Connection
Polish Your Connection
Connecting with the path that you want to take is so important. It’s not just researching what is on the internet but taking a deeper look at everything! There are so many components to connecting. Are you results oriented? Then you need a detailed plan for how to get to the end destination even though you may not control all the factors in getting there. You will need to understand the factors that are being considered by the College Coaches.
It’s more than just talent that gets you there so let’s talk about the need to connect. How do you know you’ll fit in. Let’s flip it and you go and recruit the College Coaches and their program. Do you look like their players? Could you replace the athlete playing your position TODAY? Do they have a trusting relationship with your Coach or Club? Are you working the way that they work every day to be just like them? Does the College Coach develop and teach the way you’re used to learning? Have you seen them Coach a game? When you watch a game, take notes on how they do their pregame and how they coach during a game. Look deep into their styles both verbally and non-verbally. See if you can identify their style and see what techniques you will need to develop to understand the Coach’s Preferences.
So, you had a bad game? We hear Student Athletes say that all the time. The College Coaches are not typically keeping score or counting how many at-bats you had or your batting or fielding average. They’re usually watching your approach to the opportunity and your skill set and mechanics and then mostly, how you handle the challenge. Personally, I hate when someone says it is a game of failure. It’s the GAME! It is how it is played, that is the challenge. It is rare for a perfect performance. On the flip side, elite talent, recruit-able athletes rarely have a bad game. It may have not been their best performance but you’re showcasing so much more than the actual results of a play. Attitude, coachability, teamwork, spirit on the bench, and showing your love for the game are more valuable when the Coaches are watching.
When you finally get the chance to meet with the College Coaches after they have done their homework on you, have you done your homework on them? So many Student Athletes ask routine, obvious questions that were written down from some “how to get recruited” handbook instead of being a Student of the process and really dig into the components that make it a fit for you, not for the one dad on Facebook that told you how he got his kid recruited. Tactics and Plans that may have worked for one athlete most likely won’t work for the next. Each player has their own individual path.
When connecting via email, find out the purpose of your email. Is it to invite them to see you play? Is it a follow up to a previous meeting or event? How do you know they read it and you’re providing what they need from you? Everyone thinks that this process is really easy and there is just a few steps to complete. It is clearly not a straight line to the end result and definitely needs to be customized to fit your situation.
Time Management is a foreign concept to most Student Athletes because their parents are still organizing their schedules and making sure that they’re getting where they need to go. A certain College Coach (one we would all consider a GOAT) once shared with me that the failure and struggle for the Freshmen is always Time Management. She explained that they’ve never been taught the tools to handle all the details of a daily schedule for a Student Athlete. It’s overwhelming and they didn’t learn the tools to manage their own schedule. Sounds so simple but we (at Collegiate Sports Advocate) have a yearly presentation implemented to help develop time management skills among our clients and even some of them still say the “Freshman Fall” (Fall Semester of their Freshman Year) is so overwhelming. Have priorities, eliminate time wasters, write it all down, and prepare for success!
When connecting with Coaches at camps or clinics, try everything they suggest including the uncomfortable things. We often hear that, “Student Athletes are Uncoachable” or “Unwilling to step out of their Comfort Zone” and it’s TRUE! It is so rare to find a Student Athlete that has it all and is willing to go above and beyond to get better. Everyone has their ceiling and the space that becomes a stretch goal or reach. Are you doing everything possible to be the best YOU and are you able to show that to College Coaches at every event? Always be thinking of how to turn all thoughts and suggestions into action by saying “yes” to the ideas. Try it.
Connecting is not all about the College Coaches either. Our family has said for many years “As long as you play the game you will either play with them or against them forever, so be nice!” Connecting with every member of your team or other attendees at camps and clinics is important too. They have friends and influences in the sport too. Everywhere you go, you leave an impression with those you’ve met. Get to know them and see where the connection will take you.
Part of connection is eliminating the excuses. When you’re connecting you’ve eliminated all of the obstacles in the way of getting to the college that best fits you. You’re communicating, listening, applying feedback, self-evaluating, working with Advocates or Mentors that keep it real. When it is important to you, it CAN be done! When you’re asked to do something that someone else believes will benefit you, then try make it a priority. They want to help you be better than the rest. If it’s important to you, you will find the time. There are plenty of things to eliminate that are sucking the time away from the really important things for you, like Social Media. When posed with a choice to do what is better for you that requires some time and effort or something that is just fun and feels good today, pick the one that will add the most value to you long term and if you’re not sure what the answer is then call an Advocate!
There is no greater feeling in connecting with others than someone that really appreciates you and what you do for them and others. Thank people often and set a daily intention to acknowledge something in everyone you meet that you appreciate about them. Make it a personal intention to notice and you’ll see how good it makes you feel too. Then you’ll really appreciate when someone does the same thing to you! Be grateful and let others know. Sounds so simple and easy and yet it is rarely done and so rewarding!
