Monthly Archives: October 2011

Your Senior Year and the College Recruiting Process

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Generally speaking, the senior year is suppose to be the where you find out where you’re going to play college sports.  I can tell you from experience there will be a huge number of student athletes who are very talented but are not going to be recruited. 

There are student athletes in their senior year who have very little to choose from when it comes to being recruited or have totally weak prospects for their college recruiting future.

Oftentimes, student athletes believe that if they are good enough college coaches will somehow find them.  That particular thought is ridiculous because names of student athletes just don’t appear out of thin air and end up on the desk of a college coach.

There are many student athletes whose high school careers could more than likely end at the high school level because something went wrong with the college recruiting process.

Think about this and see if it applies to you: student athletes who are seniors did not go to enough exposure events, combines or tournaments and did not perform at a high level athletically during your senior year.  You did not score high enough on one of the two standardized tests and therefore you are invisible to college coaches.  Maybe you have a high school coach who could care less about the college recruiting process and did not lift a finger to help you.  Maybe you did not network with enough college programs during your high school career.  These are just a few examples of things that some student athletes and their parents do not focus on when it comes to college recruiting.

If you’re a high school senior and you’re being under-recruited or not recruited at all, I don’t think there’s any hope to correct the problem.  The reason I say that is because scholarships are disappearing so that means there’s one less scholarship for you.  If it’s a division two program, they have very few scholarships to give and the rest is a financial package so the money that would go to you is slowly disappearing.  Some student athletes who were outstanding ball players could be forced to go the junior college route. 

There are some issues with the junior colleges, one of which is that they’re only going to recruit a player who can play division one sports and if you’re not one of those players then those junior college coaches will have no interest in you.

Another option would be to go to an NAIA college program or a division three program. The problem with that is there is very little money to offer to pay for your education.  And if you take out a student loan you could be paying that back for a long time.

If you’re a high school student athlete and you did not take strong and serious action early in your high school athletic career, more than likely your career will be over.

Now there will be some student athletes who believe that their athletic career will not end at the high school level.  Those athletes will continue to chase the college athletic dreams by going to prep school or junior college all with the hope that their athletic careers will continue.  All these athletes are doing is wasting time and setting themselves up for years of frustration.  If college programs are not recruiting then it’s all over; go somewhere and be a student, get an education and somehow, someway once you’ve gotten over the bitterness of losing your athletic career give back some kind of way to athletics.

Final thoughts: The college recruiting process does not always work out for each and every high school student athlete.  Some athletes are going to end up extremely disappointed on how it all turns out for them. For those who are reading this and are freshmen, sophomores or juniors in high school you still have time to develop a strategy to gain exposure to college coaches and get recruited.

If you waste one day by not contacting a college program, that’s a day wasted and can never be made up; that’s a day that was lost.  The student athletes who are working early in the recruiting process, just look at what is happening to the seniors you may know at your high school and other high schools in your area. How did it all work out for them?

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Stretching the Truth in the College Recruiting Process

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If you ask high school athletes, “Who’s recruiting you or where are you going to college?” and things like that, many of them will stretch the truth.

Many high school athletes will say that they have committed to a particular college when it’s not true or they will list or name a lot of colleges when none of those colleges have contacted them at all.

This is just part of the recruiting process. You hear about it, you read about it all the time and in most cases a lot of it is not true.

We’re talking about athletes, who are not major college recruits, listing or naming or talking about college programs that probably don’t even know who they are. This goes on all the time, it’s just a way of making some players feel great.

Stretching the truth is more about getting your name out there amongst your peers. It really has no value and it carries no weight. It’s just a lot of hot air and a lot of wasted time. It goes on a lot with parents, too.  

When at various events, football games, AAU events, high school basketball games or wherever you may be, parents are talking about who’s going to what college or who is recruiting who and it’s just a lot of talk.

A lot of the times, it’s really just people stretching the truth. Someone may get a letter in a mail from a major university and now all of a sudden that player thinks that they’re being recruited. When in actuality, it’s not happening at all.

Keep in mind, letters do not mean you’re being recruited.

Stretching the truth has been going on for a long time, in all sports. Players do it, coaches do it, and everyone does it. Do you consider that lying? In my opinion, I say it is lying.

So it’s going to continue to go on. You read in a newspaper that players have made commitments to particular colleges. Players who are just in the 10th or 11th grade and they are already committing to college programs!

High school kids committing to college programs when they’re still in the 9th, 10th or 11th grade is ridiculous. It’s just all hype.

Most of the time, these colleges are not even recruiting these kids and may not even recruit them at all. It’s just a way of a particular athlete who may have some talent to get his name in the paper, to create some kind of buzz and excitement for himself.

But to me, it’s false recruiting. It doesn’t help the kid. It doesn’t help anyone. It’s just more talk, more chatter, and more people writing about it on websites or message boards or blogs.

