Clinics are not camps

[Seahawks02]

Is it appropriate to label a clinic as a camp. I am seeing alot of this and feel it needs said..I have been through several of both and a camp is significantly different than a clinic. So far a camp , as I see it, is the way to go if you are wanting to get your daughter opportunities.

 

[yocoach]

I would agree with you. A camp should, and used to be, a series of drills that would give the coaching staff valuable knowledge about the skill level of the attendees. These are used to introduce prospective players to the coaching staff and vice versa. Clinics should be pretty much pure instruction and learning opportunities. That said, with the recruiting rules finally being enforced the only times college coaches can interact with players younger than their Junior Year of HS is in an instructional setting. Thus, many camps are now clinics.

 

[DanMaz]

good point yocoach. not to be negative Nancy here Monday morning BUT ----- a lot of these camps are for fund raisers for the college. The players are supposed to interact with the camp attendees, (rarely happens) attendees get to play live games usually with the college coaches and players are usually involved in some way (not as much as they should be)... and head coach gives a recruiting talk session. (eyes rolled) From MY experience and my opinion... those are a waste of time especially the younger ages say 14u and under. a lot of times players that are already on the college lists of potential players they want to possibly recruit are attending the same camps /clinic and a lot of the attention goes to them. (not all the time but most often) So if you are not on the "list" yet when attending these, your chance for opportunity is not that great. We attended probably 4 or 5 d1 camps years ago and this is how it was run.... now, we haven't been to a clinic or camp in a while but I will say this... D1 Super Select Summer showcase in mid June has been hands down the absolute best camp and instructional clinic around that I have ever been to in the state of Ohio. This is not a plug... this is a fact. College coaches from mostly D1 - and some D2 run this camp / clinic together. not the outlaws... not Warren or Emma... ALL college coaches organize and work together putting on the best clinic camp around. Imagine 30 coaches from 30 different schools working together running the entire clinic using 4 or 5 fields at the same time rotating each small group of athletes from one field to the next... you are not only going to one school for a clinic... you are going to a clinic ran by numerous coaches from a huge number of different colleges all in one place at the same time. This is how clinics / camps should be run. Biggest Bang for your buck hands down. and this is where you will get your daughters opportunities you are looking for. Good luck in your search!
Remember....
Student / Athlete = academics 1st. (no matter how good of a player you are... if your grades are not good you won't play anyways! (this isn't football)
Find a school(s) and state or area you like that offers academics you want for your future to graduate with. Then focus on how to get that softball scholarship from there...

 

[DanMaz]

I do think it's really cool that finally the college players can make a buck by putting on their own skills clinics IE- slapping, pitching, catching etc.... years ago this was a no no. But now rules have changed and you can search specific skills camps / clinics that fit your specific needs as a player. and college players can make a buck!! These would be something totally different than a college putting one on. If you want to fine tune your skills; find a specific clinic that hones in on what you need. college camps and clinics are a good experience, dont get me wrong but if you think - hey if I go to as many camps as possible, I will be recruited. There is a better formula than that.

 

[SbSpirit]

Clinic specific detail provided.
Camp general participation.

 

[Seahawks02]

I think this should be labeled correctly. I found this out the financial way. I have seen it used multiple times since looking into it.This can seem overwhelming to a parent trying trying to find opportunities for their daughter.

 

[DanMaz]

Seahawks... what exactly are you looking for? Maybe i can help you decide which direction to go in for your DD. dont get confused on clinic or camps.
what is her current age? Are you just testing the waters or are you ready to narrow down the list and start a serious run at the school (s) at the top of her list? How big of a roster does the schools currently have? do you know anything about the current coaching staff? How many players are currently on the roster playing the same position your DD does? (sometimes the staff doesnt matter because there is turn over there too--) I have seen girls get verbals from one staff and by the time they are juniors or seniors the coaching staff changes and then ... sometimes the new staff has their own recruits and dont always take the previous staff's verbals... it can get crazy. dont put all your eggs in one basket.

