How come players don’t practice on own during week – team practice doesn’t count – yet they want 2 play n college? Help me understand

Oh man!  Sorry Cindy, I can’t help you there because I don’t get it either.  I could go on and on and on about this subject, but let me just touch upon the flurry of thoughts that immediately ran through my head when I read her tweet.

First of all, forget “practice on their own.” I see so many young softball players today who *think* they are on their way to the next level or *say* they want to play in college and yet they can’t even make it a point to give their best effort during TEAM practice!

Read this and think about it: When I compare college practice to youth practice, I’m sure you’d agree that, for the most part, college practice is  far more demanding.  What you may not realize is that on top of this more demanding practice, every college player that I personally know puts in time OUTSIDE of the required team practice time to train. If you’re having a hard time with the concept of putting in “your own time” for training now, when you’re regular team practice isn’t nearly as demanding as it will be in college, how do you expect to survive in the college environment where practices are longer, harder, more demanding AND the rest of your teammates are ready and willing to put in the extra time on their own on top of that to get better?

Who cares what I think? I’m not a college coach. You’re right, I’m not…and probably neither is your travel ball or your high school softball coach.

HOWEVER, if any of them are telling you you’re not doing enough or that you have work to do because you’re not where you need to be yet, I highly suggest you LISTEN!

Why should you listen to them? They aren’t the college coach you’re trying to impress right? You think some college coach is going to be impressed with you because you got skills?

You know what? I’ll admit, you might be right. They may very well be impressed with what they see on display at a tournament here or there; or on film that you send them. But what about when they begin seeing you day in and day out like your coach does?

Wake up call coming up in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…

If your coach…

• who is NOT a college coach
• who does NOT have the same high standards or expectations that college coaches do
• who’s livelihood does NOT depend on coaching your team…

If he ain’t impressed…What makes you think a college coach will be?

Yeah, maybe you’ll get there, but then what?

Then you get a major kick in the butt because all this time you’ve had your mind and ears closed to what your coaches have been trying to tell you? Because you’ve been under an illusion about your own skills and work ethic? Because you thought your cannon for an arm and your big bat were going to be enough to “Wow” those college coaches beyond belief that they would blindly overlook the flaws your coaches see?

Look, I’m not saying this to be mean or disrespectful. I’m saying all of this so that you, hopefully, get the wake up call BEFORE you fall flat on your face in college and have to figure out how to scrape yourself up off the ground.

The transition to the college level is tough enough when you are well prepared. I believe that no matter where you go, no matter how good you are, it’ll be an adjustment. If you go in unprepared or under-prepared, college can be tremendously overwhelming.  College is a different pace, a different routine from what you’re used to.  Pile all that up with your lack of preparation on the softball front and you may start doubting whether or not you really belong there.  Players quit playing and drop out of college because of this kind of thing.  I don’t want this to happen to you.

Do the work NOW to prepare yourself as much as you can for the journey ahead. Listen to the feedback others are giving you and use whatever you can to make yourself better.  If the situation you’re in is a cake walk and isn’t challenging to you, find a way to challenge yourself so that you’re not shocked by the obstacles you may come across in the future.  Practice dealing with and overcoming adversity now so that you’ll be able to tackle it head on in the next chapter of your life, whatever that may be.  There is a lot to enjoy after high school BUT you have to be willing to prepare now in order to reap those rewards at any level.

Revolution Prep – Revolutionizing SAT/ACT Prep for Student-Athletes
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqX0L_XmDH8

Need help with the college recruiting process AND test prep?  Talk with a live person at NCSA

By the time your a junior, HALF your academic time has already passed.  ONE great semester does not undo the sins of four, or six for that matter.  While you may not care much about your grades now, believe me, when you’re a senior, and you’ve finally gotten serious about what happens after high school and your ready to grab ahold of the freedom you so desperately want – you WILL care.  You WILL want as many opportunities as possible. You WILL feel frustrated and bummed and sick when there are wonderful opportunities right there in front of you but you aren’t able to take advantage of them because you didn’t take care of business in the classroom as an underclassman.

I know, you may be only 14 0r 15, but the poor choices you make now will eventually come back to haunt you at what will likely be the most inopportune time.  Do NOT let this happen to you.  Give yourself a chance!  Start preparing for the future NOW!  Get in the habit of making good decisions and choices now.

• Wake up and get to school on time every day.
• Go to class every day.
• Do your homework every day.
• Get to practice on time every day.
• Do quality work in the classroom and on the field every day.
• Be your best every day.

The more you practice making the right decisions, the easier it will become and the more prepared you will be for life after high school.  Making good choices now will set you up for the brightest, most exciting, most enjoyable future possible.  High school and college are fun, fun years IF you make the right decisions.

Don’t leave your future to chance.  Make it what you want by laying the groundwork now.  It’s never too early to start practicing good habits or start making good decisions.  Be the best you can be every day.  Good things will come your way.

“How Do I Stack Up?”

This player is a freshman that college coaches of some of the best programs in the nation already know about.  She’s got great grades and doesn’t have to be hounded by her parents or coaches about it.  She’s not one of those players who’s been playing since she was 5 and yet, she can hit the ball and “has it all” as a pitcher.

AND is just a freshman in high school this year!

So how do you stack up?  Where are you in your skills and grades and attitude?  Are you working hard enough?  Or are you just “settling” for “being the best” where you are at?  Are you really, truly striving to being the best you can?  Why should a coach choose you?  Can you do better?  Can you strive for more?  Can you push for more than you’re doing now?  Do you need to raise the level of your softball performance?

Maybe now is a good time to do a serious self-check and re-evaluate your direction.  Be Great!

I happen to disagree with that completely!

Too often I see student-athletes make this mistake.  They choose the school that offered them the most athletic scholarship assistance based upon that factor alone.  Often times they disregard the fact that the school is in a location they don’t really want to be.  The disregard the fact that the school doesn’t exactly have the area of study the student-athlete is interested in.  To throw out all other factors and make a decision solely based upon or heavily weighed by the almighty scholarship dollar can be a huge mistake!

