What Are You Looking For?

At a recent college coaches panel discussion, a high school player posed the following question: When you go out recruiting, what are you looking for in a player?

You might expect an answer to the effect of, "Someone who scores a bazillion goals," or, "A player who is really fit." The college coaches on the panel, however, gave answers that were actually very different. The three attributes they described were: (1) Taking ownership, (2) Making good decisions, and (3) Playing with passion. The coaches were by no means discounting the importance of individual ability. But there's more to it than being a good player. They're looking for good players who also demonstrate these three qualities. But what do these qualities actually entail?

1. Taking Ownership. College coaches are looking for leaders. Not just players wearing captains' arm bands, but players who take responsibility for their teams' success. How do you respond if your team is down 1-0 in the 80th minute of the state cup final?

2. Making Good Decisions. Coaches are looking for good citizens. They want players who will strengthen the character of the college team. Coaches don't want players who weaken team chemistry by being selfish or arrogant.

3. Playing with Passion. Play because you love to play. Don't play because your parents make you or your friends pressure you. College coaches want players who enjoy playing, because those players are inevitably more productive.

What's in a Name?

We dream of the day when there will be no misconceptions about the college recruiting process. All information will be available to players, parents and coaches and together, liberated by our knowledge, we'll dance carefree through fields of sunflowers.

One of the issues crying out, absolutely begging to be clarified has to do with the NCAA divisions. It's a shame how many misconceptions there are out there regarding DI, DII, and DIII. The standard line goes something like this: "Division I is first rate, DII is okay, and DIII is, uh, not so good." If you're only looking at the number after the word "Division," this seems like a reasonable assessment--why else would the NCAA number its divisions like that?

In reality, the divisions are differentiated more by the rules governing them than by the quality of the soccer. The different rules have to do with scholarships, length of the season, recruiting laws, etc. DI schools, for example, are allowed more scholarships than DII schools. DIII schools have no scholarships and an extremely limited spring season.

Now, let's not get ahead of ourselves here. Without a doubt, the top handful of high school players end up playing for top Division I schools. There are some outstanding, top-tier DI teams that would demolish most DII and DIII teams. But that doesn't mean that all DI schools are better than all DII or DIII schools. In fact, many DII and DIII teams play and beat mid-tier DI schools during the spring season.

The point is: If you're recruited by DI and DII schools, the DI teams aren't necessarily better. You have to look a little deeper than the name.

Thoughts on Campus Visits and Other Good Stuff

From Nick Carlin-Voigt, Assistant Men's Soccer Coach George Mason University

There are many factors that a prospective student athlete should weigh when considering college plans.   It is imperative that a prospective student athlete make an informed decision based on research and communication with parents, coaches, teachers, and yes even college coaches. I would recommend that you search for a school that allows you to reach your academic and athletics goals. Make sure that education is your number one priority as your educational training will dictate your quality of life after the lights in the arena dim. This can be a very fun process and those who get stressed out easily might be missing out on a rewarding and exciting journey.   Some top recruits will be overwhelmed with letters, publications, media guides and applications but keep in mind that you control your own destiny. Pick a few dream schools, a few ideal schools and a couple of safe schools. The best way to get a feel for an institution is to visit the campus and try to meet with the coaching staff.   It is important to keep in mind that coaches have irregular schedules so they might not be available for your campus visit.   

Many programs begin the recruiting process as early as freshman year. Most often contact through summer camps is a great way for the student athletes and coaches to meet and start a relationship.   I highly recommend that you attend as many camps as possible where there are coaches attending from schools that interest you.   Remember coaches cannot write you or email before September 1 of your junior year.   Coaches cannot call you or return calls until July 1 after your junior year at the NCAA Division 1 level.  

What is the difference between an official and unofficial visit? I can't list how many families I come across who have no idea of the NCAA recruiting rules and regulations.   It is important to educate yourself and become familiar with the rules before you start the recruiting process.

An official visit can only occur after the start of your senior year. In today's world of major universities the official visit isn't used to attract student-athlete but rather to celebrate their decision to matriculate. With the recent shift of early recruiting and commitments the official visit is generally used to bring in your incoming "committed" class during the same weekend so they can get to know each other before preseason.   The official signing date of a binding National Letter of Intent is February 1 of the senior year.

