FWIW...

I will print and give to my son.  Then encourage him to pick up his dirty socks and call his grandparents.

Seriously, very good and concise advice.

joemktg posted:

Some guidance for those looking to be recruited:

1. Consider the 4 S's: Skills, Strength, Speed, School. In other words, ahead of each quarter set goals, plan to attain those goals, include measureables that indicate achievement. Review at least once a month. If at all possible, employ professionals to assist. If not, then research what needs to be done.
2. Target your schools: Be specific. Start with 20-30, then narrow it down.
3. Create a digital presence, e.g., an online resume. And as a part of your digital presence, install Google Analytics so that you can track visitors. When you send emails, use an email tracking device so that you can see who opened and who clicked.
4. Showcase thyself: it allows you to see where you stand, how you compare, and based on that, improve. It also acts as content for your digital presence. PG is the leader in this space.
5. Communicate with RCs and HCs on a regular basis (HCs open and click more than RCs!!). Point them to your digital presence. Be sure that to use your HS and travel coaches as conduits for the RCs and HCs to reach you. Track everything.
6. Be a part of the best travel organization possible where you will play on a regular basis. 
7. Budget all of the aforementioned, and manage accordingly.

 

Joe

 

P.S. I reserve the right to add to this list. So there.

Thanks for your guidance JOEMKTG.  I, too, will make sure my son sees this list.

P.S.  I hope you do add to this list.  So there.

Excellent list.  Wish I had a time machine and could do some of this over.  Two things I would add to the list based on recent experience heading down to the final few months of this with my 2017:

1.  Only go to college-specific camps where you have a specific invite from the HC to attend.  The RC and camp coordinators send out invites based on access to lists from sites like PG, Baseball Factory and others, and their goal is to fill up the camp and maximize revenue for the program and coaches.  We've been to several in the hope of getting "noticed" and it became clear very quickly the coaches were focusing on a small, select group of players that they were already recruiting and wanted to see more closely in their camp.  By and large, the college-specific camps my 2017 has gone to have been a waste of time and money.

2.  Regarding Joe's point #2.  That original list of 20-30 should get reduced significantly heading into Senior year, but there may be 4-5 adds to it based on schools with coaches showing serious interest from showcases.  And if it becomes clear a kid is not being recruited by any D1 during the Summer heading into Senior year, the original list (that probably was filled with D1 programs) should be scrapped and a new list of D2, D3, NAIA and JuCo schools should be the focus during the remaining months.  Since many of these schools may be unknown to the recruit, time needs to be made to research the academics, explore the financial aid options (since many are very expensive), and do a campus visit to experience the campus atmosphere and meet the coach.  We are trying to focus on 5 programs and even that is a challenge with school soon back in session and many weekends already filled baseball-related activities, ACT/SAT retests, etc.

Here are a couple more ideas...

I heard an RC for a junior college tell a collection of HS baseball players "Get up on your own at 5:30 am and lift weights / work out.  When you get here as a freshman, I don't want that to be the first time."

Something about nutrition.

Go44dad posted:

Here are a couple more ideas...

I heard an RC for a junior college tell a collection of HS baseball players "Get up on your own at 5:30 am and lift weights / work out.  When you get here as a freshman, I don't want that to be the first time."

Something about nutrition.

Both of those ideas are folded into Strength (one of the 4 S's). Lifting...throughout the year...is a vitally important of building the requisite strength and size, but is absolutely incomplete without proper nutrition. For the nutrition newbies, start here: ingest 1 gram of protein for every pound of desired bodyweight; get rid of the fast good and junk snacks; and hydrate properly. BTW: take no more than 25g of protein at a time (your body will eliminate all the ingested protein when you exceed that amount). 

Are there any rules on "hydrating properly"?  My son has been inundated all summer with the phrases hydrate before, hydrate during, hydrate after, still better be hydrating....there have been a few kids this year that looked a bit wobbly on the baseball and the football fields who obviously didn't do this enough and one in football was hospitalized for OVER hydrating....any clear rules on this?  (I'm feeling a little bit like Goldilocks here)

http://www.collegesportsschola...-hydration-sport.htm

2forU posted:

http://www.collegesportsschola...-hydration-sport.htm

In addition:

• Start hydration about 24 hours before activity.
• Continuous, steady flow of liquids regardless of activity, not spurts of large quantities.
• Energy level is one of the first things to go. Energy stores are diverted to help with hydration, leaving less fuel for activity.
• Monitor the color of urine.

joemktgson is in Arizona, and they cannot stay hydrated, so they turn to this supplement to help: http://therightstuff-usa.com/ NSF approved. Not shilling, just pointing it out.

