TIPS FOR CREATING A VOLLEYBALL RECRUITING VIDEO

College coaches get hundreds, sometimes thousands, of recruiting videos each day. For all the time junior’s players and parents put in to making these videos, coaches spend a fraction of that time watching them. Some turn off the video after the first clip.

Much like an interview, a recruiting video is a player’s shot at a first impression and no one wants their video turned off after the first clip. A recruiting video should capture a coach’s attention from the first clip. The best recruiting videos include accurate highlights according to the player’s position and sent in a personalized email. If a 6’ outside hitter who touches 10’5”, then this must be made clear as the first order of business. A lot of coaches won’t continue watching if they don’t know those stats.

Here is LAVA’s perspective of what college coaches look for in recruiting videos.

No More than Five Seconds of Text
Identifying the player’s name, a head shot, number in the video, position, height, wingspan, standing reach, block touch, attack touch, GPA (for those schools who will not even bother looking at it unless you have a minimum GPA), and player’s email and position.

Real Time Highlights Specific to the Position
Outsides:

• Serve Receive Footwork to attack and Transition Footwork to attack.
• Blocking Footwork off the net to attack.
• Defense.
• Serve Receive.
• Serving.

Setters:

• Serve Receive and Transition Setting.
• Defense and Blocking.
• Serving.

Middles:

• Serve Receive Footwork to attack and Transition Footwork to attack.
• Blocking Footwork off the net to attack.
• Serve and Defense, if applicable.

Liberos:

• No attacking needed.
• Serve Receive and Defense.
• Serving.

Serving should be included, but not an emphasis
Unfortunately, coaches evaluate all the other skills before they do serving. It is more than likely because they can easily teach one how to serve once they are part of the program.

Include both sides of the court
Coaches do NOT like to see video taken from behind the sidelines. From behind a baseline is best.

Identify the Athlete
Before the play (arrow, circle, etc.), or by number at the beginning of the video.

Not every touch has to be perfect
This is why it is critical to include raw unedited footage and not only highlights.