So what happens when you visit a campus on an unofficial visit?   Remember you are always free to visit schools at your own expense and it is important to starting doing that during the summer leading up to your junior year. The NCAA doesn't limit the number of unofficial visits a prospective student athlete can take.   Usually an unofficial visit for recruited players will consist of a meeting with the coaching and academic support staff, an athletics facilities tour and a walking our driving tour of campus. Some athletes may elect to stay over in the doors with a current player but remember if you do this you must pay the institutional rate for lodging In addition, per NCAA rules a student athlete isn't allowed to have any meals provided for them by the college staff. I could go on and on about the logistics of the unofficial visits but I would recommend that you visit 5-10 schools to get a feel for the culture of the campus and soccer program. After this you will become more apparent what places you have an strong interest in attending and also what role the coaching staff sees you playing in their program.  

There are a few simple guidelines to use when narrowing down college choices. We believe the five most important criteria are: academics, soccer, location, cost and the campus. The order of importance can vary drastically from school to school, but at Wisconsin academics has to come first. In terms of the soccer program, one needs to consider not only the strengths (coaches, facilities, support and tradition) but also the fit for the student athlete. Position, playing time, number of graduating seniors and coaching philosophy are all good questions. Have a list of questions when you visit a school a coach and expect honest and thorough answers.

What do I do Now???

Things are starting to come into focus for a lot of players right now. Spring is upon us, admissions letters have been mailed, and college coaches are finalizing their rosters. Except for some top DI teams, who put the finishing touches on their rosters months ago, many coaches are still scrambling to fill roster spots.

I've been getting a lot of email and snail mail of late from players I've never heard from previously. They've been accepted to the University and want to play for us.

This is a difficult position to put a coach in--though it never hurts to ask. It may be that the coach is searching for another player and you have the right pedigree and ability to fill that slot. The tough thing for the coach is that he's never seen you play. Resumes, references and other paperwork can only say so much about a player.

The reality, though, for many players right now is that the window of opportunity is closing. If you find that this is the case at the school you're planning to attend, you need to put yourself in a good position for walk-on tryouts. You have to stay in touch with the coach over the summer and try to get him to see you play at a tournament or college camp.

Even if you're walking on, having the coach see you play this summer is immensely important and can seriously improve your odds--that is, if you're good enough to make the team.

Oh, a word to the wise: Juniors, don't get yourself into this predicament!

Tell Mom and Dad to Bring the Video Camera...

It's pretty hard to get recruited if you are never seen, but what if you want to go to school on the other side of the country and the coaches don't make many trips to your region, or if you get hurt right before the big tournament they were going to watch? What can you do if a school you are really interested in hasn't been able to see you play? The answer is: make a great video to market yourself.

(1) If you edit and cut up enough clips you can make just about anyone look like the next Mia or Landon, but how realistic is that? Many videos are just highlight tapes and do not really tell the whole story. This is something you can avoid by adding a little context on either side of a highlight. Show 15 seconds or so of footage so the coach knows how the play developed and how it ended. Also consider putting in some longer clips so the coach can really see how you move.

(2) Where on earth are you? Sometimes the camera is so far away that it is impossibly hard to see the numbers or tell which player the coach is supposed to watch. Make sure you are clear about what number and jersey color you are in and any other information that can be helpful in picking you out.

(3) There you are, but where is everyone else? Other times the video follows only the recruit so closely that the coach doesn't know if the ball she just played connected to her teammate or was turned over to the defender. Without being able to see the other players on the field the coach can't know if you made a good decision or if there was a better option available.

(4) There is no competition. Of course you want to send in a tape of a game in which you played well, but avoid sending in a game where the opponents are so weak you can walk all over them. That doesn't tell the coach how you will do at the next level against college athletes.

What many coaches like to see is about half of an unedited and competitive game. Ideally the camera would show a good chunk of the field so the coach can look at your decision making, positioning and runs off the ball, and overall just have a better picture of what is going on in the game. Although coaches would rather see you play in person, if done right, a video could be the next best thing.

how, how, HOW do I Find the Right School?

Eternal questions. Do I wear the blue shoes, the orange button down, or the pink tiara? Should I apply to Emory or Vermont or both? But what about CalPoly? But there's always Trinity. Oh, and I can't forget Fort Lewis.

