Using video to gain exposure is a key part of the recruiting process; it helps coaches to see your skill set and to determine if you are a good fit for their program. Coaches will want to see you play live in most recruiting scenarios. Providing them with great video will help you get to that point.

We have discussed how to create a highlight film and how to upload your video on YouTube to get recruited. The next step you must take is creating a YouTube channel to host multiple videos.

What to Include on Your Channel

Because you already have your highlight video online, you may wonder what else you should include on your YouTube channel. Well, one highlight is not always enough. Many coaches want to see a highlight film created for every year of high school. You can also create highlight films for the club and travel teams you play for.

After coaches view a highlight film, the next step for them is to view your full-game film. You can upload your full-game film on YouTube, but you will have to break it up into three or four parts due to YouTube’s time limits on videos. This does require some skill with editing video, but it is an extremely efficient way to distribute your game film to coaches.

Make sure you include your contact information on your YouTube channel. It is most likely that coaches will find your channel because you contacted them with your information, but on the chance a coach is browsing YouTube, you will want to leave your e-mail and phone contact information available for them.

Organizing a Channel

You should organize your videos. Organize them by high school year or by your year and travel team if they are not from your high school team. You will also be able to select a featured video. You should select your most current highlight film to be featured.

Because your full-game films will be broken up into multiple parts, you should create a section for each full game. Just title it with the names of the teams playing and the date of the game. You are now all set for coaches to view the full spectrum of your recruiting videos.

For more information on creating and customizing a YouTube channel to market yourself to college coaches, please view YouTube’s information on .

Are you having difficulty getting your video seen by coaches? Need help? Ask your questions in the comments section below or ask us on , , or !

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Once you have created a good recruiting highlight video, you must learn how to effectively use it to get yourself recruited. Coaches will want to know your stats, grades, and information on the teams you play on; but this all leads to coaches wanting to see you play live. Your highlight video will be the gateway to getting them to come out and see you or requesting more video of you—signs that coaches are very interested in recruiting you.

Uploading It on YouTube

Loading your highlight video to a DVD and sending a copy to coaches can be a big task that can turn out to be quite expensive, depending on the number of schools you are interested in. It is also the slowest way to get your video to coaches.

Uploading it on YouTube Will Save You Time and Will Give You Convenience. Here is How:

• Go to www.youtube.com and create an account. Then select the upload option.
• Select a video either from your hard drive or from your disk drive.
• Title the video appropriately: your name, class, sport, position.
• Write a brief description of your video. You can include your sport, position, several important stats, your height and weight, and your class.
• Tag the video appropriately. Your video should be tagged with the words “recruiting video” and “(your sport) highlights.”
• Select the category: sports.
• Set the privacy settings to public.
• Leave the “Licensing and Rights Ownership” set to “Standard YouTube License.”

You will be provided with a link to the location of your video; now you are now ready to share your video with coaches.

Sending It to Coaches

Simply leaving your video available on YouTube is not enough to get recruited. You will need to actively contact coaches to market yourself. You cannot just send a coach an e-mail with a link; the best thing to do is create a recruiting resume that highlights your academic and athletic attributes.

If you have any questions about creating a video, how to market yourself to coaches, or how to upload it to the Internet, we can help you. Just leave your question in the comments section below.

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A good recruiting video can make a huge difference in your chances of getting an athletic scholarship. In many cases, your highlight video is your greatest shot to get the attention of a coach. Coaches look for specific things in video, and there are steps you can take to make your sure your video doesn’t get thrown in the trash.

Put Your Best Plays First

Make it a compilation of plays, with the best plays coming first. Coaches will make their mind up on viewing a video in the first fifteen seconds. If you don’t have anything to get their attention, they will turn it off.

Don’t Add Music

You should not have music on your video, especially music with explicit language. It’s all about first impressions; this is a recruiting video, not a music video. Coaches are watching hundreds of videos and having to listen to music they might not like isn’t going to make them like your video.

Use Spot Shadows or Arrows

Make yourself easy to identify. Use a spot shadow and/or freeze the tape before each play and highlight yourself with an arrow. Many times the video isn’t high enough quality to easily identify you on each play. Most coaches expect video to have spot shadows now.

