Lots of great points. If a travel ball coach is promising that they will help get you recruited then I hope they are doing something to help you understand the process. However no travel or HS coach can absolutely guarantee that you will get a scholarship or play in college. What they can do is talk to coaches about you and get them to come watch your team play. I agree, the primary responsibility of getting recruited should fall with the athlete as this needs to be what they want, not what mom or dad wants.
College coaches want kids who do their own work to get recruited. The athlete should be the one doing the leg work, researching colleges, writing emails, calling coaches, attending camps and clinics. The athlete is the one who has to live the life of a college athlete, not mom or dad so the coach wants to know she is invested in living this dream. There are tons of parents and kids who think they want to play in college without really understanding what the college commitment is. If you want to be successful and play in college, your life will become centered around your training. Discipline and sacrifice will become your creed. In order to get to college, the athlete needs to be showing the discipline, sacrifice, and commitment to improve their skills on a daily basis, outside of team practices.
What it takes:
1. You have to be one of the most talented athletes in the game as coaches are recruiting kids from all over the country.
2. You have to be passionate about softball 24/7 and be willing to sacrifice many other areas in your life.
3. You have to be mentally tough to deal with adversity. Can you handle sitting on the bench for the first time in your life?
4. You have to keep your priorities in order and be disciplined with your time management. Your life becomes attending class, studying, practice, weights and conditioning, mental training, eat, sleep, travel, and games. There is not much time for family or the social side of college.
5. Can you handle your coaches telling you what, when, how, and why when it comes to your life?
6. You have to be a team player and be willing to sacrifice the me for the we, if you aren't you won't last.
One of the things I do with Aspire Higher Sports is recruiting seminars for teams and families to help them understand the process. If anyone is interested in hosting one, please message me or email me at
klinder@aspirehighersports.com. I love educating coaches, athletes, and parents about the realities of recruiting and playing in college. My goal is to help people understand so they can make good choices in finding a great fit for the athlete Bigger isn't necessarily better. It should be about finding a school that will give you a quality academic and athletic experience in meeting your needs. Your travel coach can help you search that out but ultimately it is your responsibility to find the right school. If playing in college is an important goal, then take the time to do the research, find out what it will take to play, and take the steps to find a good fit.
https://www.aspirehighersports.com/recruiting_seminars