In almost every case that I’ve personally seen, the student-athlete gives up playing or stops going to that school completely by the end of their freshman year.  Why?   Because every other major factor that influences their quality of experience at the school is NOT what they were looking for or not what they are comfortable with.  Remember, if this college you choose is more or less going to be your home for the next 4-5 years!  It better be a place you want to live in.

Honestly, think about it.  If a student-athlete ends up not playing ball or giving up on the school completely after that first year, was it really worth it to chose the money? After all, they may have gotten that one year paid for (or helped with), but now where does that leave them?  Often times it leaves them out of the sport they love AND a college bill to pay for the next 3-4 years.

Wouldn’t it be better to choose a school that offered less money (or even no money) if it was a better fit for you?  If it was a place you loved?  And environment you enjoyed living in?  Had the exact academic program you want? AND gives you the opportunity to continue playing your sport?

Often times, even though your first year isn’t paid for athletically, you can 1) possibly get help from other sources (academic funds, grants, or other scholarship sources) and 2) possibly earn some “athletic help” in the future.  So yes, maybe you have to pay for that first year, but paying for one and getting help with or having the next 3-4 years paid for is so much better than having just that first year taken care of but paying for the rest.  Isn’t it?

The bottom line is that it’s almost always better to choose the school you WANT to be at, rather than simply choose the school that offers you the most money.  Be smart about this decision, it’s not only going to affect the next 4 years of your life, it will affect at least the next 40 years of your life!

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If you need personal assistance with your college recruiting journey, talk with the experts at NSCA.  They know their stuff and they are as passionate about getting student-athletes to the next level (and keeping them there) as anyone else I know.

Fill at the form HERE and a real live person will give you a call regarding your plan for the future.

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I was actually worried about these two because they were in the situation many seniors find themselves in: it’s senior year and still the future is uncertain. They didn’t know what college they’d be going to or even IF their softball careers were going to continue.  It’s not a fun position to be in.  In fact, it can be a downright stressful situation to be in.

Neither one of these players are what I would consider “blue chippers” however, they do have better than average softball skills and great attitudes.  They are the type of player that coaches find so easy to work with and always a pleasure to have on the team.  But they also had one other factor working for them which ended up being a major contribution to the opportunity they now have.  But before I tell you all about that, you have to understand that being that it was already their senior year and neither on had secured an offer from any colleges, their opportunities were definitely vanishing.  Most softball programs had already finished even looking at this year’s graduating class and are focused on undergrads.

Why were these two student-athletes in this position in in the first place? Well, there are a number of factors that contributed to it, but a few of the main reasons were simply not starting early enough and not getting the word out to enough coaches.  These two mistakes are so, so common!  Too often student-athletes do nothing to get their name out there and in front of college coaches until end of sophomore year or junior year and even then, they only contact a handful, or *maybe* 10-15.  That in an of itself, severely limits the opportunities you’re going to have.

So anyway, these two seniors were more or less in limbo during those first months of their senior year.  Both wanted to go to college and both hoped to continue their softball careers, but neither knew what their future held.  It’s not a situation I like to see senior student-athletes in; especially not ones that are such great people (not just great players).

Well, in the conversation I had with this coach, I found out that they BOTH are going on to the collegiate level.  Why?  How?

Because of doors that their strong ACADEMICS opened up for them. With this first student-athlete we’re talking Advanced Placement courses and a 3.9+ GPA.  She had specific colleges in a specific state she wanted to go to and had no problem qualifying academically.  The softball programs however, had used up all their funding and had no scholarship money to offer by the time she had contacted them.  Her first choice college also had a softball program that does not open up tryouts to unknown walk-ons.  If you’re going to get a spot on this team, you have to be asked by the coaching staff to be there.  Well after establishing that she qualified for NCAA for and had been accepted by the school for admission and was able to secure some academic funding, she got back in touch with the coach and let him know what her situation was.  She let him know that this was the college she wanted to be at, she’s already been accepted academically, and just wanted to know if she could also be a part of the softball program while she was there.  Guess what happened?  She was offered a preferred walk-on opportunity.

So she’ll be going to the college she wants to be at, in the state she wants to live for the next 4-5 years, studying the major she wants to study, has a chance to continue her softball career, and has opportunities for aide through academic paths.  Seriously – it doesn’t get a whole lot better than that.

The other student-athlete had also been told by a handful of college coaches that while the coaches liked what they saw on her video and in her packet, no athletic funding was available.  She was disappointed because no one had “softball money” left.  Somehow, she failed to overlook the fact that she would be able to receive 85% academic funding for one of the schools she wanted to go to. She had been so focused on athletic scholarship money that she forgot to look at the situation from every angle. Thankfully, this coach I was talking with pointed this out to her.  The very next business day she got back in touch with the coach of that school (newer DI program).  She let him know that she was accepted to the college academically and had been able to work out aid through her academics.  She told him that this is where she wanted to be and asked if she still had a chance to be a part of the softball program.  The coach said he’d love to have her and that, as usual, there was always a possibility of athletic funding in the future.

So both these student-athletes now know what their college plans are.  They will both attend DI schools and will both have an opportunity to be part of the softball programs as well.  Though it was “too late” to get there from the softball angle, their strong academics opened up windows that would not otherwise have been opened. On top of that, they are both attending schools they WANT to go to is huge.  Neither fell into the “trap” many high school student-athletes fall into of simply picking-the-school-that-offered-a-scholarship.  They were both able to avoid that less than ideal situation because they had other avenues by which they could accomplish the goal they wanted.

I know that both these young ladies will go on to have awesome college experiences because they are in the place they want to be and they both have such positive attitudes that I know they will be able to, not only handle all the challenges college life brings, but handle them well.

I wish the best to them and to all the high school seniors who will be continuing their education in college next school year!

