Ebook how to get drafted to a college team by Cheri Bales

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Contents Introduction ...................................................................................................................................................... 3 The Four Pronged Strategy to Success ...................................................................................................................... 4

Do Your Research and Develop a Strategy ...................................................................................................... 4

Deciding on the Best Option ................................................................................................................... 5

How Vital is Your Passion Towards the Sport of Your Choice? .................................................................... 5

What Is Your Position on the Team? ........................................................................................................ 6

Short Listing And Selecting the Right Schools for Your Sport .................................................................... 6

Make Yourself Available ......................................................................................................................... 7

Using The Muscles in Your Brain to Gain Knowledge ................................................................................................. 7

Grade Requirements and Eligibility Criteria ................................................................................................... 7

Know rules of the NCAA and the NAIA and the Facts on Scholarships ................................................................ 8

Laying the Groundwork and Preparing .................................................................................................................... 8

Conduct a SWOT Analysis ............................................................................................................................... 8

Go Live and Go Public .............................................................................................................................................. 9

Attend all the Leading Summer Camps, Talent Hunts and Leading Competitions.............................................. 9

Have a Highlight Video as Your Calling Card ................................................................................................... 9

It’s all About the Relationship With the Coach ........................................................................................................ 10 To be With the Coach You Need to be a Coach .......................................................................................................... 11

They Will Want Nothing but the Best ........................................................................................................... 11

A Good Coach Refers Good Candidates Elsewhere ......................................................................................... 11

Conclusion.............................................................................................................................................................12 Disclaimer.............................................................................................................................................................12

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Introduction

Are you passionate about playing sports in college? Are you finding it a nerve-wracking process to become a college coach’s favorite recruit? This e-book will provide simple solutions with interesting analogies, illustrations, and representations that will help you get through the selection process and represent your college in sports like lacrosse, baseball, softball, and soccer. This book will not go into detail on any particular sport but will give you a general view of the best way you can make the cut and be recruited for a college team. The role of sports in higher ed institutions is undeniable. College leagues and friendly sporting competitions are held regularly, and this is a clear sign of the importance of sports in the institutions. What it also represents is that one of the mainstays of a college’s reputation is their performance in the field of sports. This is why coaches and managers view recruitment of athletes as an integral part of their college’s recruiting policy. To get recruited into a college on the basis of sports, you will have to prove yourself to the coach of the college and determine if you are the player that he or she needs for his or her program. The brief guidelines provided throughout this book will to make sure you are educated about recruitment and help you excel in your amateur sporting career simultaneously.

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The Four-Pronged Strategy to Success

This book will look at each part of this four-pronged approach in detail to help you with your recruitment.

Do your research and develop a strategy

Go live and go public

To be with the coach you need to be a coach

It is all about the relationship with the Coach

Do Your Research and Develop a Strategy Planning is an integral part of success in life and it is like a road map to your sports career and college recruitment. A well-planned strategy will guide you to the final destination (where you want to be) but also provide you with the best way to reach that destination. In fact, planning bridges the gap between where you are now and where you want to be. Have a vision and decide where you want to be. Copyright ÂŠ 2015 Town Sports Media All Rights Reserved

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Once your vision is clear, you will need to put your brain to work, because sport and college recruitment is more about the muscle in your brain than anything else. Think of the game that you like and excel in. Do some research or information collecting about that particular game; its rules, selection criteria, academic eligibility, and statistics on scholarships awarded. Once you have chosen that sport, research the sport during your high school years so that you are ready to gain the attention of the coaches when you are a junior in high school. Planning to get recruited on your ability and making the most of your opportunity as it arises involves the following: • Deciding on the Best Option • Using the Muscles in Your Brain to Gain Knowledge • Laying the Groundwork and Preparing

Deciding on the Best Option Before you draw up a plan, it is essential to ask yourself certain questions so that you are able to decide your individual goals and aspirations, choose the right college where you want to be, select the sport that you want to play, and determine your role in it as a team player. This has to be done in high school so that you are clear about where you want to go with your athletic career. This decision making and planning in high school also will help you build rapport with many college coaches for almost two years before the selection process takes place. Further, it serves as an opportunity to promote yourself to them via many showcases and other events so that your name is already known to them very well when recruitment begins. Here are few things you have to decide on well in advance: • How vital is your passion towards the sport of your choice? • What is your position on the team? • Short listing and selecting the right schools for your chosen sport

How Vital is Your Passion Towards the Sport of Your Choice? You have to decide on how passionate you are about the sport. That is because the pathway is not going to be easy as far as using sports as the springboard to success. Self motivation is key. And only when you have a strong fire within you to succeed and prove yourself always, can you break through and show the world and those who matter that you have the ability to get the job done.

