Include a mistake in a highlight video?

And BTW, when did we all become new members?

Great question JCG. 

As one who has embarked on the hobby of making recruit videos and highlight videos for son and many of his teammates over the years, I've oft thought of this too.  There's showing flat out mistakes, miscues, and errors, and then there is showing how player deals with adversity.  In basketball highlight videos for son I've often left in good jump shots that just don't drop but from start to finish show effort, hustle, and creating a good open shot for teammate to hit him up with pass, and then possibly following up with crashing the boards and getting rebound or put-back.  Not an ideal video scenario but it may show grit and hustle.  I will admit most of your ESPN Top-100 recruit videos do not show shots that don't drop.  My kid is not anywhere near that level so showing hustle, dealing with adversity and failure I feel can be good.

For baseball, son is a PO, and I have at least one video where I put video of him beaning a guy, then a walk, then a mound visit, then the getting out of a jam.  I often struggle with "telling a story" as opposed to the usual quick sharp cuts of action, action, action.  Or in his case, pitch, pitch, pitch.  Let's be honest, if he threw 90-92, the pitch, pitch, pitch, with the radar gun in screen showing 90, 91, 92, is all that would be required.  I feel since son is not a 90-92 guy, that I need to showcase other plus features about him in the 90-second video. 

Showing a kid making a mistake and then dealing with it with good body language is revealing and is worth communicating to a coach in a video.  Me personally, I include a "Blooper" rarely, but I do include them occasionally.  I have on occasion used bloopers, not every video, but I do use them once in a while.  I mean I'm not talking about ground ball thru legs at SS, or a long fly ball off the noggin' a la Jose Canseco, but something that shows the truth, something that reveals character, and obviously something that the player is able to correct due to good attitude and putting it behind him, etc.  Again, for a PO like my kid, I've got a sequence in a video where he beans a kid, walks the next, coach/mound visit, then going 1-2-3, END of INNING.  Sometimes I can't help but want to do something different and "tell the story" more than just make a cut, cut, cut, highlight reel.

Honestly?  The coach can X-out if he is not interested after son beans the batter, I don't care.  I just enjoy making them.  And most importantly son does not seem to mind either.  I thought he might but he has never said anything.  He knows it's real.  It's honest.

So I guess this begs the question, "Are you putting together a true highlight reel?  Or are you looking to tell the story of what the player did at X-game, on X-date, at X-tournament?"  I tend to err on the latter.

I'll let you know in a couple of years if it helped or hurt in the recruitment process.

The purpose of the video is to show the skill set, ideally in a live competitive setting and also to illustrate the full range of tools in a short and to-the-point view so it catches the attention of a busy coach who has to wade through a bunch of these things.  The other purpose is to provide a reference/reminder file for a coach who is already interested.  As tempting as it may be, not the time to tell a story, in that sense, anyway.  And, this is not the time to balance the good with the bad.

That said, I think the play where he is alertly backing up the throw and going vertical could be a good add.  In this instance, I wouldn't be too concerned with the "shed a bad light on teammates" because the purpose is clearly just to show the action of the specific player.

Thanks for the replies.  Cabbage, I have not seen the video yet, but if they look good I might be including both of those. You give a good reason for including the backup play. As for the other, the ball got quite a ways from him and he had to move very quickly and make a quick hard throw to get the out.

My 2017 tore his UCL at the beginning of last summer, right as we were prepping to start videotaping, so the only video I have is a game he pitched last spring that the local town channel happened to tape.  All we did was put every pitch of the first two innings onto a video and post it on youtube.  We cut down all the time in between pitches, so it is a clean 2 min 20 seconds of pitches, moves to first, and him covering 1st on a grounder to that side.  I could have cut-and-pasted all the strikes, strikeouts, etc, but I've read many times (here) that coaches read right thru that stuff, so we felt being true was the way to go.

He should be cleared to pitch again this fall and hopefully the video we sent will be looked at and those coaches will be at showcases he plans on attending here in the Northeast.

Gotta say, JCG and I have been going back and forth on PMs about this. 

My wife gave me a MacBook and a video camera a couple years ago for Christmas and I've had a ball with it; usually making highlight videos of son, and son's teammates, in multiple sports.  With their parents' permission, I post numerous videos of teammates of son on son's Youtube account for the teammate to send link to coaches.   This is something I really enjoy doing.  And for a lot of kids whose parents don't capture every minute of life on video(), gives them a chance to see themselves hitting a Grand Slam or dunking in hoops, or whatever.  I've even purchased a 2nd camera to add a multi angle style which I believe helps for viewing interest.