Are Showcase Tournament an effective way to be seen by college coaches? Are camps more effective if know what college you want to attend?

Are you more likely to be seen during the Summer or Fall by coaches?

I do feel that Showcase Tournaments and camp can BOTH be good ways of getting seen, HOWEVER, simply showing up isn’t enough.  Yes, you *may* get “discovered” just by going, but chances of that a much lower than if you do some preliminary work FIRST!

All players should be contacting colleges they are interested in within their first two years of high school (the earlier the better).  Getting in and staying in touch with college coaches at least possibly puts your name in front of a coach on that staff.

Many coaches go to showcase tournaments with a “list” already in hand of players they want to look at.  Not all will go just “hoping” to find “someone.”  Remember, making the trip to showcases or recruiting camps usually costs them money too, so they will no go in unprepared.  Chances are they already have a core list of players they will be looking at and how will you be one of those players if all you do is show up to the tournament, clinic, or camp?

As far as when you are more likely to be seen, I think it’s more a matter of when you’re more likely to be seen by the right coaches.  Look at who will be in attendance.  Which events have more of the coaches you are already in touch with?  The level of play you are going for and the program you are looking at also plays a part in “when” is an optimal time to be seen.  College programs are NOT all on the same timeline.  Some have a big recruiting budget.  Coaches from those schools can send out more pamphlets and probably attend more events than others.  They usually try to identify potential recruits as early as possible.  Other coaches prefer to wait until the “big fish” go after their favorites and wait to see who’s left.  Then there are the coaches who NEVER attend events because their budget doesn’t allow it.  Where are the coaches of the programs you are interested going to be?  If you limit yourself ONLY to coaches a a showcase or two, you are severely limiting your opportunities!

So while I do believe attending events can be a great way of being seen, I think that action ALONE is not even close to being enough when it comes to giving yourself the best chance of furthering both your education and your softball career.  Too many families think that they are doing “enough” just by going to these recruiting events.  Often times, they are mistaken and it’s tough to see because they spend a LOT of hard earned money to be there!

Go through to recruiting process smarter, don’t work harder and spend more.  Get educated and get informed so that you can take the necessary steps to maximize your opportunities!

Here are some great places to learn more about college recruiting…

1.  NCAA – they put out a guide each year for families.  It says $11, but that’s only if you want a hard copy sent to you.  There is also a link to download the file for free.

2.  College Recruiting Articles - I have posted a number of college recruiting articles here on the blog that are free for you to read

3.  College Recruiting Reports and Webinar – I also have some resources up on our Fastpitch Resources page that you might be interested in (5 Common College Recruiting Mistakes, 25 College Recruiting Facts, $1 College Recruiting Webinar).

In addition, if you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed and want to make sure you make the best possible decisions throughout the college recruiting process, you can also talk to the experts at NCSA.  They work with families just like yours every day.  BUT, you have to be serious about this journey (that means working hard on and off the field).  If that’s you, you can have a live person from NCSA give you a call to discuss and help you with your college recruiting plan.

photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kcadams/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

When I heard that…this is what I wanted to say to them right through the tv…

Adding your name to an online database that coaches can search is NOT “taking control” of your college recruiting process.

There I said it.

Adding your name to an online database is NOT “taking control” of your college recruiting process.  Neither is adding videos to YouTube or going to a recruiting camp.

I’m not saying those things are useless or that you shouldn’t do them, but there’s so much more you can do.  Those things in and of themselves are just a small sliver of what you should be doing if you really want to take control of your college recruiting journey!

“Taking control” involves doing your homework.  It means:

• Knowing where you have to be academically
• Knowing what the NCAA requires of you to be eligible
• Knowing what different program require in the level(s) of play you are interested in (not always the same as what the NCAA requires)
• Knowing what type of school is a good fit for you
• Knowing what to ask college coaches
• Knowing what to ask yourself so you can find the right fit
• Knowing what you need to get done by when
• Knowing what you CAN do and when
• Making sure YOU are in contact with coaches before they are even allowed to get in touch with you
• Knowing whether or not it’s better for you or your parents to be corresponding with a college coach
• Having the information college coaches need about you in order to make a decision readily available
• Getting prepared for college entrance exams
• Having a strategy!!!
• …and so much more

Putting your name “out there” in public places and hoping to be found is not going to cut it.  That will not give you the best opportunities possible by the time your college recruiting journey come to an end. Remember – there are no re-dos. Get educated. Get informed. And if you need help, some of the best in the business are ready to walk you through it all at NCSA.

If you’re serious about playing at the college level and have been taking care of business on and off the field, you can have someone from NCSA personally give you a call by filling out the form at HERE.

And yes, for student-athletes who use that link and become part of the NCSA family, NCSA does make donations back to AAF.  However, if you do not wish for them to do that, you can also visit them at their main company link at

http://www.ncsasports.org/

Whatever your choice, you can have a real person talk with you about your options plus get a username and password to set up your own athletic resume web page with no risk and no money required by going HERE and filling out your contact information.

Wishing you the best,

Stacie Mahoe

1. Prepping for the SAT/ACT

Many students don’t see the point in taking prep courses until they realize they need a higher SAT or ACT score to get into the college they want to go to. By this time they’re scrambling at the last minute to take classes to learn the valuable test taking strategies that will help them improve their scores. Now imagine if you had start early and begin this test taking preparation in your freshman or sophomore year. By the time you’re junior year rolls around you begin taking her entrance exams, you’ll have had time to get really comfortable with the test taking strategies and the vocabulary words most test prep programs cover. Starting early just gives you more time to really get well prepared vs. trying to cram at the last minute.

Plus, imagine having to take that SAT or ACT as a senior knowing you need a great score and knowing that your chances are running out. That’s a lot of pressure to carry into a test! Why not get it out of the way sooner? You’ll probably perform better if your aren’t at the point where you whole college future is riding on the test you’re about to take. Can it still come down to that even with the planning? Yes. But at least if you start early and take the prep courses and tests earlier, you know exactly where you stand and what you need to do to get where you needs to be by senior year. Plus, if you start early, you’ll probably have a few years vs. just a few months to work on it.