Do your research and develop a strategy

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It’s not just about learning the tricks, tactics and rules of the game, that game, in fact any game, and any sport that is important to you is what you need to have great passion for.

What is Your Position on the Team? Whatever position you have been playing for your school team, does not mean that it is your default position. As you play, even in your high school years, it’s important to analyze your position. You need to look at your performance in the position and determine whether you fulfill all the traits required for your position in college. You need to realize that school and college are not the same thing; the standard for each is different and each standard needs to be met at the college level. There is no room for mediocrity; the level of expectation for college coaches is different. If you feel you are more suited for another position than what you are actually playing now, you may change and practice while you are still in high school to hone your skills and learn new ones. Further, if you feel that you do not possess some of the traits required for your position, you may look to improve them well in advance. Another thing you can try is to look closely at the trends in competition of the college recruitment for your position. Is it over-loaded for the past few years? If so, you may want to think of changing to a less competitive position to improve your chance of getting recruited to the college team. At this stage, it is a significant decision to decide which divisional level you are preparing yourself to compete in.

Short Listing and Selecting the Right Schools for Your Sport Carry out in-depth research in your sophomore/junior years about the prospective college teams that would suit you. This is mainly because there are a number of things that need to be analyzed before you choose a college—namely, college performance in the sport of your choice, their standing in the overall ranking, college academic grade requirements to get through admission process, and scholarship rules. You have to compare these with your present state of academic proficiency, athletic talent and aspirations about your future goals. In addition to your short list, have a larger list of 20 to 25 colleges which you may pare down to 5 to 10 after ranking them according to your suitability. You may personally visit the short listed 5 to 10 colleges and meet with their coaches to ask some basic questions in order to be well prepared for recruitment. Copyright © 2015 Town Sports Media All Rights Reserved

To me: “The game needs to be from the heart; it needs to have your passion, oozing at every available opportunity because while it might just be a sport to the spectators you know as a sportsman that the moment you step onto the field it is your life”

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Make Yourself Available While coaches are constantly on the hunt for good talent, you should know that they have budget limitations so they might not physically see every potential player. You need to start approaching these coaches through emails, phone calls, or by visiting them at their colleges. As a matter of fact, the earlier you contact the college coaches with your well-developed skills and talents, the more time you have to expose your desire to join their team during high school. Write to all the short listed college coaches showing them you are interested. Once you get a response, make sure you keep the correspondences alive and never miss responding to a message or phone call. The only way you will can considered is when coaches know you are looking at their college.

You may have played the game for a long time but the process of learning is a neverending one.

Using The Muscles in Your Brain to Gain Knowledge If you have been playing for a long time, you might be under the illusion that you are a “master” of the game. Such an illusion is very common; many high school students seem to think along these lines. Yet, that is not how reality works. You may have played the game for a long time but the process of learning is a neverending one. Whether it is sports, or life in general, you should look to increase your knowledge from the cradle to the grave. A good knowledge base about the sport that you are choosing to try out for includes its rules and regulations, specific details about the college team you are vowing to become a part of, and that college’s criteria for selection.

Grade Requirements and Eligibility Criteria Don’t ever make the mistake of getting knocked off the coaches’ top list of recruits just because you under-performed in academics. You must do whatever it takes to excel in your academics and never fall into the mindset of thinking that grades are insignificant, and that your performance in sports will make up for your not-soimpressive grades. You are part of an educational institution (high school), and are looking to be a part of a larger one in the future (college). Regardless of your proficiency in sports, ultimately it is your education that matters. Research has shown that coaches will wait for a clearance from the admission officers of the college to declare you academically deserving before deciding on recruiting you. If they find you low scoring and less proficient in your grades, they are likely to eliminate you from their “A-List” even if they know that you are one of the best talents they could ever have because, ultimately, the college is an institution for education.

