Tips for Athletes
June 24th, 2009 - byBob Howdeshell, a former Philidelphia Phillies player and an associate scout for the Cinicinatti Reds, has written an article on the common pitfalls of high school athletes. While the article is targeted towards baseball players, athletes from every sport can learn from his advice. Howdeshell lists “The Big Three” mistakes a player can make as them having:
• No sense of urgency that time is slipping by
• Inability to listen to Coaches and Teachers
• The way I dress and act is just “my style” and if they want me, they know where to find me, then I will change
He continues to say that
Believing that attitude has very little to do with your appeal to a college coach and My poor work habits will improve when I get around a college coach are also ideas that can hurt a recruits chances.
He finishes the article by pointing out things that do not go unnoticed by college recruiters. Some negative are:
• Long Hair & Facial Hair
• Earrings & Tattoos
• Poor fitting uniform
• Being unprepared to play
• Being late for a game
• Being rude or obnoxious
• Tantrums, swearing, helmet or bat throwing
• Arguing with Umpires
• Always having an excuse
• Immature behavior
Some positives:
• Clean, well kept appearance
• Wearing the uniform correctly
• Hustle and Enthusiasm
• Encouraging teammates
• Arriving early to game
• Helping clean up gear after the game
• Good speaking abilities
• Working hard in the classroom
• Addressing adults with respect (yes sir and yes ma’am, etc)
For a player of any sport interested in having the chance to continue their careers past high school, this should be a great guide as to how to make yourself look more appealing to college coaches. Because of his position as a professional scout, Howdeshell obviously understands the inner aspects of recruiting.