 

[Seahawks02]

Honestly this is new and overwhelming for her. These are all great questions. We are trying our best to find her direction. She's 17. Only a junior. So many questions and directions to go. Having connections and direction is so helpful to those new to this world. Time is going by so fast!!!

 

[DanMaz]

now is the time to get moving!! you can PM me or let me know your concerns here... i am sure many others will also give a helping hand.

 

[Seahawks02]

What should an interested school look like at this level of the game?

 

[DanMaz]

What should an interested school look like at this level of the game?

has her head coach been contacted by any schools ? Does she have a list of schools she currently is interested in? is she looking to go to school locally or out of state? I assume her grades are good or very good? what positions does she play? do you have any videos of her skills etc..... what team does she play for? does the team attend any showcases or plan to attend this spring summer? now is the time to make things happen! how many schools has she contacted ? how many camps or clinics of the schools on her list has she gone to?

 

[Seahawks02]

She has a list of schools. Very good grades. Straight As in advanced classes. Local schools. Middle infield and outfield. Skills video is being edited. She plays for the Attack. Summer schedule has some showcases in it. Contacted 10 to 15 schools. Went to 3 or 4 camps or clinics. Responses from 3. Some YouTube videos of plays.

 

[DanMaz]

What should an interested school look like at this level of the game?

a school that is interested should be inviting her to camps / clinics and even to take a tour of the school with or without the coach, possibly meet with the team and even participate in a practice(s) with them depending on the time of year and what grade she is in. her head coach should be able to offer some guidelines as to where she is if the said school has contacted them too. I was trying to find the link where Coach Joe A. listed exactly how he would like to see potential players email him when they are playing in a showcase. Jersey # is something often forgotten... coaches dont have time to try and dig around and try to find out your jersey number. Team name, includng the head coaches... not just Outlaws... Outlaws / Masiello is the way to do it. Dont give the coaches partial info... give them everything they need to come watch with no guessing. Must include field numbers, exact game times, name and address of fields, dates, jersey numbers and positions playing... have a player profile with grades and all contact information including head coaches information. make videos with no music. must be clear videos. must be able to tell which player is your daughter etc.... make it dummy proof. hope this helps! feel free to add more ?'s here or PM me and I will try to help any way I can. Good Luck! oh and if there is a field change due to weather or delays... you must follow up as soon as possible and pass that info to the coaches too.

 

[DanMaz]

Is she set on D1 - D2 D3 or does it matter?

 

[DanMaz]

one other thing comes to mind... as much as i hate it. Twitter. get attack's coach and get her on twitter. post games, highlights, schedules and try to get a following. be careful and do not post dumb stuff on there just all positive positive softball related stuff. you will be surprised by how many colleges will start to follow you and her team. It takes work... dont wait for it to come to you- GO GET IT!

 

[yocoach]

First suggestion is to look at your daughter's area of interest of study and the programs offered by those 10-15 schools. Find the best fits for her and narrow that list down to 5 plus 1 or 2 "Dream Schools". 10-15 is almost like a shotgun approach. She'll find that 5 or 6 is much less overwhelming and easier to maintain a relationship with that number of coaches. Then start emailing those coaches. Long and short of it is to pick the school for academics and the amenities she wants on campus. Then work on the softball coaches.

Another suggestion is to pick the level of play based on her interest of study. For example, if she wants to be a nurse, then take a serious look at D3 schools such as Ohio Northern which have an outstanding program which works hand in hand with their softball coaches/program or a D2 school such as Alderson Broadus in WV which does the same thing.

The important thing to remember is that she is a student-athlete. Notice which word comes first in the description. She is going to college to get an education which will prepare her for a good career. Playing softball should be nothing more than icing on the cake so to speak.