Uh yeah, so figuring out which colleges you're going to apply to is a bit intimidating. How do you, one person in Sandstoneville, determine which 10 of 3,000 colleges you should approach as a student and soccer player? Here's our cookbook-5 steps to glory.

1. Think about what you want as a student. Do you want the academic rigor of an elite school? Are you looking for a specific major? Do you want a broad base--ie liberal arts--or something specific like engineering?

2. Think about the perfect college environment. Are you participating in other campus activities like student government, performing arts, fraternity/sorority life? Is the student body politically active? Are there interesting speakers and bands that come to campus?

3. Do a little self-eval. Be totally frank with yourself about how good you are as a player. If you've been playing at a high level for a while, you should have a sense of where you fit in. That may not intuitively translate to specific schools, but it should give you a sense of where you fit in.

4. Talk to your coaches. Talk to your high school and club coaches about what they think is right for you. Ask them to be frank and see if they have any specific suggestions about schools you should check out.

5. Go on a treasure hunt. Armed with the information you've collected above, talk to counselors, parents, friends of the family about which colleges might fit the bill. Go online and hunt around. Dedicate an hour or two this weekend to surf the web and check out colleges that interest you. You'll be surprised at how far you get.

This is our cookbook. Unfortunately, there's no cookie cutter that can simply tell you where to go to college. But that's also the beauty of the process: there are so many interesting, vibrant colleges that you'll no doubt be able to find a handful. Rock on Chicago.

Go to Camp

College soccer camps offer both the players and the coaches an extraordinary opportunity to evaluate one another. As you know, getting seen by coaches is one of the biggest steps in the recruitment process. By attending camp you give the coaches of the host school (and other local college coaches who are working the camp) a whole week to watch you display your ability. And unlike recruiting at a tournament or showcase, the coaches can see how you train, how you take instruction, and how you implement topics you have worked on into the evening games.

At the same time, you, as a recruit, learn first-hand about the school and soccer program. You get to know the coaches and their coaching styles and also meet current players to see how you might fit into the program. For the week while sleeping in the dorm, eating in the dining hall, and training at the school's athletic facilities you will know what life is like on campus.

Dreaming of Summer

Though it's, like, four degrees outside, there's plenty of soccer to be had. The Champions League is heating up with the much anticipated Chelsea-Barcelona grudge match dominating the headlines. On this side of the pond, the MLS and college seasons may be over, so coaches are occupying their time with other pursuits, mostly tiddy-winks mixed in with a little recruiting on the side.

As coaches look out onto the frozen tundra that was once a soccer field, they're thinking about summer. Specifically, many coaches are making plans for their summer college soccer camp circuit. You should be doing this too. If you're serious about playing in college, now is a great time to look into some camps. Take your top schools and see if they run camps. The key is early registration, as some camps fill up by February.

Camps are a sweet venue to show your game. You get a lot of personal attention from coaches, who are there for the same reasons: they love the game and are looking for their next crop of players. At camp you get to talk to coaches, learn a lot from them, and get a sense of whether they want you on their teams. Since they have a full week to evaluate you, coaches will be able to make more informed decisions. And so will you! If you find that a coach is a tyrant on the field, you can say adios. The likelihood, though, is that you'll have a very positive experience and meet a bunch of different coaches.

Saddle Up, Juniors!

So it's December of your junior year in high school. You might be getting a little nervous about college applications. But fear not! You have plenty of time to get this college thing sorted out in an organized fashion.

If you watch The World's Strongest Man - as we do religiously - you know that when you want to pull a fire truck, the hardest thing is getting started. Once the truck starts to roll, it's much easier. It's the same with college recruiting. It takes a little legwork to get it going, but once you've got the recruiting process thing moving, it becomes much easier.

Winter break during your junior year is a great time to get started. In between marathon, 12-hour X-Box 360 sessions, squeeze in an hour or two to start researching colleges. Go down to the bookstore and thumb through some college profile books. Check out schools on the internet. Use a college search engine like Destination-U.com.

The point is to start thinking about where you might want to go to school. So go out and get that fire truck rolling.

Walking On

I just had a very interesting conversation with a top Division I regarding walk-ons. I had called to recommend a young player I have watched play for many years. The player just graduated from high school. In the fall he's going to attend this school and is hoping to walk on to the soccer team.

