This week I’m forwarding you to an absolutely awesome article. To be completely transparent, I know who “holds the deck” when it comes to youth athletic development: college coaches. So, when a group of coaches publicly sound off on what they look for in prospective student-athletes, I think it’s fair you might want to take a look.
Read MoreIn response to my original post, a parent of a 14U travel player comments on the relatively non-competitive nature of 16U softball in their region. She goes on to indicate that many good 14U players skip right up to the 18U level which, in their area, is mainly showcase softball. She asks: a) Should her daughter play up? and b) What type of team should she look for if she is not quite ready to be seen by college coaches?
These are excellent and compelling questions and, although there are no simple answers, I hope my perspective will be helpful to the may players facing similar choices.
Read MoreAs a follow-up to last week’s post on “Recruiting Camps: Good, Bad or Indifferent?”
I received two excellent questions, the answers to which may be relevant to many of our followers.
The first question refers to a multi-talented player who pitches for her high school and travel teams, but only pitches at around 60 mph. In addition, she is an outstanding hitter and fielder. The father of this athlete is concerned that showcasing as a pitcher might not impress college coaches sufficiently to get them to stick around long enough to see her other considerable abilities.
What follows is an answer which should apply to any prospect under similar circumstances.
Read MoreEvery season our older, more advanced students, mainly pitchers, ask the same question: Should I register for a recruiting camp? This is a much more complex issue than it would appear, especially since my answer will likely be different for pitchers than for hitters and fielders.
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