Any suggestions as far as the tracking of website clicks and opened emails?  There are a lot of crumby companies out there, and I would love to know whose worthwhile.  I'm sure some folks on here have had some experience with reputable groups.   

Bonus points if the service is free.

Thanks.

Good stuff.

The first part Joe's explanation to #4 is often overlooked.

Advice is sometimes offered on this site not to showcase until you have size, speed, strength, or skills worth showcasing. And it is generally sound advice--IF you already know more or less where you stand.

However, many aspiring college players do not know where they stand and do not realize how many good ball players they are competing against. Going to a showcase--even if it's before you think you're quite ready--can sometimes be as beneficial for seeing and learning as it for being seen.

Teaching Elder posted:

Any suggestions as far as the tracking of website clicks and opened emails?  There are a lot of crumby companies out there, and I would love to know whose worthwhile.  I'm sure some folks on here have had some experience with reputable groups.   

Bonus points if the service is free.

Thanks.

More than a few. Go to your Chrome Web Store and search email tracking. You'll find a bunch integrated with Gmail.

Just want to keep adding to the topic...regarding strength and speed...

A physical therapist is a valuable addition to the "team." But I'm not referring to the PT deployed post-injury. Rather, a PT used proactively to correct deficiencies. 

A PT with knowledge of the game should be able to perform a full diagnosis and point out the weaknesses that need to be addressed to (1) improve performance and (2) prevent injury. Let me give you an example of both:

1. joemktgson always had trouble with his first two steps out of a sprint. No matter what we tried, e.g., different weight training, various speed drills, technique, etc., nothing worked to improve those first two steps. It was as if everything was in slow motion out of the gate. So we hypothesized that perhaps its a physical issue, and we brought him to his PT for the examination. Sure enough, it was an issue of hip tightness, so he was given a protocol to follow to loosen the hips and strengthen supporting muscles. End result: his 60 dropped by more than .3 of a second.
2. A friend of ours took our advice regarding proactive diagnosis for his 2016 position player, and the exam exposed an imbalance between right and left shoulders, where the throwing shoulder was considerably weaker. A few sessions later, the lack of balance was rectified, and his throws across the diamond improved by 2-3MPH.

End result from proactive PT? Improved performance, greater ability to push/pull more weights, and a higher level of injury prevention.

Required? No. Understated importance? Yes.

This is one of those "investments" that may or may not pay off, and is certainly not provable without a control group. Having said that, the aforementioned examples seem to show a posteriori results.

Your call.

Swampboy posted:

Good stuff.

The first part Joe's explanation to #4 is often overlooked.

Advice is sometimes offered on this site not to showcase until you have size, speed, strength, or skills worth showcasing. And it is generally sound advice--IF you already know more or less where you stand.

However, many aspiring college players do not know where they stand and do not realize how many good ball players they are competing against. Going to a showcase--even if it's before you think you're quite ready--can sometimes be as beneficial for seeing and learning as it for being seen.

How about going to watch one? Or do you feel it's more informational to be on the field realizing you can hold your own or have no business being there? I watched a Big East program's showcase style camp. My son had just started freshman year. I could easily see he would have fit into the "other players" category. I saw four legit prospects. I was told they were invited after being seen at a PG event.

When my son was a 5'11" 135 post freshman I sent him to a $125 showcase style camp sponsored by a local D1. I reminded him it's probably all local players trying to get noticed by a mediocre A10 program. When it was over he realized how much stronger he had to get if he wanted to play in a better program.

Exact same thing with my son.  5'10" 135 and 74- 76 mph.  He was dwarfed by most.  He learned a lesson.

We did the same. Small community showcase that raised money for a memorial to a local player. Lots of coaches from Iowa d3 schools--told son his best baseball was in front of him. A good learning experience. 

joemktg posted:

Just want to keep adding to the topic...regarding strength and speed...

A physical therapist is a valuable addition to the "team." But I'm not referring to the PT deployed post-injury. Rather, a PT used proactively to correct deficiencies. 