2. The GPA Factor

Grade point averages are a lot like batting averages, shooting percentages, or per game averages. The further you get into the season and the more games you have under your belt, the tougher it is to raise your average, even with an awesome game performance. The same is true for grade point averages. The farther along you are in your high school career, the tougher it’s going to be to raise that GPA even with straight A’s. In the beginning of a softball season a 4-4 game can raise your batting average hundreds of points. Just like a GPA, if you have a perfect semester or two (or even good semesters in the beginning), your GPA will be nice and high. But toward the end of the season a great game may only raise your batting average 20 points or so, if that. By the same token it’s very tough to try to raise a 2.6 GPA to a 3.0 in just a semester or two. I don’t even know if it’s possible. I haven’t worked the numbers, but if it is, it’s certainly very tough! If you start planning early, if you know where you need to be to give yourself the best opportunities at the end of your high school years. Plus, if you keep an eye on your progress and make sure your necessary GPA is always in sight or surpassed, that just makes your life so much easier toward the end.

3. The Physical Factor

Another aspect to take into consideration is the physical factor. You simply aren’t going to go from average to elite in 1 year. For instanc, if a softball players is running a 3.4 second home to first time and she needs to be at 3.0 or better by senior year, wouldn’t it be better to begin working on that from her freshman year and give her a good amount of time to really improve? It’s certainly much more attainable than trying to go from 3.4 in the middle of junior year to 3.0 by the start of senior year. Some things are just about physically impossible. Again, early planning can give you the best chance of being where you need to be when you need to be there. Plus it’ll give you ample time to prepare and work toward those goals. That makes the journey less stressful and more successful. So don’t wait! Start that process of preparing for the future as soon as high school begins! If you need a little help, check out some of the free college resources at http://www.allaboutfastpitch.com/freeresources.html.

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If you’re serious about playing softball in college, get help with your own personalized college recruiting plan with NCSA.  It’s college recruiting simplified!

Still to this day it amazes me how many student-athletes and parents put off learning about or taking steps in the college recruiting process.  I’m not sure if it’s too scary and they just don’t want to think about it or if they’re just unsure of what to do and don’t know where to get help so they wait until they get a kick in the butt at the last minute to get started.  Whatever the case, there’s one thought that I want to share today:

When it comes to college recruiting, there are NO Do Overs!

Once you’re in high school, that’s it, you have ONE chance to go through high school, play your sports, get the grades you’re going to get, take your entrance exams, contact college coaches, etc and hopefully have a successful journey on to the next level.  Not only do you get just one shot at the journey as a whole, but there are so many things during the journey that, once your opportunity comes along, it’s the ONLY one you get!  If you miss it, it’s gone forever. 

Take your freshman year in school as a simple example.  Once that year is over, you don’t go back and get to do it all over again if you didn’t quite get the grades you wanted.  You basically have one shot and that’s it.  If you mess around and don’t get very good grades, you’re stuck trying to play “catch up” for the rest of your high school career trying to make up for the poor choices you made in that first year of high school.

There are no Do Overs for college recruiting.  You will only go through this process as a high school student ONCE.  That’s it!

So don’t wait ’till “later” to take care of your grades.  Don’t wait ’till “later” to improve your athleticism and your skills.  Don’t wait ’till “later” to find out what you need to do during high school to give yourself the best chance at moving on to college.  Don’t wait ’till “later” to get the help you need with college entrance exams or any other part of the process.  “Later” just may come and go and pass you by if you’re not ready.

If you’re already in high school (or if your child is already in high school), the time to start has already passed!  Get going!

If you’ll be in high school soon, it’s never too early to start learning about what to expect in the upcoming years.  It’s much less stressful and complicated if you educate yourself and learn as much as you can BEFORE having to execute your plan.  Trying to learn as you go can be frustrating, overwhelming, and disappointing when you realize you’ve missed something because there’s no going back.

Where to Get Help

The NCAA just released their 2009-2010 Guide for the College-Bound Student Athlete.  It’s free, you can get it HERE.  I highly suggest you download it, read it, and become very familiar with it.

If the whole college recruiting process seems a little scary or overwhelming to you and you’d like some guidance along the way or if you’re just starting and want to make sure you’re on the right path from the beginning, you can get the help you need.  If you’re serious about adding a few more years to your fastpitch softball career while getting an education, NCSA can help you create a plan to help you reach those goals.

What do I mean by “serious?”  Serious student-athletes don’t just “want” to play in college, but  actively work toward that goal by taking care of business ON and OFF the field, by making good choices, and always striving to learn and grow.  If that’s you, you’re exactly the type of student-athlete NCSA can help.   To have someone contact you personally, fill out the form HERE.

Wishing you the best on your college recruiting journey!  Playing is college softball is so much fun ~ I hope you get to experience it.

Fail photo:http://www.flickr.com/photos/phobia/ / CC BY-SA 2.0

If you’re child is already in high school and you haven’t done much (or anything) and don’t already have a plan in place, you’re headed down that path.

NCSA is a company that helps simplify the recruiting process for you.  Can you do everything yourself?  Yes, you can.  There’s a lot to know and a lot to do.  Whether you get help or not, you must be proactive in this process.  For most it’s not a cake walk.  There will probably be a number of ups and downs.  There’s a lot to do (did I mention that already?).  I know quite a bit about the process and still I know there is tons more to know.  I’ve been through the process myself and signed with a DI school and yet I will get help when my oldest daughter starts her college recruiting journey next year. There’s so much to do!  (in case you didn’t get the point earlier)

People get help with many major decisions in their lives: financial planners for retirement, wedding planners for their big day, academic advisors just to decide which classes to take, etc.  Yet I find that many people are reluctant to have an advisor on their side during the college recruiting process.  Parents, just remember one thing.  This college decision…it’s not a 4-year decision, it’s a 40-year decision.  Your child’s choices in if/where they go to college will likely impact the next 40 years of their lives.  Many people meet their spouse in college.  Others grow roots and end up living where they go to college.  Others make lifetime friendships and bonds that serve them well for years and years beyond college.  And some miss out on opportunities that should be there because they didn’t make the right decisions.  This decision has affects much further down the road than just 4 years. Do you have a plan?  Waiting until the last minute only brings about uncertaintly, stress, and anxiety during a time (end of high school years) that should be filled with wonderful memories.  Don’t wait.  Start now.  And if you need help, I work with NCSA.  I represent them here in Hawaii and speak on their behalf at youth sports events.  They are the ones I will turn to for guidance when my kids get a little older.

