go to a school that fits them better. There are certainly quirks in the recruiting process that occasionally yield puzzling results. However, it is my belief for the most part that athletes get recruited to their demonstrated level of proficiency. Therefore, raising the level of proficiency is the ultimate weapon for the athlete in the recruiting process. The higher your level of proficiency the greater your number of choices.
4. Don't believe that all the money is gone for your recruiting class. We are still finding good money for 2014s and 2015s. This is where tunnel vision is critical. Sometimes you get the scholarship at the end because you got better and everyone else gave up. You kept working on your development, writing to schools, etc.
There are hundreds of variables that go into softball recruiting and picking a college and this is just a look at one issue. Learn to block out what is going on with other people's recruiting and focus on yours.