Friday, January 28, 2011

Get Recruited For A Volleyball Scholarship

You can be recruited for a volleyball scholarship using these steps.


If you play high school and club volleyball, you can get recruited for a volleyball scholarship in college. There are over 1000 college volleyball programs that are looking for incoming student-athletes each year. Here's be considered.


Instructions


1. If you are interested in playing volleyball in college, you can take your first steps toward getting recruited for a volleyball scholarship as a freshman or sophomore in high school. Download a copy of the NCAA Guide for the College-Bound Student Athlete at http://www.ncaa.org (link below). This tells you the rules that you and college coaches must follow during the recruitment process. It covers NCAA Clearinghouse registration, as well as eligibility requirements, limits on contact, and key dates as you progress through your high school volleyball career. Print a copy so your parents can review the guide as well.








2. Your next step towards a volleyball scholarship is to let college coaches know who you are, and that you are interested in being recruited for volleyball. You should establish a profile on two volleyball websites: Universityathlete.com and Recruitingregistry.com. Universityathlete.com has a form for you to enter a detailed profile of both your high school and club volleyball stats, awards, and personal and team contact information. You can also search schools, see what positions they are recruiting for, and upload video clips of your play. See my related eHow article "use UniversityAthlete.com to get a Volleyball Scholarship" for more details (link below).


3. You can also set up a detailed profile on Recruitingregistry.com. It allows your volleyball coaches and school guidance counselor to validate your profile, grades and test scores. It also allows you to see which college volleyball coaches and recruiters have viewed your profile so you can contact them. On both websites, you can update your profile at any time to add a new photo or make any changes.


4. Next, check the volleyball team websites of any college team you are interested in. Most of them have a Recruit Profile you can fill out so they have your basic information. Review the current team so you have a better idea where you might fit, and what the team needs. If the players at your position are all juniors and seniors, the coach may be looking to recruit someone with your skills.








5. At the beginning of each club season, you should email a copy of your tournament schedule to volleyball coaches at schools you are interested in. Before each tournament, you should remind coaches by email to let them know when and where you will be playing. Be aware that they may not be able to contact you back until after your junior year. Check the NCAA guide for exact dates.


6. See if your volleyball club posts recruiting information on the club website. Encourage them to do so, especially for U-16, 17 and 18 players. College coaches will look there if you have the link in your profile. Also, see if your club puts together any recruiting pamphlets to display at large volleyball tournaments and national qualifiers. These tournaments are where college recruiters focus their energy, so you want them to be able to get information on you if they are interested.


7. As a junior, you will probably want to put a skills DVD together and have some game footage available for more distant schools to review. Check my related article "Make a Volleyball Recruiting Skills DVD" for more information (link below).


8. You may want to attend Summer college volleyball camps after your sophomore and junior years. As a junior, you should have narrowed your college list a bit, and hopefully have gotten interest from some volleyball coaches. Attending their camps is like an extended personal tryout. Make the most of it. Be aware that all schools, especially small ones, do not run their own camps each Summer, but the coaches may work at other college camps. Find out where they will be and see if you can attend.


9. Finally, some areas run what is called a "College Prospect" camp in the Summer. In this type of camp, coaches from many different schools run the camp, and several hundred players may attend. This is a fantastic opportunity to be seen by many different college volleyball coaches, and can lead to opportunities you hadn't previously considered. See link below for the Tri-State Elite College Prospect camp.


Good luck to you in your high school and college volleyball careers!

Tags: college volleyball, high school, volleyball coaches, link below, your profile, recruited volleyball