A PT with knowledge of the game should be able to perform a full diagnosis and point out the weaknesses that need to be addressed to (1) improve performance and (2) prevent injury. Let me give you an example of both:

1. joemktgson always had trouble with his first two steps out of a sprint. No matter what we tried, e.g., different weight training, various speed drills, technique, etc., nothing worked to improve those first two steps. It was as if everything was in slow motion out of the gate. So we hypothesized that perhaps its a physical issue, and we brought him to his PT for the examination. Sure enough, it was an issue of hip tightness, so he was given a protocol to follow to loosen the hips and strengthen supporting muscles. End result: his 60 dropped by more than .3 of a second.
2. A friend of ours took our advice regarding proactive diagnosis for his 2016 position player, and the exam exposed an imbalance between right and left shoulders, where the throwing shoulder was considerably weaker. A few sessions later, the lack of balance was rectified, and his throws across the diamond improved by 2-3MPH.

 

End result from proactive PT? Improved performance, greater ability to push/pull more weights, and a higher level of injury prevention.

Required? No. Understated importance? Yes.

This is one of those "investments" that may or may not pay off, and is certainly not provable without a control group. Having said that, the aforementioned examples seem to show a posteriori results.

Your call.

This is excellent advice. 

joemktg posted:

Some guidance for those looking to be recruited:

1. Consider the 4 S's: Skills, Strength, Speed, School. In other words, ahead of each quarter set goals, plan to attain those goals, include measureables that indicate achievement. Review at least once a month. If at all possible, employ professionals to assist. If not, then research what needs to be done.
2. Target your schools: Be specific. Start with 20-30, then narrow it down.
3. Create a digital presence, e.g., an online resume. And as a part of your digital presence, install Google Analytics so that you can track visitors. When you send emails, use an email tracking device so that you can see who opened and who clicked.
4. Showcase thyself: it allows you to see where you stand, how you compare, and based on that, improve. It also acts as content for your digital presence. PG is the leader in this space.
5. Communicate with RCs and HCs on a regular basis (HCs open and click more than RCs!!). Point them to your digital presence. Be sure that to use your HS and travel coaches as conduits for the RCs and HCs to reach you. Track everything.
6. Be a part of the best travel organization possible where you will play on a regular basis. 
7. Budget all of the aforementioned, and manage accordingly.

 

Joe

 

P.S. I reserve the right to add to this list. So there.

Joe, this is great stuff. One question for you: when? To elaborate, did joemktgson have those quarterly goals (for skills, strength, speed, school) all through high school? When did he start lifting seriously? When did he create a digital presence (Sophomore year?) 

Everything you suggest makes perfect sense, just wondering about timing.

2019Dad posted:

Joe, this is great stuff. One question for you: when? To elaborate, did joemktgson have those quarterly goals (for skills, strength, speed, school) all through high school? When did he start lifting seriously? When did he create a digital presence (Sophomore year?) 

Everything you suggest makes perfect sense, just wondering about timing.

1. We started collaborating on goals, strategies, tactics and corresponding measurements when he was in middle school. It took late in his HS career until it rooted in his cranium.
2. Lifting started when he was 12, but the first year was focused on the correct lifting techniques (light, light, light), band work, and plyo work. It wasn't until he was 13 when weights were added, and even then we ramped up carefully. But because of this infrastructure, he was able to accelerate the amount of weight so that he was lifting with varsity players during his first freshman semester. That carefully planned lifting schedule worked.
3. Digital presence: right after his freshman year and before the summer season. There was sufficient content after his freshman year to warrant a digital mechanism.

Reps: a broad word...

"Reps" means more than just how many swings, grounders, pitches, etc., although it absolutely includes the accounting of activity. Reps represents a mindset of doing, i.e., getting in your reps regardless of the obstacles (real or man-made). It's a focus, a determination that separates players into two groups: those who've honed their skills, and those who are "raw."

Hey: raw gets attention. No doubt! Raw abilities are admired by the scouting community, as everyone thinks they can take that raw and convert it into productivity. 

But take two equal players: one who is committed to the reps v. one who gets by on talent alone. Who wins? Reps.

The mindset needs to be a drive to get in the reps, and as a result, find ways to get in the reps regardless of circumstances. It's raining: get two buckets done in the garage into a net, mattress, whatever. It's cold: bundle up. We know more than a few players who have exchanged work hours at a local indoor facility for cage time. Got a paper due? Why wasn't it done earlier? Pay the price: get in the reps and get the paper done.

Reps. It's a state of mind.