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High school soccer is in full swing again! Many of you players are at the age that you need to start thinking about college recruitment.
College showcases and camps are usually the best way to get in front of coaches.🎓 But having a great highlight reel will also help you get on the radar of several college coaches.
Blayze professional soccer coach Mike Semenza shares his wisdom with you on making an impactful college recruitment highlight reel.📽
Make the Video Position Specific
Make sure the video shows how you are technically proficient in your position.
⭐Defenders need to focus on defending, possession, and distribution of the ball.
⭐Midfielders must show their ball skills, 1v1 dominations, and quick transitions.
⭐Winger will want to focus on their runs, their athleticism, and movement off the ball.
Front-Load Your Highlights
Because humans naturally lose interest,😴 you should have your top five plays in the first 30 seconds of the video. Those amazing goals or superior saves should not be saved for the end of the video.
Use an Arrow➡
It sounds simple, but many players leave out markers and arrows ⬇ to indicate who they are on the field. If implementing graphics into videos (like arrows) is not something you are comfortable doing, find a professional or someone who can help to add graphics. How are coaches going to know whom to watch if you do not clearly highlight who you are? They will lose interest and move on.
Real-Game Footage🎥
Coaches are interested in your impact on a game, they are not interested in training sessions. College coaches want to see you on the field, within game context. They are looking for your athleticism, off-ball movement, vision, and play-making opportunities.
Make an Introduction
You want to ensure that the coaches know who you are. You can make a video introduction or a textual introduction slide. 🙋♀️Coaches and recruiters will want to know your name, number, position, your high school graduation year, and a way for the coaches to contact you.
3 Seconds
College coaches state they like to watch 3 seconds before and after “the play.” That means if you are showing your assist skills. Start the video footage 3 seconds before the assist and 3 seconds after.😎
Second Opinions
It is always advisable to show your coaches or trainers your video reel. Let them give you feedback on if you need better videos, more highlights, etc. They see you play more than anyone so they might have an insight into one of the stronger💪 skills you are forgetting to highlight.
Do you have a question that you want answered? Reply to this email with your question and you might see it answered in our next newsletter!
Article of the week: Do’s and Don’ts of College Recruiting
Great quick read from US Youth Soccer on ways to navigate the college recruitment scene.
Video of the Week: Blayze Coaching Preview
Ever wonder what a Blayze private coaching session looks like? Check out this video clip here!