Want to educate yourself more? Download the NCAA’s Guide for the College Bound Student-Athlete. It’s FREE and I believe they just updated the publication for 2009-2010.  Google it and you should be able to find the download link pretty easily.  Start there!  Then feel free to read the other college recruiting articles I have posted HERE.

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you’ve heard me talk about Twitter.   Even if you haven’t, you’ve probably heard about Twitter through some other source.  Many major news stations, radio stations, newspapers, celebrities, and softball people are ALL on Twitter.

Now you have another reason to jump into the fun – COLLEGE.

Earlier this week, ESPN published an article about how colleges and college coaches are tapping into social networks like Twitter and Facebook for recruiting and exposure.

Some coaches use Twitter as a way to allow fans and potential recruits to see what the program/coach is like.  Others utilize it as a way to “stay in front” of a recruits face (and at the forefront of their minds) without breaking NCAA contact period rules.  According to the article:

“Currently, the NCAA allows coaches to direct-message recruits from Twitter or send them a private message on Facebook.”

If you’re looking to attend college and play sports – this is HUGE!!!

Like me, there are coaches out there who prefer Twitter over Facebook “mostly because of the ease of posting.”   Of course, there are others like my husband who prefer Facebook because there are more pictures and it’s similar to MySpace which he’s already familiar with.  Twitter does have a different sort of layout/format and does take a little while to get used to, but once you do, you’ll love it!

The ESPN article also talks about why Twitter is so super popular:

“It’s the reason why USA Today worked. It’s the reason why people want to see the ticker on ESPN. [People] don’t want large bites. Give me a small bite; make it fast, I’ll see what it is, I’ll laugh and I’ll move on to something else.”

Another important point…

“The one thing I like is that it’s a little bit of an unobstructed view,” Calipari said. “They (fans/recruits) get to know what you are and how you are and how you think without someone telling them who you are, what you are and how you think.”

So you don’t have to take someone’s word for it. You have a way to judge for yourself what a program or coach is like. This is a very important part of choosing the right college for yourself or helping your child do so.

Signing up for Twitter is super easy…

1.  Go to Twitter.com and click on the green Get Started – Join! button at the bottom of the screen.

2.  Fill out the fields on the next page and click Create My Account

3.  Choose the options you want on the following pages (add contacts from e-mail or follow suggested users) and you’re all done!

Once you’re in, here are some softball coaches you can follow…

AuburnSBCoach

coachjaymiller

UFCoachWalton

UACoachMurphy

…and you’ll probably also want to check out the other cool softball people I listed in this post and this post.

Happy Tweeting!

This is the kind of interesting and valuable information available in the NCAA’s Guide for the College Bound Student-Athlete (and this guide is free, just Google it for the most current version). If you have any inclination that you *might* want to continue your athletic career in college, then you should definitely have a copy of the NCAA’s Guide. Read it front to back and USE the information and the tools they provide for you in that free guide.

If you’re between your junior and senior year right now: Are you getting calls from coaches? If not, you’re behind the game. Believe me, coaches ARE already contacting players they are interested in. But don’t give up yet!

• Get the NCAA Guide
• Read all the College Recruiting Articles here at AAF
• Check out the other free College Recruiting information AAF provides
• And take action!

If you are feeling overwhelmed and have no idea where to start…If you need someone to take you by the hand and help you put a plan together and get moving in the right direction, there’s no one else I recommend at this time than NCSA. I love these guys because they are good people who are passionate about what they do and they help student-athletes and their families just like yours every single day. Check them out and fill out the form HERE and they’ll call you to help you with that college recruiting plan.

The Competition is FIERCE!

I know, you’re probably thinking, “Duh, I already know that.”

I’m not talking about the competition you’re in for a scholarship, I’m talking about the competition coaches are in battling to get the best players and strengthen their program.

Have you ever thought about that side of it before?

One thing you have to realize about this whole thing is that technology has seriously changed the game.  People are connecting like never before.  Information spreads from one end of the country to the other (heck even around the world) in seconds!  The internet has forever changed communication and, as a result, the college recruiting game.

After all, put yourself in a college coaches shoes for a second.   You’re trying to build the best team possible so that you can have successful seasons and keep your job.  However, with the speed at which information travels now days, if you know about  great player, chances are so do at least a dozen other coaches.  Great news travels fast and news about a great player is certainly no exception.  Wouldn’t you, as a coach, want to be on top of the game and get in touch with this player before some other big fish has the chance to snatch her up?  After all, if you sit back and wait, some other team is going to get stacked up with all the best players and you’re team will end up losing to theirs 8 days a week.

Make no mistake, the competition among coaches to get players for their team is probably close to as fierce as the competition to get that spot on a college team.  That’s why college coaches are starting to identify prospects earlier and earlier. Don’t kid yourself by thinking that this doesn’t happen since college coaches aren’t allowed to talk to players until junior year.  Scholarship funds ARE being “allocated” BEFORE student-athletes reach their junior year for many program.  If you wait until then, it may be too late to get the opportunities you were looking for.

Yes, it’s true that not all colleges are that far ahead of the recruiting time line.  Not all college coaches start looking for prospects in the freshman and sophomore classes.  The FTR Episode I did with Bill Vasko, DII Softball Coach explains that a bit further.   However, why eliminate a chunk of your options simply by making the decision to WAIT in this college recruiting process?