I was inspired and mentored by web poster, "Shane52," and if he still reads HSBBWeb would love to hear him chime in on this.

I basically believe there are 3 types of recruit videos:

the "Highlight Video," which can be a "best of" compilation of an entire spring season of HS baseball which a player may send out to schools, with summer showcase schedule,  on eve of a summer's worth of showcase. 

Another is the "Skills Video," which simply shows a pro style workout in a non-game setting.  Sort of a "just the facts" type video, no screaming, no game winning walk-offs, etc.  Just the present skills. 

The third one is the one I often have trouble with as a novice director, the "Update Video."  Coaches often say, "keep me updated."  I've heard on this very site that players should keep coaches updated with "bi-monthly" (still not sure if that's 2x per month?  Or every 2-months????) update emails. 

Son just got a newsletter type email from a D-1 baseball coach yesterday stating the following:

"If you don't have one already, PLEASE make a point of creating a YouTube page that includes up-to-date skills video of your off-season workouts and/or spring and summer action. A coach should be able to go to YouTube and search: Your name + Baseball + Your Grad Year and find your films. In the bio portion, include your academic criteria (unweighted GPA/ GPA scale, weighted GPA/ GPA Scale, and standardized testing) as well as your baseball statistics and accolades. As this relates to XXXX-University, we attend tournaments based on who/what we see on these videos. We also follow up with players who we see on the camp/ showcase circuit, but video also makes for a much more productive and efficient method of recruiting than simply arriving at a tournament and hoping to see players with Division I ability and academic credentials.

I hope to see all of you on the recruiting trail soon. In the meantime, get on those youtube channels and when a new video has been uploaded, simply send me the link. "  - AC/RC XXXX-University

So, for example, son played this past weekend.  First live game since showcase season last August of 2015 (played no HS ball this spring).  Had cameras rolling.  Son closed game and got the loss.  He, and team, blew a 5-run lead in two innings.  Ouch.  But in the end, I've got footage of son on mound throwing to batters for two innings.  So, I cobbled together his "highlights" from his two innings of work (namely the 3-Ks, and about 10 warmup pitches.  I did not include his balk, nor his 3-BBs, nor his team's 3-Es, nor his 2-WPs.  I posted the video to his Youtube channel for him to send to coaches as an "update video."  I did not lie and bill it as a "CG Win!!".  Nor did I bill it as, "2018 Blows 5-Run lead in 2-Innings of work!!!  CLICK HERE and watch this train wreck of an outing!!!"  No.  I just discretely titled it with the date of the game, the location, and son's name.  Mind you, on other films that were CGs, or shutouts, or whatever I have billed them as such in the title.  But this one?  Nothing to celebrate.  BUT I did have good footage that showed skills potential at present.  In other words, showed the heights of his skills today.  Sort of a game-cut skills video if you will? 

But I do struggle with............the ethics, I guess?  I feel as long as the film, in this most recent case,  is not billed as a win (when it was a loss), or includes inflated and incorrect velocity  #s for example, that the film should simply be taken at face value by any viewer, ie. coaches, as simply a "highlight video" of player's most recent outing.  I mean, should I include the 3-BBs too?  And not just the 3-Ks over 2-innings?  Honestly........who would do that?  In an "update" or "highlight" 90-second video? FULL DISCLOSURE: I have done that.  I've included Hit-Batsman and BBs in many of son's highlight videos!  Am I crazy to do that?

Am I wrong here?  Should son's "update video" of most recent outing since last July, show WPs, BBs, as well as his Ks?  Is it dishonest at all not to?  Or is it insane to include such events in a recap-update-highlight video sent to a coach?

Personally, I feel a "highlight" video is just that, a highlight video.  My intent in the editing is to show "present pitching skills" and insight into present potential.  As long as flat-out lies and falsehoods (ie. inflated velo #s on display, doctored 60-time footage, or billing video as a NO-NO when it wasn't-wasn't) are not put forth I believe it is ethical and honest.  I mean, I don't recall seeing any dumpsters on son's most recent recruit tour of XXXX-University?  Nor do I recall being shown the crime data of the campus by the AC/RC?  Yet it is understood that every large campus has back alleys with ugly dumpsters and inevitable campus car-breakins and worse.

But again, maybe I'm wrong here?

I guess there are two ways to look at it: send them your best, and have them potentially be disappointed when he sees them live and they are not as perfect as the video.  Or, send them a little less-than-best, and have them see what they are expecting, or better when/if they do see them live.  We chose to take our chances on the latter.

But your point is well-taken on updating videos on youtube.  That is solid advice.