Include Your Contact Information and Measurables

The first screen of every video should include your jersey number and team colors. Also add any sport specific measurements like height, weight, PR’s, etc. The last part to have on your opening frame is your complete contact information (your personal phone and email along with your coaches).

Get High Quality Video

The film your team or coaches use to break games down should be good enough. If you are going to need to record footage yourself invest in a good camera and use a tripod. Often times video companies can record your games for a very good fee if you don’t want to shoot it yourself.

Keep It Under 7 Minutes

The goal of your highlight tape is to show your best plays and get coaches interested. Most times, coaches don’t watch the whole video and if it is really long it can be off putting. If a coach likes your highlight tape they will ask you for more film.

Put Your Video Online

Put the video online so that coaches can see it easily—DO NOT MAIL DVDs unless it is requested by a coach. Upload it to a video-hosting site, such as , and send the link to coaches in our email to them.

Following these steps will help you create a highlight video that coaches want to see. The key is to create a video with just your best plays to keep the coach wanting more. Coaches do not give out scholarships based on a highlight video, but they can decide not to.

If you have questions about good video services to use or want to have our recruiting experts review your video, leave you video or questions in the comments section below. Also, check out our ,��, or  and ask your questions there!

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Coaches need to evaluate your abilities in competition and in practice. Having a highlight or game video allows them to see your technique, physical fitness, and coach ability. Without a video, all that coaches have are stat sheets, which don’t demonstrate enough to them. They need to see you playing in games.

Getting a good recruiting video made can be pricey if you don’t know what you’re looking for. A video camera (if you don’t already have one), blank film tapes, professional editing, DVD discs, and postage for mailing—it all adds up! We understand that parents and their families want to save as much money as possible when going through the recruiting process. That’s why we have come up with some money-saving tips when putting together your recruiting videos.

Use Varsity Footage Only

While coaches want to see how a player develops during their time at high school, you and your athlete should really focus on the time spent playing on varsity (usually junior and senior years). You should film as much as you can during competitions (and practice, if available) throughout the season. Highlight videos should only be between four and six minutes long, so after two or three games, you should have enough footage for your first video. As the season progresses, you can get more footage and create another video. These videos will allow college coaches to see your progress during the season, so the more you film, the better!

Record it Yourself

While hiring a videographer may be tempting, you can save a good amount of money by shooting the footage yourself. Or if you can’t make it to a game, talk to another parent on the team who might be able to film for you. All you need is a video camera and some blank tapes, and you’re set to film. Getting footage from different places and angles is a good idea too, anywhere that the coach will be able to see the player clearly. Getting a good shot of the entire playing field is also a good idea so coaches can see all movements of the game. Filming can be quite simple when you know what to look for and how to use the camera!

Pick the Plays Yourself

Once you have your footage, you will need to figure out which plays to use for your highlight tape. Instead of having someone else work on your footage and analyze the tapes, just do it yourself. There are hundreds of recruiting videos online where you can get an idea of what to look for in your tapes. Watch your game footage and take notes of what plays you want to include and write the time on the track when you see it. Compile a list of those plays and work with the editor to make the best video possible.

Shop Around for an Editor if You Need One

There are definitely some features of your recruiting video that you may not know how to get done. If you don’t know how to cut video, spot-shadow the players, or add title screens, text, or music, you might want to consider finding an editor. Your recruiting video is one of the most important aspects of your recruiting profile, so it’s important that it’s done right. Just make sure to do your research when looking for an editor. Get quotes from several different services or ask around your child’s team to see if another parent or student knows how to put one together.

Post it Online; Don’t Make DVDs Unless You Have To

You can save yourself a good chunk of change by not relying on making DVD copies of your recruiting video. These days, there are several good video-sharing websites where you can upload your video for free. It is much easier for coaches to click on a link that you send them than it is to unwrap your DVD and put it into their DVD player or computer. Using a website like YouTube or Vimeo also allows you to update the coaches with new video more easily and without the cost of DVDs or postage for mailing!

Send us your recruiting video link in the comments section below, and we can evaluate your film. Or if you prefer, send it to us on ,��, or !

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