That said, emailing the coaches, letting her personality shine through those emails, expressing interest in the program, following their SB program, going to clinics/camps, providing links to the game livestream if anyone is doing it so they can watch tournament play, providing your tournament schedule and then weekly providing the game and field schedule and as DanMaz already said, Twitter. Provide a link for the college coaches to follow her if they so desire. Pretty standard stuff yet vitally important. But there are some tricks to some of this stuff that can be used readily to her advantage. Here's a couple as an example. Most college programs play Friday and Saturday. If practical, go see a game or two and have DD introduce herself to the coaches afterwards so they can not only put a face to the name but see that she's serious about her interest in the program and is following it. While at their clinics/camps, make sure that she is hustling and picking up the balls as much as possible to get and keep her front and center to the coaching staff as she delivers the bucket to them.

 

[SbSpirit]

Without knowing what type of talent level she is. Sounds like she has good grades and is playing travel ball. 99% of recruitment is the player making the connection. If she already has great grades and that list of college should be 10 or more colleges. Sending that information to the colleges directly is important to get her name in front of the college coaches. Plus~ attend camps of selected top colleges she wants to go to with a realistic view of her Talent level is, and what camp college she is going to. If she is not a D1 Talent obviously don't think that you will go to D1 camps for recruitment purpose,...
other than maybe a comparison purpose.
Going to d3 camps being that she already has grades... grades open the door.

It does happen that you can apply for colleges and get into the college and the administration will already be offering academic money for the good grades.( without any coach or softball involved) And then you can include that info in emails and conversation while talking with the coaches. (letting coach know player athlete is already accepted into college if she wants) It can help prompt sports recruitment knowing that a player has already been accepted into a school even though they have not even met a softball coach yet. There are even examples of the administration wanting particular good grade athletes to come to their school and will speak on behalf of the athlete with the coaching staff about their acceptance already into the college.

 

[Stedman00]

She has a list of schools. Very good grades. Straight As in advanced classes. Local schools. Middle infield and outfield. Skills video is being edited. She plays for the Attack. Summer schedule has some showcases in it. Contacted 10 to 15 schools. Went to 3 or 4 camps or clinics. Responses from 3. Some YouTube videos of plays.

Is the travel coach promoting her to the college coaches that he/she is talking to this fall & winter?

 

[Passion4theGame]

She has a list of schools. Very good grades. Straight As in advanced classes. Local schools. Middle infield and outfield. Skills video is being edited. She plays for the Attack. Summer schedule has some showcases in it. Contacted 10 to 15 schools. Went to 3 or 4 camps or clinics. Responses from 3. Some YouTube videos of plays.

She needs to be playing the high level competition every weekend during summer. Full Blown showcase schedule is best. Those coaches are already planning to go to those events to see others. Get your name in the hat.

Maybe have her tryout for another team that's playing a solid showcase schedule. Playing the right schedule is part of the battle.

Emailing coaches every week. Once on Wednesday or Thursday with schedule, game times, field locations, address, jersey #, and positions she will be playing. Again email the coach on monday after the event thanking them for coming out but also give them a short summary on how your TEAM performed over the weekend. Its a chance to brag about your team not yourself. Countinue the emails and never be affraid to set up a Zoom call, phone call, or visit. Have questions ready to ask if you do this.

Have her pick up the phone and call the coach. Again have questions ready and be ready to talk and open up to show the coach who you are as a person.

I have held a recruiting class for the past 3-4 years for my team and some others. 3hr course with a current Big 10 coach that teaches the girls & parents how to approach recruiting. The proper way to write emails and proper questions to ask. We keep a Googles Doc with questions for our athletes to access before every visit, call, or camp. This helps them out. We have added several key questions over the past couple years.

Travel coach should be doing work for the players by networking with college coaches and finding their needs for recruiting class. How many they are taking, what positions, ect.

Travel coach should have the profile sheets hanging at every event and have a pocket full of business cards to hand out to coaches & for future team prospects.

Travel coach should be posting ALL camps or clinics for those players still looking on the team.

It's a lot of work but it is FUN! Make it fun! I enjoy the recruiting process and can't wait to go through it again with another team.

There's a school out there for everyone. You just have to find the right fit for academics first then look at the softball program.

 

[Seahawks02]

Is she set on D1 - D2 D3 or does it matter?

She is open for all levels . Some D1 hopefuls but mostly D2, D3 and a few others.