C/o 10 Wants To Play D1 Vball

Question
QUESTION: I am a high school junior who sets and outside hits on my varsity volleyball team.  I had recently made honorable mention for our district and my absolute dream would be to either set or outside hit for a Division 1 school(espeically Virginia Tech), but I don't know how to reach out to recruiters. I know my chance of getting recruited are extrmely small (like me 5'7), but I feel that I would be a great pick, who would never let a coach down. I don't know what criteria they are looking for. I have immaculate potential, I study extremely hard in school, and I always put my best foot forward, but I don't know where to go from there.  If you could, please help me. I would greatly appreciate it.

ANSWER: Good evening and thank you for visiting www.allexperts.com

Do you play somewhere in Virginia?  I've been coaching vball in Va for 23 years and I may know you.  Email me at coachhouser.com, if you wish to talk more.  

I'm very concerned that didn't say that you played for Roanoke Juniors, or RVC, or TVA, or NVVA, etc.  You DO play club ball, right?  If not, your chance of playing D1 ball is near zero.  Why?  B/c you'll be competing against girls who have been playing 9 months a year for 6 years......while you've been playing 3 months a year.  Being 5'7" is a disadvantage, yet.  But, even at the D3 level, almost all girls play travel ball.  Can you tell me more about your experience in this area.

Now, anyone who wants to play ANY college ball should follow these steps:

a) Make a skills tape.  Send it out to whatever college coaches you wish.   You say you're a junior......but do this asap!

b) Follow up.  Contact by email/text/phone each of these coaches once a week and don't stop until a coach tells you, "I'm not interested."  

c) Visit the schools.  Watch the teams play.  If you're not impressed, then scratch that school off your list.

d) What does the school offer academically?  If you don't like it (or you don't have the grades), then scratch it also.

e) Go to their summer camp THIS SUMMER.  Meet the coaching staff.  Get to know them.  

f)  PLAY CLUB BALL!  Then send the coaches who want to see you a schedule of where you'll be.  If you don't play club ball, send the coaches your high school schedule, but don't expect a coach to see you play school ball.  But, wow, they won't get to see you until next fall?  Oh, my.     

g) Being recruited is up to you.  College coaches don't have the budget -- or time -- to go around and search.  Many parents and players think scouts are at every tournament.   Maybe they are.  I don't know.  I have had very few "scouts" see my players.  College coaches evaluate my players by what they see on DVD's and what they see in person.  That's about it.  (If you're a scout and you see me at BigSouth, Shamrock, NEQ, etc. this season, please hand me a business card. I want to meet one.)

h) Do your work in the wt. room!  Don't overdo it, but don't ignore it.  Do what the basketball players or baseball players do.  No, we don't expect you to keep up with the football team!  haha

I think that's about covered it.  What else can I do for you?

Please visit me at www.coachhouser.com  I think you'll like the smiling faces.  It's great to hear from you! Please keep in touch.

Coach Houser


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I played club ball in Ohio, where I just moved from.  I played for RVC my eighth grade year, but then moved right after the season was over.  My parents and I decided that this upcoming instead of doing a club team that I would do some college camps instead.  We are looking at the Nike Advanced Players camp at Virginia Tech and a couple at UVA and VCU.  Are there any camps you know of that have greatly improved some of your players?

Answer
Thank you for your response.

There is no substitute for club ball and, if you plan to play college ball, you should try your best to find a team......unless the club coach is lazy, abusive, etc.  I can't imagine a women who will play for VT or for any D1 school take her junior year off from playing club.......unless she's injured.  

Camps are good.  But on a scale of 1 to 10, club ball is 9 and camps are 3.  In club, you get at least 4 and sometimes 20 hours of reinforcement every week for 4 or 5 or 6 months.  

My stepdaughter, now a member of the Radford University team, attended Nike camps.  A TON of money.  Good camps. Nike sure does make a killing off the parents.  

Of course, I recommend the my own High Expectations camps.  This year I'm expecting one in Lynchburg starting around June 22.  We'll have a number of college coaches attending, we'll have a 7:1 coach:player ratio, and the price is about half of what a Nike camp is!  Last year we had to turn a lot of people away, and I'm sure we'll turn more away this year.

The 2009 camp schedule will start being posted on Dec 1st.  It's Nov 5th, and I'm already receiving deposit checks in the mail.  Incredible!  You can see the camp schedule at www.coachhouser.com.

So camps are good or they are really good.  But they are only 3, 3.5 or 4 days.  So what you learn cannot be reinforced week after week after week; therefore, you forget must of it.  

When we discuss what has the biggest impact on player improvement:
* Camps are slightly overrated;
* Club ball are very much underrated.  
And even though I spend my summer directing camps, I'm sorry, I have to tell you what I truly believe.

It's great to hear from you again!
Please contact me anytime.
Coach Houser
From Roanoke, VA!!
www.coachhouser.com