Skills videos play a monumental role in the baseball recruiting process. A properly produced skills video maximizes a student-athlete’s collegiate recruiting potential in a way that most other recruiting tools can not.
If most college coaches had their choice, they would always prefer to watch a student-athlete play live. Due to busy schedules and budget restrictions, is not always possible for coaches to travel to scout every player they are recruiting. When a personal evaluation is not possible, a skills video allows a coaching staff to evaluate the mechanics and specific baseball measurables of a prospect, providing the coaches with the necessary tools to draw legitimate interest in a student-athlete.
Unlike most major sports, baseball videos primarily need to consist of skills footage. For example, the video for a pitcher should be made up of a 35-40 pitch bullpen session with multiple camera angles. As for infielders, outfielders and catchers, the footage will be made up of proper defensive drills for the respective position as well as hitting footage made up of 20-25 swings off of live batting practice fastballs. Video is a true teller of a player’s abilities, which in the end allows a coach to “tie things together” on a student-athlete that they have previously only seen on paper.
Having the ability to showcase one’s talents to college coaches across the country is an invaluable resource essential to the collegiate recruiting process. Coaches across the country welcome the opportunity to evaluate a prospect from their office chair. They do not have to drive three hours to a game, or fly across the country to attend a showcase. The development of a properly produced skills video is a two-fold benefit for both the coaching staff and the prospective student-athlete.
To view Virtual Tryout Guidelines visit your private NCSA Recruiting Management System (RMS) or click on the link below.
http://www.ncsasports.org/sa-materials/baseball/video-guidelines/
If you have any specific questions regarding the role of video in baseball recruiting please feel free to email the baseball department at baseball@ncsasports.org.
