Recruiting Video Review

I think it's pretty good...keeps moving along and not a lot of uneccesary video. A coach is probably going to want to see some swings from a catcher. If you can get some bp session in, and still keep the video at that 3:00 min. mark, would be good. Just as a technical thing, would like to see catcher run all the way down to first on the ground ball vs moving a few feet down the line calling for one, one, one. But he looks solid...would pique my interest and that's what a video should do.

GT

thanks,

On the ground ball and calling for one, there was a runner on 1st and the hit was such that they had to abandon a double play. Once that's happened he's always moved back to home in case things go really bad and the runner at 2nd continues around.

I put the comment on the vid "runner on 1st" attempting tommunicate that the dbl play was abandoned explaining why he didn't continue down the line to back up. If that message didn't get communicated, I'll rethink.

Thanks again.

Hello, looks like you put a lot of time and effort into the video. I have a few suggestions:

1. The video is about 3 mins too long
2. Take away the captions at the bottom
3. Only show about 2-3 views of him recieving at most.
4. Show 2-3 of him blocking the ball
5. 2-3 throws

Keep it simple, it doesn't have to be professionally produced.

Keep this in mind:
1. As a college coach I literally received 3-5 a day at the D1 level.
2. No way I had time to see them all!!!
3. The video basically just kept me from writing the guy off or made a check to go see by his name.
4. It is much easier to place a SHORT clip via a link to youtube versus sending a Hard Copy DVD.

Let me know if I can help anymore, your son looks good.
Lantz
Baseballthinktank.com

quote:

Originally posted by Baseballthinktank.com:
Hello, looks like you put a lot of time and effort into the video. I have a few suggestions:

1. The video is about 3 mins too long
2. Take away the captions at the bottom
3. Only show about 2-3 views of him recieving at most.
4. Show 2-3 of him blocking the ball
5. 2-3 throws

Keep it simple, it doesn't have to be professionally produced.

Keep this in mind:
1. As a college coach I literally received 3-5 a day at the D1 level.
2. No way I had time to see them all!!!
3. The video basically just kept me from writing the guy off or made a check to go see by his name.
4. It is much easier to place a SHORT clip via a link to youtube versus sending a Hard Copy DVD.

Let me know if I can help anymore, your son looks good.
Lantz
Baseballthinktank.com

Thanks much!

slbaseballdad- I just watched a few clips of the video, and I agree with everything Baseballthinktank.com said. Just to get into the actual catching skills...from a pitcher's perspective, he needs to get lower when setting up. My intention is to throw the ball down in the zone, so I don't want my catcher being tall.

Also, catch low pitches out in front and high pitches back towards the body. Let gravity dictate where the ball is caught.

The good thing is you have a lot of time to woek on and edit/add to video being a 2014 grad.

I would definintely add hitting and if he is quick some running.

I'm also new to this with a 2013 grad. See link below. Any comments welcome.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKWFdHDq3Ok

I run Play In School - College Recruiting Videos.

I'll rattle off a few thoughts.

First, nice going.

- Recruiting videos are like resumes. They are not meant to get you signed, just like a resume is not meant to get you hired.
- Less is more. Short is better then long. Show what you do BEST. Not what you kind of sort of can do.
- Use the videos to encourage coaches to come see you live.
- Keep doing what you've done here, ask for feed back. Get feedback from coaches at all levels.

Feel free to check out some of the videos we made for the Virginia Cardinals. These videos are slightly shorter then our individual clients. But still gives scouts a chance to make an assessment. www.playinschool.com/vacardinals2012

Remember, you only need 1 college coach to like you for you to become a college baseball player (more is better). Sometimes it takes being very proactive to find that 1 coach. Work as hard off the field as you do on the field and in the classroom and you'll be fine.

Rich
Play In School
College Recruiting Videos
www.playinschool.com

Lots of good things there.
Receives the ball well.
Blocks and moves well.
Gets rid of the ball quickly.
He does set up too high with a runner on, the ump looked very high because of it.
Can't see the flight or accuracy of the throws to 2nd base.

I agree with Josh, your son appears to set up high on the majority of pitches, whether a runner was a threat or not. Keeping the ball down in the zone and concentrating on the batter is the obvious goal for the team. With that said, your son's foot work behind the plate is very good. It's a huge confidence builder for pitchers to have the ability to bounce an off speed pitch knowing that his catcher will pick him up, and your son is advanced for an incoming HS junior. In addition, as WapakDad2013 stated, there is no video footage of your son's arm? Coaches can teach fundamentals behind the dish, but it's difficult to coach/teach a great arm...that's usually God Given. Lastly, if this is a Recruiting Video, you need to get some footage of your son swinging the bat. He can be an incredible defensive catcher, but if he struggles offensively they may not have a roster spot for him at the next level? Best of luck to your son and enjoy his last two years of high school baseball, man it goes by fast.

slbaseballdad,

There is no doubt that you are venturing into a very exciting time for your son and your whole family. Enjoy it while it lasts!

Agree with everything previous posters have said. I am not a catcher, nor have I played catcher in my career (lefty perk? ). However, it is quite glaring that your son could get lower in the video while receiving. Not only does it give the pitcher a better target, it also gives the plate umpire a better look at the pitch, as his angle will be lower if he can get closer to the strike zone. This will help your son get the lower pitches for strikes, especially if he can work up through the ball on low pitches...not turning palm up on close pitches. And, if you watch most MLB catchers, they want to get as low as possible. Even with runners on, you can still be in a good throwing position while still being in a low-crouch position.

