5 Tips to Finding the Best College Coach For You
Communicate with a College Coach Early and Often
As an athlete you know what type of coaching you like and what type of coaching you don’t. Get a jump on finding the right college opportunity by talking with the coach early and often. Too many recruits assume they would like to play for a certain team based on the school or location and realize they don’t like the coaching style of the program.
How to Research Potential College Coaches
The college search is a time-consuming activity. Before you can actually begin talking with a coach, you should do your homework and be prepared. There is a great new tool to help athletes in researching colleges. CollegeScoutingReport.com creates professional scouting reports that include interviews with the coach and former athletes. These reports give any athlete the type of information they need to make an informed decision about a college program.
Get Your Foot in the Door
Recruiting is competitive. Think of all the other athletes out there wanting a chance to play their sport at the college level. Recruits need to find ways to stand out. College coaches are going to be more interested in athletes who have been actively reaching out to them and are knowledgeable about their program compared with an athlete who is only looking for a scholarship.
How Well Do You and the College Coach Mesh?
One of the last items recruits consider during their recruitment is how well they will fit in with a particular college team. This should be one of the first things you consider about a school. Getting a good vibe from the head coach and the team can make or break your recruiting experience. You should talk to both coaches and athletes. Remember, coaches are in the business of signing recruits and the insight you get from a former athlete will give you a better sense of what it is like to play for that coach.
Make Sure You Are Prepared
We often hear about recruits who are not fully prepared for recruiting, and when the time comes to talk with coaches, they have no input or questions to ask. This is an unfortunate situation because to the coach it can come across as the athlete being uninterested. It is your job to show a coach you are interested by being prepared with questions and ready to engage when you get the opportunity to speak with them.