Making A College Video

Looking for any good links/websites/books to create a video to send to colleges. Not very savvy with technology.

Fastpitch, here's my daughter's skills video as an example. The head coach and I used an older Kodak PlaySport on a tripod. There's a good book on NFCA's website about playing in college that gives good advice on skills videos, as well as the overall process. There's also a wealth of info in past threads here. Good luck.

My DD is a work in progress. I'm posting as an example, not saying her skills/mechanics are something to copy/emulate.

Also, I've found that filming these videos always take longer than you think so a little planning beforehand goes a long way. Learned that last year!

Katie Russell - Skills Video - YouTube

Fastpitch86 said:

Looking for any good links/websites/books to create a video to send to colleges. Not very savvy with technology.

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We just used our Digital camera that also has a video mode, set on a $5.00 tripod from Walmart. Also, after talking to several coaches about it, they seem to prefer less editing in the videos.

http://www.ncsasports.org/recruiting-tools/college-softball-recruiting/softball-skills-videos

Here are links for Williams Sports Videos - website & YouTube videos

Here are some recommendations they posted recently.

One of the most common things that comes up with our discussions with college coaches, in regards to skills videos, is the duration of the video. It used to be common to produce 5 minute videos. Those days are over. The sweet spot for skills video duration, for most college coaches, is 3 - 4 minutes max.

Although most of our videos are 1 - 2 defensive positions, we do get requests for 3 defensive-position videos. The key with these is to stay in the sweet spot, without sacrificing content or quality. These requests allow an athlete to show there diversity on the softball field.

I have talked to several college coaches about recruiting videos. They both told me to keep them short and sweet - 2 to 3 minutes tops. Or even several 1 minute clips that you can rotate through, sending a different one each time you contact them. Hitting, fielding and throws (and of course pitching if that is your thing). And one specifically talked about bunting. She said "For God's sake, don't put any bunting in the video! I don't recruit anyone on their bunting skills - bunting is a tool that you learn at 8 and I assume that if you are looking to play college ball then you can bunt." They also seemed to indicate that they are most interested in hitting unless the player is a pitcher...

IMO videos are a quick road to NO and sometimes, maybe, a catalyst to a long and winding road to YES. I'd take a good look at her skill set. You have to be a pretty phenomenal athlete to stand out on a video of tee work, front toss, and fungo-ed ground balls. And if she's that good, the in person exposure of clinics and tournaments is far more productive. If she's not that good, the video may serve as an easy tool for a college coach to watch a few swings and a few fielded balls and know she's not at their level. Just my two cents.

Softball_2 said:

IMO videos are a quick road to NO and sometimes, maybe, a catalyst to a long and winding road to YES. I'd take a good look at her skill set. You have to be a pretty phenomenal athlete to stand out on a video of tee work, front toss, and fungo-ed ground balls. And if she's that good, the in person exposure of clinics and tournaments is far more productive. If she's not that good, the video may serve as an easy tool for a college coach to watch a few swings and a few fielded balls and know she's not at their level. Just my two cents.

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You are 100% correct. Coaches use them to separate the wheat from the chaff. Just like the process for the athlete, for the coach recruiting is a process of elimination not selection. Take a look at the recruit, cross them off the list and move on. Find the ones that stand out. Build the short list and move on to the next phase.

If your video is crap and shows poor skills you will get crossed off the list. If you have a good video and show some decent skills you move on in the process. Good does not mean professional with all the bells and whistles. It means short, to the point with meaningful content. LESS IS MORE! Once you have your video complete watch it like a coach. Stay up at night, get good and tired and watch a dozen skills videos off YouTube. Most will be irrelevant and way too long. Now watch your video. What makes yours stand out from the others? Why should they want to see more of you? Will you move on or get crossed off the list?

Softball_2 said:

If she's not that good, the video may serve as an easy tool for a college coach to watch a few swings and a few fielded balls and know she's not at their level.

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Makes sense, but if you're not that good, then you're not going to fool them in person, either, are you?

You can't go to the camps of 50 schools. So how do you get the attention of a lot of coaches, to make them want to see you? Unless you have a travel coach who knows a college coach who will give you a recommendation, what else can you do? Do you send a letter and say, "You don't know my team or my coach, and I don't have a video, but I'm hitting .450 and I'm playing in these tournaments. Hope you'll come watch.''

Here is a link to my DD's skills video. It was originally shot by a semi-professional, but I went back and used the software that came with my Kodak Playsport to edit it down. A skills video does not have to be professional done to be effective, but I would recommend watching several skills videos and picking out the parts you like. Pay attention to the camera angle for different positions to find ones you want to duplicate for your DD.

Softball_2 said:

IMO videos are a quick road to NO and sometimes, maybe, a catalyst to a long and winding road to YES

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While no one likes to be told "no", sometimes it can be a blessing in disguise. Going to a college camp can be a great way to be noticed by a coaching staff, but camps are expensive and sometimes schedules conflict between schools. I would much rather go to a college camp where the coaches are truly interested in recruiting my DD vs. a camp where all the college coaches see in my DD is $$$.