Are college recruiting services a) woth the money or b) needed? My kid is being asked to join a service and I wonder if it's beneficail. She is not D1 material not yet anyway. So maybe dII or dIII. Can't her HS cocach and us do the same thing? Do college coaches like recruiting services?
College Recruiting Services
- Thread starter krd005
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- Dec 28, 2008
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Parents/Students can definitely do their own recruiting without using a service. However, with that being said there is a high cost in terms of time from doing it. So like any other speciality service it comes down to whether folks have the time to do the work themselves, and whether or not they are disciplined enough to create and work the plan. Some people need to pay that money out of pocket to become disciplined enough to do what is needed. Others if given the concepts will do the leg work on their own, and it will be a more personal approach.
There are tons of resources on the internet that will enable players/parents to do the work thesmselves. I've got a "top 10 pieces of advice" and several links to other sites at Hit 4 Speed (click on College Prep) It is just a matter of discipline. Basically it comes down to understanding the rule (link on my site to those rules) and defining who the student is. Is she a good fit for large school? Smaller school? Close to home or far from home? Is DIII and no athletic scholarship but better academics an option? Do they know what major they want and does the school(s) she wants have those majors. The site also has links that help you find the schools, "I want a DII with X Major, in this region of the country" -- bam it comes up with a list. Another link is based on the conference if your daughter is the "I want to play in the ACC type of kid" You choose the conference and it just shows you all of the schools in that conference and has links to their email or school or whatever. Some of those links may be old and you have to do more research but those types of sites get you pointed in the right direction and help you find schools you may have otherwise never even heard of.
If you have any questions don't hesitate to private message me and I'd be happy to offer some advice in getting you started.
Good luck.
There are tons of resources on the internet that will enable players/parents to do the work thesmselves. I've got a "top 10 pieces of advice" and several links to other sites at Hit 4 Speed (click on College Prep) It is just a matter of discipline. Basically it comes down to understanding the rule (link on my site to those rules) and defining who the student is. Is she a good fit for large school? Smaller school? Close to home or far from home? Is DIII and no athletic scholarship but better academics an option? Do they know what major they want and does the school(s) she wants have those majors. The site also has links that help you find the schools, "I want a DII with X Major, in this region of the country" -- bam it comes up with a list. Another link is based on the conference if your daughter is the "I want to play in the ACC type of kid" You choose the conference and it just shows you all of the schools in that conference and has links to their email or school or whatever. Some of those links may be old and you have to do more research but those types of sites get you pointed in the right direction and help you find schools you may have otherwise never even heard of.
If you have any questions don't hesitate to private message me and I'd be happy to offer some advice in getting you started.
Good luck.
Cannonball
Ex "Expert"
- Feb 25, 2009
- 4,882
- 113
Daughter just attended a "recruiting seminar" given by a very good (Hall of Fame) D-I coach. Her suggestion was, SAVE THE MONEY. She essentially said for parents to make their own 5 minute video on skills and get that on youtube. If you play for a good travel ball program, they are going to do that! Also, don't post video shot through the fence. She said that she won't waste her time looking at video through the fence. Primarly, she told the girls to write a personal letter to the schools that they want to attend. HAND WRITE. Then, set up email. Then, send updates, attend campls, send schedules, send newspaper clippings, ... Create a "Recuritment Brochure" but know that stats don't mean much. Create a "resume" of other information such as outside activities like community involvement. Finally, you child has to make contact with these coaches. If worst comes to worse, a quick phone call. Best case is in an exposure tournament where they walk up and introduce themselves and let coach know that they'd like to attend any camps that the coach is putting on. That typically gets the "greed" interest but will get them in front of the coach. While this coach was joking about "greed" and we all laughed, there is some truth to it. JMHO!
My older DD is a Sr and was just recruited to play DII. We didn't use a recruiting service. She was on the right team for exposure and also used berecruited.com website. It's pretty cheap and helps research colleges, coaches, etc. I think it was worth the money. Can put up a profile, link your video to it if it's on you tube and then contact coaches through the website.
Good luck
Good luck
There is more to it than just posting a video on YouTube. *YOU* and your DD need to go out and find a place to play. Don't expect the HS coach to do anything. They are usually clueless about how to get your DD recruited.
You have to make the phone calls, send out the tapes and drive to meet the coaches. You have to play in the right tournaments. You have to do the work. No one is going to do it for you.
Get Cathy Aradi's book, "Preparing to play softball at the collegiate Level."
You have to make the phone calls, send out the tapes and drive to meet the coaches. You have to play in the right tournaments. You have to do the work. No one is going to do it for you.
Get Cathy Aradi's book, "Preparing to play softball at the collegiate Level."