There is no room for mediocrity; the level of expectation for college coaches is different.

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Know the Rules of the NCAA and the NAIA It’s critical that you know the rules behind recruiting at the NCAA and NAIA levels and learn about when and how scholarships may come available. Though many of the colleges promise scholarships, in reality, the terms of the scholarship are different. There are a certain number of scholarships a college can offer, per NCAA rules, and this limited resource is divided among many athletes as partial scholarships instead of complete scholarships for just a few. Additionally, college coaches may face pressure when recruiting certain top talents in their senior year to increase their scholarship offer from a quarter scholarship to a half scholarship or more. Some sports like soccer and football may have more scholarships available than games like lacrosse and softball.

Laying the Groundwork and Preparing It’s been said that hard work never fails, be it in life or in sports. Do the necessary hard work and prepare yourself in order to deserve an amazing future in sports. As you lay your groundwork, you should view yourself as an engineer constructing a building. For your groundwork to be successful you need to know your deficiencies and where you need to improve.

Conduct a SWOT Analysis One of the most important tactics to excel in life, sports or business is the SWOT analysis. SWOT—which is short for Strength Weakness Opportunities and Threats—is what will really help you lay the groundwork for success. For an athlete, it is important to know the strengths in your game so that you are able to adapt your style to make the most of those strengths. Success in life will be based on strengths you identify from this analysis. It will also expose the weaknesses that you have, and give you the opportunity taken to work on weaknesses and turn them into strengths in the future. You must realize that, at college level, the competition for sports recruitment is fierce and any little chink in your armor will be examined to the fullest extent. While working on your skills and your chinks is an important part of the SWOT analysis, you should also be aware of the threats to your future eligibility. Model your skills and behaviors so that you are able to avoid the negatives. Plan ahead. Think and focus on how to make the most of the opportunities and the threats in the background.

Do the necessary hard work and prepare yourself in order to deserve an amazing future in sports.

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Go Live and Go Public “The height of popularity is the shortest way to success.” Sports is like Hollywood; you have to be seen to be “discovered” and the more you are seen more you are recognized by the coaches. That’s the key to gaining the attention of your targeted coaches. Important ways to get noticed are to participate in all of the significant tournaments, showcases, camps etc., and by email or letter. With this letter attach an appealing video that highlights your strengths. Let’s discuss this in detail.

Attend all the Leading Summer Camps, Talent Hunts and Leading Competitions It is well-understood that the best way to get noticed by eminent college coaches is to attend showcases and camps which are the talent hub from where most coaches choose their favorite recruits. The most imperative point is that coaching staff prepare their “top-notch” list of candidates at the high school sophomore and junior level. This means that candidates show up and impress coaches even before their junior year, so, it is very important to plan your schedule attend showcases well before your senior year so that you are on the coach’s radar.

Have a Highlight Video as Your Calling Card Your video is your highlight reel. It needs to be brief but sporty. You should showcase your talent and make the video eye catching but not overdone. That video may be the initial nudge in the door. If it is powerful the door of opportunity may be opened for you. If it is weak, you may have to stay outside the door for a long time to come. A few tips to make your video effective for the coaches: • It needs to be dynamic, capturing the coach’s attention right from the start and all the way through to the end. • Refrain from adding too many effects; they are not recruiting you for the post of an art director. • Make it clear and long enough to show your skills to the fullest. On a side note, you should keep the original game footage on standby in case a coach wants to verify the video you submitted.