Connecting with the path that you want to take is so important. It’s not just researching what is on the internet but taking a deeper look at everything! There are so many components to connecting. Are you results oriented? Then you need a detailed plan for how to get to the end destination even though you may not control all the factors in getting there. You will need to understand the factors that are being considered by the College Coaches.
It’s more than just talent that gets you there so let’s talk about the need to connect. How do you know you’ll fit in. Let’s flip it and you go and recruit the College Coaches and their program. Do you look like their players? Could you replace the athlete playing your position TODAY? Do they have a trusting relationship with your Coach or Club? Are you working the way that they work every day to be just like them? Does the College Coach develop and teach the way you’re used to learning? Have you seen them Coach a game? When you watch a game, take notes on how they do their pregame and how they coach during a game. Look deep into their styles both verbally and non-verbally. See if you can identify their style and see what techniques you will need to develop to understand the Coach’s Preferences.
So, you had a bad game? We hear Student Athletes say that all the time. The College Coaches are not typically keeping score or counting how many at-bats you had or your batting or fielding average. They’re usually watching your approach to the opportunity and your skill set and mechanics and then mostly, how you handle the challenge. Personally, I hate when someone says it is a game of failure. It’s the GAME! It is how it is played, that is the challenge. It is rare for a perfect performance. On the flip side, elite talent, recruit-able athletes rarely have a bad game. It may have not been their best performance but you’re showcasing so much more than the actual results of a play. Attitude, coachability, teamwork, spirit on the bench, and showing your love for the game are more valuable when the Coaches are watching.
When you finally get the chance to meet with the College Coaches after they have done their homework on you, have you done your homework on them? So many Student Athletes ask routine, obvious questions that were written down from some “how to get recruited” handbook instead of being a Student of the process and really dig into the components that make it a fit for you, not for the one dad on Facebook that told you how he got his kid recruited. Tactics and Plans that may have worked for one athlete most likely won’t work for the next. Each player has their own individual path.
When connecting via email, find out the purpose of your email. Is it to invite them to see you play? Is it a follow up to a previous meeting or event? How do you know they read it and you’re providing what they need from you? Everyone thinks that this process is really easy and there is just a few steps to complete. It is clearly not a straight line to the end result and definitely needs to be customized to fit your situation.
Time Management is a foreign concept to most Student Athletes because their parents are still organizing their schedules and making sure that they’re getting where they need to go. A certain College Coach (one we would all consider a GOAT) once shared with me that the failure and struggle for the Freshmen is always Time Management. She explained that they’ve never been taught the tools to handle all the details of a daily schedule for a Student Athlete. It’s overwhelming and they didn’t learn the tools to manage their own schedule. Sounds so simple but we (at Collegiate Sports Advocate) have a yearly presentation implemented to help develop time management skills among our clients and even some of them still say the “Freshman Fall” (Fall Semester of their Freshman Year) is so overwhelming. Have priorities, eliminate time wasters, write it all down, and prepare for success!
When connecting with Coaches at camps or clinics, try everything they suggest including the uncomfortable things. We often hear that, “Student Athletes are Uncoachable” or “Unwilling to step out of their Comfort Zone” and it’s TRUE! It is so rare to find a Student Athlete that has it all and is willing to go above and beyond to get better. Everyone has their ceiling and the space that becomes a stretch goal or reach. Are you doing everything possible to be the best YOU and are you able to show that to College Coaches at every event? Always be thinking of how to turn all thoughts and suggestions into action by saying “yes” to the ideas. Try it.
Connecting is not all about the College Coaches either. Our family has said for many years “As long as you play the game you will either play with them or against them forever, so be nice!” Connecting with every member of your team or other attendees at camps and clinics is important too. They have friends and influences in the sport too. Everywhere you go, you leave an impression with those you’ve met. Get to know them and see where the connection will take you.
Part of connection is eliminating the excuses. When you’re connecting you’ve eliminated all of the obstacles in the way of getting to the college that best fits you. You’re communicating, listening, applying feedback, self-evaluating, working with Advocates or Mentors that keep it real. When it is important to you, it CAN be done! When you’re asked to do something that someone else believes will benefit you, then try make it a priority. They want to help you be better than the rest. If it’s important to you, you will find the time. There are plenty of things to eliminate that are sucking the time away from the really important things for you, like Social Media. When posed with a choice to do what is better for you that requires some time and effort or something that is just fun and feels good today, pick the one that will add the most value to you long term and if you’re not sure what the answer is then call an Advocate!
There is no greater feeling in connecting with others than someone that really appreciates you and what you do for them and others. Thank people often and set a daily intention to acknowledge something in everyone you meet that you appreciate about them. Make it a personal intention to notice and you’ll see how good it makes you feel too. Then you’ll really appreciate when someone does the same thing to you! Be grateful and let others know. Sounds so simple and easy and yet it is rarely done and so rewarding!