Camps are important for an athlete’s development, and anybody bound for college sports will probably spend a lot of time at them.
It’s easy enough to register and show up – but what can you do once you get there to help your recruiting prospects?
1. Get Great Coaching
Good camps will have good staff, and it can be an opportunity for you to work with talented coaches and trainers in your sport. Instead of just sitting there while they talk, ask good questions and improve your technique. They’ll appreciate it, and so will college coaches when they see you stepping up your game with moves you learned from a veteran.
2. Don’t Make the Camp Into Something It’s Not
There’s a myth out there that camps are a way to get “discovered” by college coaches – that’s just not true. When a coach goes to a camp, he or she is going there to check out athletes they know about and have been in touch with. There are a lot of great opportunities to improve your game and your recruiting prospects at a camp – getting “discovered” isn’t one of them.
3. Tell Coaches You’ve Contacted to Come See You
You saw that coaches are watching athletes they’re already talking to, right? So if you’re already talking to coaches – especially if they’re in the area of the camp – make sure you tell them to come! Highlight video is crucial in recruiting but there’s no substitute for getting in front of a coach for them to watch you live, in person. Inviting them will show them that you’re interested and on top of your recruiting process, that you’re interested in their school, and if you bring it, you can impress them with your skills.
Bonus tip: if more than one coach is there watching you, it could help your leverage by showing that you have interest from multiple programs.
4. Build Your Resume
Going to camps shows that you’re serious and dedicated about your sport, and that you’ve been working on your technique with skilled coaches. Invite-only or highly competitive camps can really stand out on your athletic resume and demonstrate ability. Make sure you post the camps you’ve attended on your NCSA recruiting profile so coaches can see the work you’ve put in.
5. Get a Feel for Elite Competition
Especially if you play in a smaller division, camps are a chance to go up against some tough competition. Whether you’re used to dominating everyone on the field and it’s getting boring or you just feel like you a better practice partner could help you take your game to the next level, go all-out in drills and get comfortable competing against other elite athletes – you’ll need to be if you are going to play in college.
Bonus tip: if you can, get film of you at a camp. Coaches will respect that you are testing yourself and a great play will mean more if you’re doing it against elite competition.
Camps are a big opportunity – know what they’re good for and what they aren’t, and they can be a big asset in your college recruiting process.
Want to learn more about how to use camps to get ahead in recruiting? Call 866.495.7727 to talk with a college scout. Click here to build a recruiting profile so you can post your camp experiences where college coaches can see them.
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