Remember, college coaches are starting earlier and earlier to get a jump on their competition.  That means YOU need to be ready sooner than players of the past.  Don’t wait!  If you’re a high school aged softball player, your journey has already started. What have you done so far?

Need help getting started? Check out these awesome college recruiting resources.

1.  Get the NCAA’s Guide for the College Bound Student-Athlete (free download).  I won’t post a link here because it changes every year as they put out a new publication every year.  But if you Google “NCAA Guide for the College Bound Student-Athlete” you should be able to find it rather quickly.  Get the guide.  Read it cover to cover.  Make sure you understand it and do the things the NCAA suggests.

2.  I have a couple of free college recruiting resources up on our Fastpitch Freebies page.  Check those out as well.

3.  $1 College Recruiting Webinar:  I did a webinar on why it’s so super important to start early.    Got some valuable information in there and it’ll only cost ya a buck.

4.  Online College Recruiting Educational System:  Feel like there’s more you need to know about the college recruiting process?  Learn the ins and outs of college recruiting so that you can create your own blue print for success.

5.  Help from NCSA: The college recruiting process can be overwhelming and frustrating.  If you feel that you need personal assistance through this journey you can get it from people who help families like yours every day.  They are as passionate about what they do as you are about softball.  The only people I recommend for this is NSCA.  As much as I know about this process, I plan in tapping into the wealth of knowledge and expertise they bring to the table when my oldest daughter begins her journey in 2010.

]]> http://allaboutfastpitch.com/Blog/college-recruiting-tip-why-start-early/feed/ 0 http://allaboutfastpitch.com/Blog/why-you-need-a-college-recruiting-plan/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=why-you-need-a-college-recruiting-plan http://allaboutfastpitch.com/Blog/why-you-need-a-college-recruiting-plan/#comments Wed, 03 Jun 2009 18:50:01 +0000 Stacie Mahoe http://allaboutfastpitch.com/Blog/?p=898 Continue reading →]]> So you want to play softball in college and think you have the grades and skills necessary to do so.  That’s great!  But do you have a plan?  Even if you’re one of the best on your team or even in your league, you still need a plan.   Hopefully by the time you finished reading this you’ll understand why.

Being able to continue in sports after high school is over involves more than just good grades and physical ability.

I know a student-athlete who:

• Was a 4-year varsity starter
• Made the all-conference team 3 times
• Made the all-state team 3 times
• Was named player of the year in her conference as a senior
• Graduated with a 3.6 GPA
• Graduated with an Honors diploma from an academically challenging prep school
• Graduated in the top 10% of her class
• Took the SAT only once and scored a 1290 back when the test was still out of 1600
• Was on a “high profile” team (conference champs 4 times, state champs 3 times)

Her senior year the local newspaper did an article on her and said she was “a top college prospect.” In the 15 years her coach led his team to 4 state championships and even he said she was “the best fielding, throwing, hitting, and running player I’ve had in my 15 years of coaching.”

This player had physical ability and strong academics, but no college recruiting plan.

This player was me…

IF you have all of the above going for you right now, then you *may* get lucky like me  and get 1 lonely offer from a DI school.

Why do I call it luck?  Because I did NOTHING to get the word out about my interest in colleges.  I was LUCKY that I live in a small state where college coaches actually pay attention the to the local high school league.  I was LUCKY that the year I entered college, my team had a big incoming class.  My first year in college there were 9 incoming players…NINE!  That’s a lot!

Imagine if the coach only need 1 or 2 incoming players that year.  Would I still have made it? Would I still have received that offer?  Or would the coach  just have picked up the pitchers and catchers or the short stop instead?  I guessing the outfielder who had been invited to try out for the 1996 Olympic team may have beat me out had there been only a few openings on the team that year.

If you don’t have all those things above going for you…

• If you don’t live in a place where college coaches happen to pay good attention to the league you play in
• If you aren’t on a team that’s in the spotlight
• If you don’t have an 1290 or higher SAT (verbal and math only)
• If you aren’t in the top 10% of your class
• If you don’t have a 3.5 GPA or higher
• If you haven’t been a starter every year from the time you were 14
• If you’re local newspaper isn’t writing articles about you
• If the colleges you’re interested in or the ones that are interested in you don’t need 9 players for your recruiting year

…if all those things aren’t lined up for you the way they were for me…then the odds are quite high that you will NOT be as lucky as I was and you will NOT get that scholarship offer I did. Heck, even if they are all lined up and even if your line up is even better than that, why leave it to chance? Why not do everything you can do to give yourself the best chance possible at continuing to play this sport and get your college education at the same time?  Why simply cross your fingers and hope if there’s something you can DO to better your chances.

Crossing your fingers and HOPING is not a plan!

You need a real plan. You only get one shot at this.  There are no do-overs.  There are no second chances.  You only go through high school and the college recruiting process once.   Get educated about it so that you can make the best decisions possible during your journey.

Here are 5 great resources that can help you with this plan:

1.  Get the NCAA’s Guide for the College Bound Student-Athlete (free download).  I won’t post a link here because it changes every year as they put out a new publication every year.  But if you Google “NCAA Guide for the College Bound Student-Athlete” you should be able to find it rather quickly.  Get the guide.  Read it cover to cover.  Make sure you understand it and do the things the NCAA suggests.

2.  I have a couple of free college recruiting resources up on our Fastpitch Freebies page.  Check those out as well.

3.  $1 College Recruiting Webinar:  I did a webinar on why it’s so super important to start early.    Got some valuable information in there and it’ll only cost ya a buck.

4.  Online College Recruiting Educational System:  Feel like there’s more you need to know about the college recruiting process?  Learn the ins and outs of college recruiting so that you can create your own blue print for success.