That’s all it is. I don’t really get into that sort of thing, because it doesn’t make sense. I’m not going to stretch the truth about a player, about a team or coach or his or her situation. I’m going to tell the truth all the time.

So stop stretching people!

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Ataijah Taylor Basketball Recruit

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What are college recruiters saying about Ataijah Taylor? Is this young lady a major college basketball player who has the potential to be a star at the next level? What are your overall thoughts on Ataijah Taylor?

Are there lingering questions about Ataijah Taylor athletic ability? What about her speed, strength? Does she have the size? What do you have to say about Ataijah Taylor?

Many high school basketball players are good, but in what areas does Ataijah Taylor need improvement?

What are your thoughts about the high school basketball team that this young lady plays on? Are they a success or do they fall short? What is your opinion about the head basketball coach? Is he/she doing a good job in promoting the players or does he/she fall short?

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Sports Injuries They Do Happen So How Do You Take Care Of Them?

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Sports injuries occur far too frequently. Unfortunately, most athletes today are adding to their risk of injury rather than reducing their risk of injury. Many people believe injuries occur because muscles are tight; while this is true many people perform stretching to make the muscles less tight. But the stretching done today by athletes is only adding to the risk of injury. Many reasons cause injury in sports, but the number one reason injuries occur is because the athlete is not able to absorb force.

The typical athlete will stretch either before, during, or after training or a game in order to stay flexible and “prevent” injury. But typical stretching today follows the guidelines of static stretching where the muscle is lengthened to a certain level and kept lengthened for an extended period of time. Unless the muscle
being stretched is contracting, only the tendons and ligaments are being stretched. When the tendons and ligaments are being stretched they become much weaker and thus more susceptible to injury.

With most of the sports injuries occurring today being tendon and ligament related, could typical stretching be a cause? The answer is yes if the muscles are not properly able to absorb force. When an athlete runs, thousands of pounds of force are applied with each step, so the body needs to be able to absorb all of that power. But if the muscles cannot handle the extreme levels of force, the tendons and ligaments must be called on. Since the tendons and ligaments are significantly weaker than muscles, injuries then occur more frequently to the tendons and ligaments. The goal must be to get the muscles to be able to absorb the force as to not impact the tendons and ligaments.

The athlete with long, loose, and flexible muscles will not only be able to absorb more force (less injuries) than the tighter athlete but will also be able to function better, thus be a better athlete. Stretching the proper way will allow the athlete to elongate the muscles. Elongating the muscles will allow the athlete to absorb more force because elongated muscles are a lot stronger than short and tight muscles and also can handle more force through larger ranges of motion.

This elongating of the muscles can be done by stretching contracted muscles. Unless the muscle is being contracted it is not capable of being stretched. Rather than stretching tendons and ligaments which ultimately results in weaker tendons and ligaments, the athlete will be elongating the muscle properly which will allow all the impact to be taken in by the muscles. This will undoubtedly prevent the large number of tendon and ligament injuries seen today. The elongated muscles will be able to properly absorb the forces of athletic movements which will allow the tendons and ligaments to not be impacted.

During a typical hamstring stretch the athlete will sit on the ground and place their feet in front of their body. The athlete then will attempt to touch the toes with the goal of stretching the hamstrings. During typical stretching, the hamstrings will not be contracted, thus they will not be stretched, and rather the tendons and ligaments that connect muscles to bones will be getting weaker. If the athlete drives the heels into the ground during this stretch the hamstrings will then be contracting. With the hamstrings being contracted, the hamstrings will then be elongated and the tendons and ligaments will go un-impacted.

Not only will this new type of stretching prevent injury from occurring but will also speed up recovery time significantly. After an injury has occurred, the surrounding muscles are very tight. If the athlete stretches these muscles properly, the body will then go back to absorbing force correctly which will allow the injury to heal much quicker.

This stretching method can be applied to any stretch of any muscle as long as the muscle intended to be stretched is elongated.

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High School Football Recruit: Josh Marriner

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On the college recruiting radar of today is high school football player Josh Marriner. The college recruiting process is extremely challenging with many twists and turns. Throughout the recruiting process does Josh Marriner ave what it takes to be recruited by multiple college programs?

What is your overall opinion of high school football player Josh Marriner Is he a very good player, a great player or an average player?

College coaches all over the country are looking for players out of high school who can sometimes step in and played as freshman. College programs are looking for players who they can develop and replace star players within a year or two; is Josh Marriner that player?

In the state where Josh Marriner plays football, is he considered one of the top high school football prospects or just an average football player trying to make a name for himself in this highly competitive world of college recruiting?

Many high school football players receive a great deal of help with the recruiting process from their high school coaches.  In this situation, does the high school coach get the job done when it comes to the college recruiting process or does the coach fall short?

