HOW TO BE A RECRUIT READY ATHLETE
What It Means To Be Recruit Ready
EXACT Sports has helped thousands of young athletes achieve their goals over the past 15 years with developmental guidance, mental toughness training, and college exposure.
With the largest nationwide network of D1, D2, and D3 college coaches, EXACT has learned what it takes for an aspiring college athlete to be recruit ready.
Here is an ultimate guide to being college recruit ready based on valuable insights from hundreds of college coaches at EXACT college showcase camps.
The 3 Main Recruit Ready Ingredients
#1 Athletics
Are you an effective player on your team and can you add value to the overall program?
Whether it’s at practice, in the game, or during the off-season, your ability to consistently improve athletic skills and find new ways to deliver value, makes you a strong college prospect. Consistency is key, especially when demonstrating this on a high school and club level. Even switching up your practice routine and incorporate high-performance drills designed by college coaches can level up your athletic edge.
Boy chooses the ball instead of books at school
#2 Academics
Athletics aside, it's your academics that opens doors and makes you a more attractive college recruit to college coaches.
Perhaps the most important aspect in the college recruiting process is your dedication to having strong academics. The ability to balance your academics with athletics and thrive in both areas is a key skillset that college coaches look for in a young athlete. When you kickstart the college recruiting process, you want to demonstrate your academics abilities and have a deep understanding of the colleges you are applying.
#3 Mental Toughness
A valuable athlete has a strong mental game that elevates their overall performance on and off the field.
Mental toughness is a key skill that college coaches look for in potential college recruits. Practicing mental toughness training will help improve your mental game and enhance your overall performance on and off the field. For many college coaches, a young athlete's ability to deliver high performance under great stress is what separates a champion for the rest.
Character Traits Of A Recruit Ready Athlete
Ambitious
Coaches want an athlete who deeply desires to be a champion. In fact, college coaches favor player who ask questions about the future of the program; this curiosity shows an ambitious player. Being a college athlete is the dream, but college coaches want an athlete who has the desire to make a difference for their program. Keep a strong commitment to a mental skills program that sustains your ambitious drive.
Knowledgeable
Having a well-rounded sports IQ where you actively demonstrat an in-depth knowledge of the game goes a long way in the recruiting process. This is a big piece in the mental aspects of the game which coaches consider a next level development in young athletes. Establishing a reputation for being a smart athlete is something college coaches want and prefer that recruits have as a first-year student-athlete.
Competitive
A top self-driver of college coaches’ is not to win games but to keep their position as coach on a team of competitive players. Having highly competitive college athletes is always at the forefront of any coach’s mind when offering a position on their program to high school prospects. Athletes can demonstrate this competitive edge by going through pre-game drills with great focus and intensity and by encouraging other players to do their best throughout the game, regardless if the outcome is a win or lose.
Achiever
Whether it’s practice, in the game, or during the off-season, hustle influences game play and the mentality of opponents more than any other aspect of athletics. If you’re a good hustler, you can have a tremendous impact on a college program. Consistency is key, especially when demonstrating this on ahigh school and club sports level.
Determined
College coaches want athletes who have an effective work ethic. Documenting your workots, practices, and game play with key details of what you accomplished is a great way to showcase your work ethic. Confidently discussing your positive academic habits is another way to impress college coaches with your work ethic capabilities. Securing written letters of recommendation from your highschool coaches, club coaches, teachers and notable community leaders will also impress college coaches.
Mature
The capability of making mature decisions when away from your coach and team is a key athlete attribute desired for a college recruit. Bad decisions and/or poor judgment calls in high school can be life-changing moments.College coaches want mature student-athletes on their roster because they know they can be trusted at all times. Time management is another sign of maturity in a student athlete. That is a skill mature student-athletes seem to obtain easier than those students who lack maturity.
Honest
To be an effective college recruit, you must be truthful with yourself, the prospective college coach and team. One of the most complimentary things any teammate, coach or parent can say about a prospect is that he/she is an honest individual. College coaches don’t necessarily want to associate themselves with players who continuously lie to them and fellow teammates. If you can’t be trusted, then it will make your college recruiting experience very difficult.
Authentic
You must consistently demonstrate that you can be a positive representation of the college program as a first year student-athlete. While you’re In high school, try joining clubs that strike your interest, participate in community volunteer projects, or pick up a part-time job. These are key ways to exhibit good character to college coaches during the recruiting process.
Recruit Tips From College Coaches!
Why Choose EXACT College Showcase Camps?
EXACT’s College Network
When it comes to choosing a college ID camp, you want to make sure that you’re choosing a showcase camp that offers you access to a large network of NCAA and NAIA coaches. EXACT does exactly that, opening you to a large pool of experienced college coaches from across hundreds of colleges.
One-on-One College Evaluations
How do you improve without feedback? At EXACT college showcase camps, all our coaches are seasoned professionals who understand that each player is distinct and uniquely gifted. As such, we give individual feedback that prepares you for the next level of your athlete journey.
Personal Connections
At EXACT college showcase camps, you get to meet and greet college coaches, giving you an opportunity to build your college connections ahead of your arrival in college.
Specific Training for Goalkeepers
We understand that the role of the goalkeeper in soccer is crucial and distinct. So, we offer position-specific training to goalkeepers. You also put all you’ve learned into action and receive helpful feedback during college-style training and games.
Mental Performance
Beyond the foundational training that every college ID camp offers, EXACT teaches you how to deal with adversity, stay focused, and remain confident and composed despite opposition during competitions.
College Training Sessions
At EXACT, our training sessions simulate college practice sessions and games. They are also handled by experienced D1, D2, and D3 college coaches. That way, you’re best prepared for college sports and are sure to settle in seamlessly when accepted into college.
Train With The Best
You get a chance to meet and compete with the best players in the USA and around the globe. Without a doubt, this improves your sports skills as well as social interactions, making you even more attractive to colleges.
Kickstart Recruiting
At EXACT, we understand that you’re in a college ID camp because you someday want to be on a college team. So, we bring in college coaches who have handled collegiate sports recruitment time and time again. These coaches give you an insight into how college recruitment really works in person at the EXACT college showcase camp. With insider information at your fingertips, you stand a better chance of being recruited to the right college for you.
College ID camps impact your sports career one way or the other. This is why at EXACT, we do our best to offer the best of both worlds—ensuring we have a rich network of coaches from various colleges and teams while ensuring that every student player gets as much feedback and training as is needed for growth. Claim your spot on EXACT's elite roster and be recruit ready!
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