How to Make a US College Recruitment Video to Obtain a Sports Scholarship

I was asked by somebody in the volleyball community to create a recruitment video for a player in hopes of gaining a sports scholarship from a US college.  I was asked because of my work creating highlight videos for the Men’s Super 8s League (e.g. see link) and the motivational video I created for Team South Wales (see below – it still irks me I didn’t finish the ending):

Having never done a recruitment video, I did my due diligence and read around the subject to see what was out there.  I also looked at some examples on YouTube.  Below is what I got:

Total Video Duration: 8-10 minutes– Not too long because the Head Coach will not have the inclination or time to watch anything longer.

1. Introduction: 1-2 minutes

– Short introduction by the player stating facts such as name, age, position, height, school, grades, graduation date, why you like playing volleyball, why you want the scholarships (This is the first opportunity to show your personality)

– Ideally you are in kit and well presented. Close up or full body shot is player’s choice (my preference is the close-up). Choose a background – against a plain wall or a volleyball court are the obvious choices

– Some stats overlay (height, spike jump, block jump, hitting % etc)

2. Skill video: 3-4 minutes

– Demonstrate technical skills in drills, between 5-10 continuous reps for each skill (coaches can evaluate quickly your technical skills in these simple drills)

– Relevant skills to show is:Right side attack, left side attack, back court right attack, back court middle attack (if you normally do that), blocking, digging, setting, reception (if you normally receive) and serve (only if it’s really good, otherwise the coach will assume you can serve).

– For the attacks I would recommend having clips of close-ups so you can see the skill itself and then separate clips of a wider view to see the outcome of the attack (with targets put out?). For the other skills, clips should be framed to show the skill itself and the outcome.

– Ideally you are in kit again

– Background music is player’s choice (my advice here is yes because it shows your personality)

3. Match Video: uninterrupted 3-4 minutes match video

– Uninterrupted so the coach knows it’s not cherry-picked – anybody can look good when its all of your best bits.  That’s because its your BEST BITS!!!

– The coach can also see play developing and how the player interact with players/ between points

– Need clip where the player had a lot of touches and had a real effect on the game

– Ideally a clip that ends with winning a set or match

– Ideally a match of high standard so coach can see how you play against better opposition

– Background music is player’s choice (my advice here is no because you want the coach to hear what’s going on and put the match into context)

4. Closing: 1 minute

– Player saying thanks to the coach

– Another opportunity to show personality

– Ideally in kit and well presented

A good example is shown below:

I would have loved to have shown what I made but unfortunately, I didn’t get the chance to make the recruitment video.  The player in question will actually go to the US to meet a selection of Head Coaches.  However, I wanted to blog what I would have done and perhaps help anybody else who is making a US college recruitment video themselves.