For athletes that have the potential to play college ball, their club/high school coaches and parents want to help them put their best foot forward. Recruiting videos and game film are a critical piece to this equation.
Below are a few tips when making a recruiting video:
1. Video Quality and Angles
Ensuring that the college scout can easily and quickly identify the player in the video is very important. Using HD video footage that clearly shows your player’s number and allows the coach to see the movements and mannerisms is important. Using a good quality video camera and just as important, from a high-angle provides a great result. Filming with a sports video camera tower (also known as an end zone camera system or sideline video tower) puts you at a tremendous advantage from a video angle standpoint. When filming from the ground-level, there is much of the game that is missed. Shooting footage from a high-angle also allows the college coaches to analyze things such as the player’s situation awareness and other scenarios that they are unable to see from ground-level video footage.
2. There’s No Magic Formula
There is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to making a recruiting video. What works for one player may not work for another. Recruiting videos should be created to show the player’s strengths while in real game (and/or live training) situations. A coach reviewing game film is the first step in the evaluation process. If the video does not showcase the player’s strengths, then the coach will stop watching the video and move on to evaluating another player.
3. Clips vs Full Game
Depending on the sport you play, the coach may want a full game (or extended footage) instead of short highlight clips, or vice-versa. For example, if you play football, the scout will expect to receive a player highlight video of clips and possibly some training/combine footage. On the other hand, if you play basketball, most scouts prefer to receive full game/extended footage in game situations, instead of player highlights. It’s important to know what type of recruiting video scouts prefer to see in your sport. Once you know this, you can get started on compiling the best recruiting video possible.
4. Grades
Grades are another key factor that college coaches are looking for. Coaches want a player that is talented and also that strong academically. It does a coach no good to recruit a player that is unable to remain academically eligible during the season (and throughout the year). Being consistent academically also shows the coach that you can be a consistent for the team. When you send a college coach your recruiting video, also be sure to include your academic information as well (GPA, test scores, etc).
Creating a recruiting video can be a fun and rewarding process. That said, it is essential to keep a few things in mind. By following the tips provided in this article, you can be on your way to creating a great recruiting video. To buy the best sports video camera systems in the market today, browse our selections at Hi Rise Camera. We give our buyers a first-in-class solution for capturing high-angle and aerial video footage. Call us today for more information about our products!