I've included a video of Yadi throwing out some guys. Probably best throwing catcher in the MLB. Granted, he does have a cannon, but it looks like he starts in a moderate crouch, but gets his body moving as the pitch is coming. I didn't notice his butt really high off his legs initially in any of those throws. See what you think...all IMHO. Like I said, I'm not a catcher.

Yadi

quote:

Originally posted by co2013:
The good thing is you have a lot of time to woek on and edit/add to video being a 2014 grad.

I would definintely add hitting and if he is quick some running.

I'm also new to this with a 2013 grad. See link below. Any comments welcome.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKWFdHDq3Ok

IMO your son would show better in baseball pants. The long baggy shorts make it more difficult to see his athleticism and looks less professional.

I think your video should reflect what coaches are looking for. Currrently it just shows a bunch of receiving. From another thread college coaches are often looking for, in this order:
http://hsbaseballweb.com/eve/f...491066862#6491066862
Originally posted by jerry weinstein:
1. Athlete
2. Passion for the game
3. Student
4. Offensive potential
5. Catch & throw potential
6. Can he play?

YOur video probebely won't be able to show 2 and 3. Currently I feel your video shows part of 5 and 1. I have often been told to video tape catchers from the 1st base dugout area as it does a better job of showing mechanics then any other shots. There are a lot of behind home plate shots that don't show anything. The only behind the plate shot I whould show is a throwdown. The throwdown doesn't have to be a game shot but should show a nice straight throw to the bag. None of the video shows his arm strength or hitting. Looking at the list and based upon experience with my son, a catcher, hitting the key and should be the focus of your video. Good luck.

btw you might consider only showing runner ready recieving.

I'm at a bit of a loss on the idea of a 3 minute video.Of, course, I'm just as new to the notion of recruiting as anyone else though.

What the heck do you do when your son plays several positions very well?

For years I've taken video of my son and have gotten a lot of great stuff. Heck, just this passed week at the USBC he stole 8 bases. 5 were delayed since the catchers and pitchers were not paying attention. He scored on 2 of those at the plate too which were filmed.

He led his varsity team as a freshman in batting average so I've got a ton of nice strokes and good baserunning but do you show the entire triple while he's running? I would think that if a player is reaching third with an above average time that coaches would want to see that. And that's just one aspect.

He's also a SS, 2nd baseman, plays 3rd base in HS only because his HS coach just stuck him there as a freshman but he's very good there as well and a very good catcher too. (makes for a tough decision when deciding what position to showcase at camps, btw)

Needless to say you eventually build up a lot of video so I just don't understand the three minute thing. Except, of course, for the busy coaches thing. I know they are busy and get a ton of video from kids but how the heck do you cram diversity into 3 minutes? That's tough to do.

On his berecruited for instance he made a video of his entire freshman and sophomore season highlights. That's not even club team stuff. The club stuff, he usually just puts up a video of his highlights for the tournament for everything. Batting, baserunning, catching, infielding and the lot.I don't think he has a single video les than 12 minutes though.

Are folks saying that this isn't beneficial and will result in him not being viewed because of the length? That would be a crying shame, really.

Like I said though, I'm new at it too but that just seems odd to me. His warmup video alone is almost three minutes at a single position.

Obviously, I want to learn like everyone else but geez. 3 minutes? That's a tough one for a diverse athlete. I think. Again, I don't know...just think.

"I'm Junior's Dad"

I believe that you are confusing a "highlight reel" with a "recruiting video". In football, they are the same. In baseball, not so.

A baseball coach uses film to make an initial assessment, not as a way to sign a kid. So they need to see some swings. And for an infielder, they need to see footwork, hands, arm. This should be done from shortstop unless you are left handed.

I posted a link in this thread towards the top. Feel free to check it out.

One last point, I always say coaches need to see just a few swings to make an assessment. This week I was at a tournament talking to some D1 coaches. He asked to see film on a kid I've worked with. After literally 1 swing he said he didn't like the kid!

They know what they are looking at. They better, their job is on the line.

Rich
www.playinschool.com
@PlayInSchool on Twitter

quote:

Originally posted by PIS:
"I'm Junior's Dad"

I believe that you are confusing a "highlight reel" with a "recruiting video". In football, they are the same. In baseball, not so.

A baseball coach uses film to make an initial assessment, not as a way to sign a kid. So they need to see some swings. And for an infielder, they need to see footwork, hands, arm. This should be done from shortstop unless you are left handed.

I posted a link in this thread towards the top. Feel free to check it out.

One last point, I always say coaches need to see just a few swings to make an assessment. This week I was at a tournament talking to some D1 coaches. He asked to see film on a kid I've worked with. After literally 1 swing he said he didn't like the kid!

They know what they are looking at. They better, their job is on the line.

Rich
www.playinschool.com
@PlayInSchool on Twitter

Well that's refreshing. Thanks for the explanation. I'll check out your link as well. It was early this morning and I was just browsing through the threads before heading out to the prospect camp. The 3 minute video thing just caught my eye is all.

Didn't mean to hijack the thread.