How To Get A College Coach To Notice You?: Expertise in a sport, hard work, and a good heart are some great attributes to have, but these are certainly not enough to get someone to notice you. And that too, someone who several people are approaching to get his attention and hence, get recruited.
If you are someone looking for some tips to help you get on the college team, you might want to consider choosing a suitable college first. Once decided, contact the coach of the college ASAP. Make an impressive recruitment video, and don’t forget the manners while you do so!
Inspiring your journey, one story at a time. #LifeFalcon.
Dealing with humans is generally a tricky thing to do. Well, reading the article is just the thing you need to read to get you going and, no wonder, to your dream team.
Table of Content
Know what a coach really wants
You need to know precisely the kind of person coaches generally look for recruitment. These are the abilities the coach might look for while you play in front of him.
Your abilities as an athlete
It didn’t take you time to guess this one, did it? Coaches work hard on their teams. They have been doing it long enough to bring it to being your and so many others’ dream. Therefore, your athletic strength, potential, and passion is an essential point that will even make the recruitment process initiate.
You care about the academics as much as you care about the sport
When going hand in hand, good grades and a good playing record take you a long way. Your grades should also prove how hardworking and dedicated you are to anything you do for a coach to recruit you.
Work ethic
It is an unsaid rule. You won’t work if you don’t know how to respect it. Respecting it includes:
- Trying your best, always.
- Staying focused.
- Being motivated, on and off the court
- Completing the assigned task ASAP
Normal human decency
It would be best if you remembered your manners. Whether or not you are dealing with your coach. Your coach will notice the way you approach him and how you respond to the coach approaching you. The coach will also notice how you are in dealing with the people around you. So, wherever you are on the campus, be nice. Be polite. Be human.
Confidence
This article tells you of many unsaid rules today, but one of them indeed is your confidence is what dictates the coach what to do. Confidence is one of the major determinants of how you act on the court by playing or dealing with your teammates. Carry that confidence with you. Your coach is looking for it!
Be versatile
We have seen many parents say that to their kids, and oh look, the coach wants it too! Learn as much sport and techniques as you can. Practice. Practice and Practice.
Look for the RIGHT college
This might look like a simple thing to say or read, but the college you decide to go to will choose how the next few years of your life are going to be. While selecting the college, there is a lot more you would want to look at, to live at ease.
Distance from home
If the college you want to go to is far away from home, you might not want to consider it as the best option. The commute is not easy. No matter how smooth it looks, you would just like to reach home ASAP with the matches and the tests going on side by side.
Choosing a college far away will cause the unnecessary struggle you will have to go through.
Take care of the academics
Sports are a part of your life, but several other factors contribute to making life what it is. And academics is one of them. Look for the subjects you would like to study and see if the college you are planning to join offers the courses you think you will excel in. Don’t just run after athletics.
Have you met the coach?
Meeting the coach and observing what he/she is like is also one of the most important factors that should affect your decision. You will work with this coach all the time, so you should know whether or not you can make it work with them.
Ask yourself
What you want or think you want is the only decision that should be taken about your life.
Do you feel that all of your questions related to the college or the team recruitment answered? Would you feel comfortable playing for that coach or in the court/ ground?
Trust your intuition.
Let them know you exist
This world is full of people. Ordinary and extraordinary. Unlike the fairytales, to catch someone’s eyes for your abilities, work, some appreciation, or other motives, you have to make an effort. These are some of the obvious yet tricky ways to get noticed by the college coach.
Write an email
One of the best ways to contact the coach initially is by sending them a mail. This way, you can put more thought into what you say or write and structure your sentences more articulately. Some of the important elements of the mail include:
- The subject line should be well-built, should not contain more than 50 characters, and look great if you add your stats.
- General information should be the next thing you add. The coach needs to know who is talking to them right after reading the introductory mail. This should include your grad year, your position, and your state.
- Tell them why they should consider you for recruitment. Flaunt your abilities, the awards that you have won, and the matches that you have played.
- By now, you probably have done some work on your recruitment profile. Please give them the link to your recruitment profile so that they can see it for themselves.
- Send a recruiting video to them.
- Let them know your academic progress. Your grades are certainly something they are interested in.
- In the end, leave your contact information. This is how you tell them you are interested in being contacted.
- Do not forget to thank them at the end. They have their eyes affixed to your character.
Making a recruitment video
Coaches believe what they see more than what they hear. Here are some of the tips on how to get the coach to ‘see’ you.
- Keep it not too short and not too long. Moderation is the key.
- Mention your contact information at the beginning and the end of the video.
- When adding a video of you making a goal or playing, add about 30 seconds before and after the real climax of the video.
- Mention the color of your team’s jersey, along with your number, so the coach knows who to get impressed with.
- Mute the voices coming from behind the camera.
Calling them
This is the best way to flaunt your confidence right away. The coach’s number can be found easily at the forum. You can contact them whenever you can, and there are some of the things you should take care of:
- Rehearse the call with a family member or a friend before you contact the coach. Tell them to ask you the questions the coach would. This way, you will be able to check your confidence and will be able to catch all the flings in the conversation.
- Do your research. Study well about the campus and the curriculum. The coach is going to see how well informed you are of the campus.
- Begin talking in a manner full of etiquettes. Be friendly but talk professionally.
- Introduce yourself just as you rehearsed before.
- Listen carefully to what they say. Answer all their questions actively. If you find yourself unprepared for the questions they ask, do not let go of the confidence.
- Ask questions. This is the best way to let them know how much you want to get in the team. You could ask them about:
- Athletic requirements
- Academic requirements
- Ask them about the culture. Do the teammates meet each other off the court?
- Financial aid. Ask what the requirements for the scholarship are.
- While you talk to the coach, take care that you are in a quiet place.
- Set a meeting. Offer to meet them personally at the campus or invite them to see one of your upcoming matches.
Use social media
Social media has turned everyone into a mini-celebrity. You can be seen or known for whatever you want to be seen or known for. Make your account public and post the videos of you playing. Juice it up with attractive captions that talk about motivation and passion.
In case you receive a mail from the coach, post it on social media platforms. You could even tag your coach to let them know how humbled you feel for receiving the email from them.
Say hi to the campus and them
Ensure that you visit the campus at least once, and while you do that, your coach should know about it. Meet your coach personally. The coach may even ask what you think about the campus, and you will have to be clear and well-articulated when you answer them.
When the coach contacts you
Getting contacted by the coach means that you are in the process of recruitment and not recruited yet. So from here, you need to be even more careful because the coach has narrowed it down to some people, and now it is even easier for them to keep a check on you.
Mass Emails
When a mass email is sent your way, you should respond to it. It means that you are on the coach’s list. If you don’t respond to the email, the coach will just think that you are not interested in getting recruited and will move on. What you need to do is respectfully reply to the mail with a thank you.
In the end
Whether or not you make it, it is essential to remember that there are things bigger than getting selected in a team. Stay connected to the game you love. Practice as much and as hard as you can and keep swimming.
If you do make it, you should give yourself appreciation for this achievement. But while you do that, do not forget to keep your manners intact.
Good luck!