It really all depends what you want. If you want to play D1 in another part of the country, you will have to be very good, work very hard at marketing yourself, and be RELENTLESS. Some college coaches wont even answer an email until they have recieved 6 from the same girl, they have a threshold at which they begin to believe that she is really serious. After all, they arent stupid, they know players may contact 20-30 colleges! They dont want to waste their own time either.
But, I also know a few girls that have played D1 softball that didnt do ANYTHING at all but sit back and receive offers.
That certainly isnt reccomended though! Do whatever it takes to insure it happens if thats your goal.
For a lot of players their travel coach is who makes things happen. College coaches call the travel coaches they know and respect , and ask who they have that they might be interested in, then they may come by and check them out at a practice if they are within easy distance, or check them out at an camp or such. Not talking about just weak schools either, WCWS will schools do it that way too. When a college team may only need 4 recruits or so in a year , it isnt a lot of work on the coaches part to just find the 4 girls he/she needs. Getting them from a trusted source is more reliable than a 4 min video and watching an inning or two of a showcase game. If he finds 1 or 2 that way, then he needs even less thru the "cold calls"!.
A lot of schools have their favorite travel teams they go to year after year, they know the girls have been taught well, and they trust the travel coaches honest assessment of the players. Thats why its not uncommon at all to see several girls from the same travel club on the same major D1 college team.
I know a girl who graduated 3 yrs ago, and I quizzed her about her experience just last yr. She played on a good travel team, played ASA nationals, fireworks, etc and was just offered a couple scholarships by colleges near her in Ohio, ended up playing D1. She never did anything at all to market herself. She only threw about 61-62 when she was recruited,( she got injured a yr or two later and only threw 60 afterwards ). I point that out just to show she wasnt an exceptional pitcher, just a good strong one (with outstanding grades too.)
There are about ten 18U teams around us. Not all are showcase teams, there are only a couple that are real 18Gold level teams. Even the other lesser 18U teams end up putting a few girls each every year into nearby (~150 miles or so) DII and DIII schools too, mainly by exposure camps, coaches contacts, and such. Those smaller schools are very hungry for players, and most dont have the ability to recruit very far, just in the couple of nearest metro softball hot-spots.
I have Aradis book too, and it is very good. However, Id also say 95+% of the information can be found generally online in other places, and in the NCAA guide. The good thing about Aradis book, is you can give it to a girl, and tell her to start reading, a few pages a night so that she finishes it in a few weeks. It teaches her and lets her know SHE is responsible for getting herself recruited, not her parents! That is an eye opener for some young ladies.
But, I also know a few girls that have played D1 softball that didnt do ANYTHING at all but sit back and receive offers.
That certainly isnt reccomended though! Do whatever it takes to insure it happens if thats your goal.
For a lot of players their travel coach is who makes things happen. College coaches call the travel coaches they know and respect , and ask who they have that they might be interested in, then they may come by and check them out at a practice if they are within easy distance, or check them out at an camp or such. Not talking about just weak schools either, WCWS will schools do it that way too. When a college team may only need 4 recruits or so in a year , it isnt a lot of work on the coaches part to just find the 4 girls he/she needs. Getting them from a trusted source is more reliable than a 4 min video and watching an inning or two of a showcase game. If he finds 1 or 2 that way, then he needs even less thru the "cold calls"!.
A lot of schools have their favorite travel teams they go to year after year, they know the girls have been taught well, and they trust the travel coaches honest assessment of the players. Thats why its not uncommon at all to see several girls from the same travel club on the same major D1 college team.
I know a girl who graduated 3 yrs ago, and I quizzed her about her experience just last yr. She played on a good travel team, played ASA nationals, fireworks, etc and was just offered a couple scholarships by colleges near her in Ohio, ended up playing D1. She never did anything at all to market herself. She only threw about 61-62 when she was recruited,( she got injured a yr or two later and only threw 60 afterwards ). I point that out just to show she wasnt an exceptional pitcher, just a good strong one (with outstanding grades too.)
There are about ten 18U teams around us. Not all are showcase teams, there are only a couple that are real 18Gold level teams. Even the other lesser 18U teams end up putting a few girls each every year into nearby (~150 miles or so) DII and DIII schools too, mainly by exposure camps, coaches contacts, and such. Those smaller schools are very hungry for players, and most dont have the ability to recruit very far, just in the couple of nearest metro softball hot-spots.
I have Aradis book too, and it is very good. However, Id also say 95+% of the information can be found generally online in other places, and in the NCAA guide. The good thing about Aradis book, is you can give it to a girl, and tell her to start reading, a few pages a night so that she finishes it in a few weeks. It teaches her and lets her know SHE is responsible for getting herself recruited, not her parents! That is an eye opener for some young ladies.
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