Posting your highlight video might just guarantee that you are never recruited. There. I said it. I feel better now.
I know. I know. You are proud of your efforts. You made a great play, or two, or ten, and you want to share it with your friends. If you are a parent and you are proud of your youngster, you post in on social media, and no one outside of your circle with see it. Right?
Not so fast.
The current trend involves players taking their film study clips, mashing them together, and posting them online. They share with friends, people they want to impress, teammates, family, and their own ego. Here’s what happens…it gets seen. Unfortunately, in most cases, it should not be seen.
You may be showing more than you think. You may be showing more than you want. You may be turning a coach against considering you. There are several reasons why you should share your skills. There are far more reasons to edit what you share, be careful of what you send, and be careful about who you send it to.
Ask your coach to help you. They have a better idea of what a next level coach might want to see. They certainly have a better idea of what they do not want to see. Or, how much of it they want to see. Ask them. They can go through the game tapes and tell you yes or no on which plays to share. They can give you some insight as to what a coach wants to see.
Ask a college coach what he wants to see. It helps to know their system. It helps to know what they use to scout. What kind of players do they have, and what kind do they need. What are the important measurables, and what are the important intangibles. They can tell you how many plays, or how long the video should be. They will also tell you the best way to send it to them. Or the best site to post it on. They can tell you what camps they trust, and importantly, what programs they trust.
What mom and dad posted or videoed might be great for impressing the cute girl, maybe not so much for the Division 1 quarterback coach. What you did vs the second team, while productive, only shows them that your competition isn’t very good. What you did in one game is not the same as what you do every game. A different route, a different pitching sequence, hitting different pitches off different pitchers in different games, shooting contested jumpers against quality defenders, or your third fatigued rep on a weight machine. What is the time of your third 40-yard dash? How do you perform when tired?
No point in sending pro style offensive tapes to some coaches. No reason to send batting cage work to others. No point in showing shooting drills if they do not show shots that you wont take in games, or in their system. No point in showing workouts that do not fit what they do. Ask them what they use, and they will actually appreciate you doing so. You will send them a tape that makes sense to them, works for them, and can tell them what they want and need to know.
Most videos are not watched with detail unless it is a known entity. The highlight reel can be an introduction, or it can be a good bye. The route you ran might work in that one game vs the guy who will never play again, but will it be good enough vs a monster? Are you running the route the way they teach it? Are your hands where they need to be? Are you taking good shots? Are you making next level plays?
If you are sharing videos just to share them, go for it. But, if you are sharing them to be SEEN, make sure that they are benefitting your goal.
Be careful what you say about yourself on film. College scouts and coaches will believe what they see, and not what you tell them.