5.  Help from NCSA: The college recruiting process can be overwhelming and frustrating.  If you feel that you need personal assistance through this journey you can get it from people who help families like yours every day.  They are as passionate about what they do as you are about softball.  The only people I recommend for this is NSCA.  As much as I know about this process, I plan in tapping into the wealth of knowledge and expertise they bring to the table when my oldest daughter begins her journey in 2010.

Here’s what one dad had to say about his experience with Joyce (the “softball lady” at NSCA)…

“My daughter had the pleasure of working with Joyce for the past couple of years.
You will find her well versed in the recruiting process and maybe more
importantly, she has an ability to help calm the nerves of the parents. She
takes a genuine interest in the ladies she is working with. We successfully
concluded our journey with my daughter finding the perfect fit for her. It took
a lot of hard work on my daughter’s part but certainly the journey was made much
easier with the unwavering guidance from Joyce.”

This live blogging even will begin at 7:00 Central (2:00 Hawaii Time).  Share your thoughts on the game and read mine and others as it happens! We won’t be able to go the entire game, but we’ll stay “Live” right here at AAF from 2:00pm-3:00pm Hawaii Time (in other words, for the first hour of the game).

There are a bunch of WCWS stories over at the NCAA website. Read them at

http://www.ncaa.com/sports/w-softbl/ncaa-w-softbl-body.html

But I just wanted to share a few things with you that I saw this past week that stood out in my mind…

1. Pat Murphy pinch hits (with a freshman) for his All-American lead off senior Brittany Rogers (Alabama vs ASU game).

At the time, they trail 2-0 and there are 2 outs. It ended up being a coaching decision that made him look brilliant because this freshman pinch hitter, with 2 outs and 2 strikes launches a grand slam to put Alabama up 4-2. They eventually went on to win that game, but the thing I loved about it (just as much as seeing some awesome “nerve” by a freshman in a pressure situation in a big game/venue) was how Brittany Rogers (the senior All-American that was being pinch hit for) stood at the top step of the dugout cheering her heart out for her teammate to make something happen for their team. Too many players pout and hang their face and send out all kinds of negative vibes when they get replaced or subbed for. Not Rogers, she was there on every single pitch doing whatever she could from the dugout to support her teammate that was brought in from the bench to hit for her. That was soooooo awesome to see! That’s what everyone should be doing from the bench. That’s what every player should do at any given time – ANYTHING and EVERYTHING they can to support and help their team, no matter what the role, starter or not.

2. Carol Hutchins Chats with Home Plate Ump about Illegal Pitches

In addition to Murphy’s substitution, the other piece of coaching that I thought was impressive was Michigan’s Carol Hutchins little chat with the home plate umpire about Georgia’s Hamilton’s illegal-ness of her pitching (step outside that 24-inch area directly in front of the rubber). She was very clear in communicating her point and did so in a firm and direct way that was neither “beggy” nor “insulting.” Michigan ended up losing that game 7-5, but I still was quite impressed with the words she exchanged with the home plate umpire.

3. Drawing the throw on a short fly ball.

I can’t remember what game this was, but I believe it was on Day 1 of the WCWS. I got an opportunity to show my daughter why, even on a short fly ball you know you’re not going to advance on, you still come off the bag hard. Runner was at third and a short fly was hit to center (I believe the game was tied in later innings). Anyway, what happened was the CF caught the ball and the runner at 3rd, although she had no intention of going all the way home on the catch still came off the bag hard for a few strides. This forced the CF to make a strong through in. This throw was well wide of the plate. The catcher made a nice move to stop the ball, but I told my daughter that if that throw had been a little more off or somehow got by the catcher, that runner at 3rd scores the go ahead run even though the fly ball was not deep enough to sacrifice her in. If you don’t come off the bag hard and just stand there in an un-athletic position (absolutely no threat of going), then the outfielder can just take her time and make an easy throw back in to the infield. I believe that runners should force some kind of urgent throw from the outfield (not be stupid and put yourself in jeopardy), but at least explode a few steps off and make that outfielder have to make an urgent strong throw in to the infield or to the plate. If she rushes, if the person she’s throwing to isn’t quite ready, if somehow that ball gets by it’s intended recipient, you may score a run (or get 60 ft closer to home if on 2nd). Challenge the defense…make them work!

The WCWS has been full of great softball excitement. If you haven’t been watching, you’re seriously missing out! There was a homerun hit over the right field fence that was called foul by the umpires, but cameras clearly showed that it landed on the chalk foul line that extends beyond the homerun fence. Then there are all the big hits (home runs and grand slams) and a game where, at one point, a team had 8 runs and ONE player had 7 of the RBIs for that game. I’m sorry, there have been so many teams in so many games that I can’t remember exactly who was playing in each one to tell you teams and player names for these situations, but I remember the plays! Then there’s Schlopy (for Georgia) , if I’m not mistaken, who hit a homerun in her 1st AND 2nd at bat in a game. She was a solid defender in CF, then ended up PITCHING in a game. She just one example of the serious skills and talent some of these girls have.  And how about the UW pitcher who not only pitched, but helped her team out on offense with a Grand Slam in the semis? Even Michelle Smith mentioned it on twitter: @MicheleSmith32 “I say all the above & pitchers who hit ROCK!! ” - that was posted by her during the UW/Georgia game.

Like I said, lots of cool softball stuff going on in the series. I can’t possibly tell you about them all, but if there’s anything else I think of that really stands out (or I forgot to mention here and remember about later), I’ll let you know.

So, fighting for the championship (which begins tonight) is the Washington Huskies and the Florida Gators. Neither program has ever won a WCWS title, so it’ll be a first for either program.

The Gators have lost a ridiculously low number of games this season. I think I heard the commentators say only 3 loses all season! That’s just unbelievable. No wonder their ranked No. 1 – yes, as you can tell, I haven’t really been following college softball this season. The odds were completely against Alabama in the semi-final when they were faced with the challenge of having to beat them twice in ONE day to get into the championship)! They’ve only lost 3 games all season, highly unlikely that they were going to drop 2 in one day.