Do your research and develop a strategy

Go live and go public

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It’s all About the Relationship With the Coach A coach is the team’s mentor, the leading light for the team, and the one person who will guide them. Teams are developed by coaches, not vice versa, so if you are looking to be a part of any team you need to have a special bond with its coach. It is your relationship with your coach that will determine whether you are recruited or not. That relationship also may determine whether you are selected for a scholarship or not. It is very important to meet college coaches after setting appointments with them; missing an appointment or not responding to their email or call is a sure fire way to be dropped from the A-list. When you meet, you will learn about each other and have a better idea of what will be accomplished during the selection process. It is also the opportunity for the coach to be exposed to your skill set and approach. As we discussed previously, coaches value academics and intangibles like character and attitude; not just your athletic talent. A personal meeting will give a clear idea to the coach about “the over-all you” and is a great chance to impress them and capture their attention.

Do your research and develop a strategy

Go live and go public

It is all about the relationship with the Coach.

Plan your questions well before the meeting and make sure your language is professional and well-educated while maintaining a polite and humble approach. It is important to always be alert to correspondence from the coaches and stay in touch with them by responding immediately. Once they respond, you have to make sure you don’t miss replying to any of their letters or calls. A consistent follow-up is surely an advantage to getting you selected, but you need to be very careful and make sure you don’t overdo this and get a “nuisance” or “disturbance” remark on your file. Also, make sure you write to them about your schedule of tournaments with an invitation to them to attend the games so that they can see you in action.

To be with the Coach You Need to be a Coach You are sure to have an advantage if you guide all your preparations and decisions while keeping in mind how a college coach would think and what their restrictions, wants, and expectations will be. For instance, if you are not aiming at top Division 1 schools, but you are looking to target the smaller colleges, you need to realize that they have budget caps they need to stay within. This thinking process will fall into place only when you are thinking from the point of view of your target coach.

There is no easy path in life; there is either the hard path or the harder path.

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Once you accomplish this mindset, you can take steps to contact them or follow them on their web pages or social media. Since a coach’s budget will not allow him or her to travel to select every player they want, you have an advantage if you know this and work hard to make and keep contact with the coach through these other channels.

They Will Want Nothing but the Best All college coaches want the best value additions for their squad within the limitations they have. It is important to impress a coach by showing him or her your game via camps or videos. What is more important is to stay tuned. Once a coach is impressed, it is likely that he or she will put you on the “favorite” list and keep watching your progress in games and tournaments. Consistency and improvement are key.

A Good Coach Refers Good Candidates Elsewhere

Do your research and develop a strategy

To be with the Coach You n Need to be a Coach

Go live and go public

It is all about the relationship with the Coach.

It is important to value every relationship you make with any college coach because they can be good friends, but more importantly, they refer and exchange good talents among themselves. For instance, you might be thinking that it is no use to build rapport with one particular college coach since his college team already is overloaded with a lot of good players in your position. You still need to foster a strong relationship with him or her and impress all coaches since they may be able to refer you to their very good friend who is coaching another college. “Never miss any opportunity” is the key, since you never know when the tide can turn in your favor.

Conclusion There is no easy path in life; there is either the hard path or the harder path. You need to have a strong resolve in life. If you dream to become a sports personality and be recruited to a good college on the basis of your sporting ability, you need to earn that right. You need hard work, determination, grit, and courage. All the things you need to win a game will be needed the rest of your life. Use the FourPronged Approach described in this e-book to make the most of your career and carve out success in your life.

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Disclaimer The information included in this e-book is for educational purposes only and is not meant to be a substitute for seeking the advice of a professional recruiter and sports trainer. The author has made every effort to ensure the information in this book is accurate, however, there are no warranties as to the accuracy or completeness of the contents herein and therefore the author cannot be held responsible for any errors, omissions, or dated material. This e-book contains methods and other advice that, regardless of your efforts, may not produce the same results (or any results) for you. The author makes no guarantee, expressed or implied, that by following the advice, or using the data provided, that the readers will get the same results, as there are several factors and variables that come into play regarding any given situation.

Liability Disclaimer By reading this book, you assume all risks associated with using the advice, data, and suggestions given, with a full understanding that you, solely, are responsible for anything that may occur as a result of putting this information into action in any way, and regardless of your interpretation of the advice. You further agree that the author cannot be held responsible in any way for the success or failure that you may experience as a result of the information presented here. It is your responsibility to conduct your own due diligence regarding the safe and successful operation of your career, if you intend to apply any of my information in any way to your own benefits.