Sometimes high school football players are overlooked by college coaches because of lack of exposure, playing on a losing football program or getting absolutely no help from the high school coach. How does Josh Marriner’ coach stack up to the day to day details of the overall college recruiting process?

The college recruiting process is difficult, very challenging and time-consuming. In your opinion, do you think Josh Marriner is being recruited by the right college programs or is there more that can be done for Josh Marriner in the college recruiting process?

Do you think the NCAA has too many restrictions that limit the college recruiting process?  For example, should there be more contact of high school student athletes during their high school athletic career?  The NCAA in my opinion may be too over-protective with all of their ridiculous rules about recruiting and the treatment of student athletes. What do you think?

Will Josh Marriner be a major college football recruit and what will be his lasting impact at the college level?  Sometimes, there’s so much attention paid to student athletes at the high school level that we often forget what they do once they reach college. How will the story of Josh Marriner be told?

Join my weekly newsletter for high school student athletes, parents or anyone who enjoys high school sports and who are looking for important college recruiting information. Click Here >>> To Join For Free!

 

High School Football Recruit: Jaylen Avent

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On the college recruiting radar of today is high school football player Jaylen Avent. The college recruiting process is extremely challenging with many twists and turns. Throughout the recruiting process does Jaylen Avent have what it takes to be recruited by multiple college programs?

What is your overall opinion of high school football player Jaylen Avent Is he a very good player, a great player or an average player?

College coaches all over the country are looking for players out of high school who can sometimes step in and played as freshman. College programs are looking for players who they can develop and replace star players within a year or two; is Jaylen Avent that player?

In the state where Jaylen Avent plays football, is he considered one of the top high school football prospects or just an average football player trying to make a name for himself in this highly competitive world of college recruiting?

Many high school football players receive a great deal of help with the recruiting process from their high school coaches.  In this situation, does the high school coach get the job done when it comes to the college recruiting process or does the coach fall short?

Sometimes high school football players are overlooked by college coaches because of lack of exposure, playing on a losing football program or getting absolutely no help from the high school coach. How does Jaylen Avent’ coach stack up to the day to day details of the overall college recruiting process?

The college recruiting process is difficult, very challenging and time-consuming. In your opinion, do you think Jaylen Avent is being recruited by the right college programs or is there more that can be done for Jaylen Avent in the college recruiting process?

Do you think the NCAA has too many restrictions that limit the college recruiting process?  For example, should there be more contact of high school student athletes during their high school athletic career?  The NCAA in my opinion may be too over-protective with all of their ridiculous rules about recruiting and the treatment of student athletes. What do you think?

Will Jaylen Avent be a major college football recruit and what will be his lasting impact at the college level?  Sometimes, there’s so much attention paid to student athletes at the high school level that we often forget what they do once they reach college. How will the story of Jaylen Avent be told?

Join my weekly newsletter for high school student athletes, parents or anyone who enjoys high school sports and who are looking for important college recruiting information. Click Here >>> To Join For Free!

 

High School Football Recruit: Deion Stitt

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On the college recruiting radar of today is high school football player Deion Stitt. The college recruiting process is extremely challenging with many twists and turns. Throughout the recruiting process does Deion Stitt have what it takes to be recruited by multiple college programs?

What is your overall opinion of high school football player Deion Stitt Is he a very good player, a great player or an average player?

College coaches all over the country are looking for players out of high school who can sometimes step in and played as freshman. College programs are looking for players who they can develop and replace star players within a year or two; is Deion Stitt that player?

In the state where Deion Stitt plays football, is he considered one of the top high school football prospects or just an average football player trying to make a name for himself in this highly competitive world of college recruiting?

Many high school football players receive a great deal of help with the recruiting process from their high school coaches.  In this situation, does the high school coach get the job done when it comes to the college recruiting process or does the coach fall short?

Sometimes high school football players are overlooked by college coaches because of lack of exposure, playing on a losing football program or getting absolutely no help from the high school coach. How does Deion Stitt’ coach stack up to the day to day details of the overall college recruiting process?

The college recruiting process is difficult, very challenging and time-consuming. In your opinion, do you think Deion Stitt is being recruited by the right college programs or is there more that can be done for Deion Stitt in the college recruiting process?

Do you think the NCAA has too many restrictions that limit the college recruiting process?  For example, should there be more contact of high school student athletes during their high school athletic career?  The NCAA in my opinion may be too over-protective with all of their ridiculous rules about recruiting and the treatment of student athletes. What do you think?

Will Deion Stitt be a major college football recruit and what will be his lasting impact at the college level?  Sometimes, there’s so much attention paid to student athletes at the high school level that we often forget what they do once they reach college. How will the story of Deion Stitt be told?

Join my weekly newsletter for high school student athletes, parents or anyone who enjoys high school sports and who are looking for important college recruiting information. Click Here >>> To Join For Free!