Anyway – who are you rooting for in the final?

Who do you think will actually win?

Leave a comment below and share your thoughts!

*Updated: Twitter Responses*

JessicaJobes@staciemahoe GO HUSKIES!!!!

MelakneeRows@staciemahoe i’m going with the gators. =]

* What Coach Vasko looks for in potential recruits
* What Coach Vasko looks for in potential recruits
* How to avoid common mistake players make when contacting college coaches
* How Coach Vasko coaches his hitters
* Coach Vasko’s take on sports specialization
* Practice organization
* How to incorporate the mental game into practice
* How the DII recruiting timeline is different from the DI timeline and why
* Which skill Coach Vasko spends more time on (defense vs hitting)
* What Coach Vasko’s “top priority” is for each recruiting class he brings in
* …and more

Good stuff right?

Well, after the call, I actually received an e-mail a woman who was on the call asking me to please let her know when the recording was available because she wanted to listen to it again and take notes!

So, if you want to hear it again, or if you missed it the first time, you can check it out right now at Fastpitch Talk Radio.  It’s up and ready for you to listen to online or download and save to your computer or mp3 player.

Enjoy!

Now, I have to say, I’ve never done the P90X program and I’ve never even really seen all the workouts included in the program so I can’t personally recommend it at this time. However, one day when I was working out using some of the exercises from Barry’s Core Power programs, I had someone ask me if all the stuff I do is from P90X.  So I do know that there is some overlap.

I definitely wouldn’t recommend the workout to everybody because it is an “extreme” program (thus the name).  However, if you are in good shape and do want to train like some college players are training, you may be interested in learning more about it.  Definitely do your research before you try anything.  All I know right now is…

1. Some of my family members tried it and loved it (and they weren’t even “elite” athletes) and

2.  There ARE college players out there who are using it

Of course, price wise, P90X is not cheap.  Barry’s Core Power program is certainly less costly and I think, for younger age levels especially, I would simply go with that. I don’t think it’s necessary to spend huge dollars on a workout program at the 10U/12U age level.  Even if you are at a more elite level remember that Barry does also work with a few NPF players, so it’s not as if his programs are only for beginners.  I also have personal experience with Barry’s Core Power workouts and I do think they are awesome!

But if you’re looking for more training ideas (so training doesn’t get boring) or a more “extreme” challenge, I’ll be checking out P90X soon.  I’ll let you know what I think after I’ve had a chance to see it in action myself.

If you’ve had experience with P90X what do you think of it as a training program for softball players?

I recently mentioned that one of the most frequently asked questions I get here at AllAboutFastpitch.com is, “What should I do to get my daughter noticed?”

I had a coach respond that he gets that question all the time too and it drives him crazy.  He felt that if a player is good enough and has the talent, they’ll get noticed.

But that’s not the myth.  (You thought maybe it was right?)

Actually, I AGREE with this coach to a certain extent. 

He’s right.  If a player is phenomenal on the field and is a great player and athlete, chances are very good that they will get “noticed.”  HOWEVER (and this is a BIG however)…

“Getting Noticed” and getting a scholarship offer are two completely different things.  In fact they can be so far apart that often times they are pretty darn close to being at opposite ends of the spectrum.  Getting noticed can sometimes be right up against Not Getting Noticed in the grand scheme of things.

What the heck am I talking about?  There are sooooo many athletes out the that “get noticed.”  College coaches find out about them.  They will even admit that the players is a great player.  Great arm, great speed, can really hit the ball.  Sounds great right?  This player “got noticed” college coaches recognize the talent.  That’s awesome!  Until you find out that those college coaches are already DONE recruiting for the class that player is in and has no more scholarship funding left.

So yes, these players got noticed, but did it really matter?  They still didn’t get a spot on the team much less funding for that spot.  So “getting noticed” didn’t get them much further than the student-athlete next door that didn’t get noticed.  They are still both in the same boat: not sure of what the future holds and hoping to find a place to further their education and hopefully continue playing ball.

You see,  getting an offer is a completely different animal from “getting noticed.”

Here’s the myth I was talking about…

MYTH: If you’re good enough to play college ball, coaches will find you and want you on their team.

When I was in high school I believed that myth. I thought that if I was good enough to play at the college level, the coaches would find me.  I had no idea how they would do that, but for some reason, that’s how I thought it worked.  It wasn’t that someone had told me that’s the way it was, it’s just what I thought.

But I couldn’t have been more wrong. Yes, I got offers and yes, I signed with a DI school, but I consider myself extremely fortunate given the fact that I did NOTHING to put my name out there.  I’ll tell you more about why I fell like I got lucky in another post.

Right now I want to tell you about a softball mom that recently e-mailed me.  Her daughter is going to be a junior. They started contacting coaches over spring break only to find out that most of the coaches they contacted had already locked up their scholarship money for her class. These coaches were just about done doing the recruiting for her class and she’s going to be a junior. That means this family started contacting coaches during spring break sophomore year in high school and Mom is feeling frustrated that they started this process too late.

If you are already past spring break of your sophomore year in high school and you haven’t started yet, there is a chance that you will also feel some of the same frustration that this softball mom, player, and family are feeling right now.  If you are in high school and you’re not ready right now to hang up your cleat forever - GET STARTED NOW!

I understand that you may be unsure of how to start or what to do next if you’ve already taken the first few steps.  One thing is certain, you DO need a plan if you want to avoid unnecessary stress, disappointment, and frustration AND give yourself the best chance at a successful journey through the college recruiting process.

If you’d like someone contact you one-on-one to start creating your personalized plan visit this link to  Get started now .

If you run an organization/club/tournament/clinic/camp and would like me to come and speak with the families in your organization or at your event and share the 5 Things You Must Know and the 5 Things You Must Do in regards to the college recruiting process, contact me and I’ll do everything I can to get that set up.  e-mail: staciemahoe [at] gmail.com