The coach has told the player that the team rarely takes walk-ons because they generally quit after a year or two. By that time the team has invested significant time and resources into the player. This isn't a knock on walk-ons. It's an objective fact. I've seen this storyline play itself out many times. It goes like this: The walk-on trains hard all summer and makes the team. He doesn't get into any games as a freshman and sees very limited playing time during his sophomore year. He decides that there are other things in life and leaves the team.

For the player this is a perfectly reasonable decision. It's not working out with the team and there are tons of other things to get involved with in college. From the team's perpective, however, the player's exit is disruptive. Having experienced this many times over, the coach I spoke with is understandably leery of walk-ons.

So what did the coach recommend for the player I was calling about? The player needs to prove that he's totally committed. How can he do this? Not by pledging to stay on for four years if he's selected to the team. Rather, the player should be in touch with the coaching staff throughout the summer, keeping the coaching staff up to speed on his training, performance at regionals, fitness, etc. In short, the player needs to continue self-recruiting!

Prom With a Ball

This is great fitness and technical work. All it takes is you and a ball. Go find a park, a track, or a jogging path. Put your ball down, your iPod on, and go for a jog with the ball. Don't just go in a straight line. Practice your moves, spin around, dance with the ball as you go. You'll find that it's quite exhausting and that your touch breaks down quickly. That's why this is great training. Think about the 88th minute, the game is tied and you have one defender to beat before having a go at goal. Your legs are tired and screaming don't make me do a double-stepover. Well this is the training that will teach your legs not to talk back! It's great fitness, but also an exercise that's very fun that you can do solo. So what are you waiting for? Get out and dance with the thing!

You'll have a ball playing horseshoes, while improving your touch. This is a great game adored by college players around the country. How to play: Set two cones about 20 yards apart. Form teams of two players. One player from each team goes to each cone. Both balls start at the same cone. Blue chips ball to his partner. Blue partner controls ball with one touch before it touches the ground and tries to get the ball as close to the cone as possible. Then orange goes, trying to get closer to the cone than blue. 1 point is awarded to the team closest to the cone. If ball bounces before controlled by receiving player, it doesn't count. No do-overs. First team to ten points wins.

Pop Fly

Prompted by a Q&A about goalkeepers, we decided to post a sweet game for that strange breed of player who makes his or her home between the posts. How to play: Set up a 20-yard x 40-yard box (approximately the size of a penalty box.) Red player sets up 40 yards from top of box. Goalkeeper (green) starts on baseline. Red chips ball in air into the box. Goalkeeper has to catch ball before it bounces in the box. Red and green are playing together, trying to get as many points as possible. Points: If goalkeeper catches ball in red area, one point; catch in orange=2 points; catch in yellow=3 points. A drop in the red area=-3 points; drop in orange=-2 points; drop in yellow=-1 point. Each game is 20 chips. 60 points is max. World record is 55. Can you do better? See how many points you can get.

Soccer Tennis: Game of Champions

"S.T" is outrageous fun and can be wildly intense. Play singles or doubles. How to play: Use the opposing service boxes on a tennis court. To keep the game tight, only use one box on each side of the net. Yellow player serves from behind the service box baseline. Blue player is allowed one bounce and then three touches to return the ball. Blue can take the ball directly out of the air, but once he's taken his first touch, he can't let it hit the ground. Blue returns ball to yellow who tries to do the same. Point ends when ball lands outside the service box, or a player can't return it in three touches or less. A player has to have the serve to score. Games to five points. Enjoy!

Too Hot to Handle

This is a great indoor game that'll warm your toes when it's cold outside. In Chicago, we sometimes don't see the sun for weeks. This is how we occupy ourselves in the cold, dark winter. How to play: Blue player juggles (start with unlimited touches), then pops it up and hits a side volley that has to bounce before it gets to the green player; green then does the same; point is scored when someone messes up; games to 10 points; once you've mastered it, play 3 or 2-touch. Do you like the game? Have suggestions?

1 v 1 Battle

How to play: Red checks ball in to purple; purple passes back to red; red dribbles at purple; must stay in starting quadrant; score by hitting trash can; if purple touches ball or ball goes out of quadrant, play ends; change roles and quadrants (for a change of scenery!); walk back to starting positions to catch breath; games to 5 points. Do you like the game? Have suggestions? Email us.