While the basic approach college coaches and scouts use to recruit high school athletes have remained the same, one of the more notable changes is the use of social media. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are just a few of the social media sites that allow people to stay connected and enhance the recruiting process.

Combined with the advent of the smartphone, social media has changed the way people stay in touch and has become a method for high school athletes to reach out to colleges and universities.

With colleges reaching out to their fan bases using social media, it’s no surprise that coaches also use it as part of their recruiting efforts. This has created both positive and negative aspects for athletes in terms of how it can affect their chances at being recruited. In fact, there are several cases in which a promising high school talent cost themselves a chance for a scholarship because of their misuse of social media.

How You Can Use Social Media to Your Advantage

For high school students who are looking to get scholarship opportunities from colleges, here are a few tips that will help improve your chances.

Presentation: How you are portrayed on social media is how people like college coaches and recruiters will see you. So, while your friends and family may know one side of you, those who are considering you for their team do not unless that is portrayed on your social media. Keep in mind that this does not mean staying away from subjects like racism, sexual orientation, or political points of view. Rather, it is the use of coarse language, unsettling photos, and vulgarity that will have a negative effect.

Photographs: All it takes is one image of something controversial such as weapons, nudity, or drugs to pull you from consideration. You can use your privacy settings to ensure that your photos are protected and to ensure that you are not tagged in a photo by someone else that is controversial in nature.

Language: If you post something that will have your mother or grandmother disapproving, then you shouldn’t post it. This is mostly about keeping your language in check because the use of profanity is the most eye-catching of all ways to have college coaches lose interest in recruiting you for their team. Go over your posts and tweets over the past several months and remove or at least clean-up those that have profanity.

Keep in mind that your social media presence should still represent who you are, but it needs to be presentable to anyone who views it.

Why SportsForce is the Ultimate Solution

To make the most of your efforts in getting recruited, SportsForce provides proven solutions to help in the preparation and marketing of your abilities. In addition to the many services SportsForce provides, one of them is to advise you on your social media accounts so they are more presentable to college coaches.

This does not mean changing who you are, but simply presenting yourself on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media accounts as your best self. Let SportsForce show you how to reach college coaches to help achieve your goals. Sign up for a free evaluation Here.

For high school athletes who excel at lacrosse, you may have noticed some legitimate and not so legitimate lacrosse recruiting websites for colleges and universities. Just like many other sports, there are now specific websites designed to attract high school athletes to colleges, which increases their recruiting potential.

Although many things have changed in terms of recruiting, the basics of having excellent grades and considerable talent remain the same. Armed with those two attributes and you or your child will have an excellent chance of being recruited by many different universities. However, even the best athletes with the highest grades may be overlooked by some colleges because of the sheer number of talented students available.

Steps to Get Recruited

To maximize the chances of being recruited, it is important that you follow the right steps so that your talents are known to as many colleges as possible.

Evaluation: A proper evaluation of the talent present is the first step to know where you stand in terms of what colleges may be interested in you. A fair assessment means that you can create guidelines of what is obtainable without ruling out other choices. For example, lower division NCAA and NAIA schools may offer substantial scholarships for your talents and the ability to play if you are not considered among the top recruits.

Expectations: Knowing how your talents are assessed helps in shaping your expectations. Don’t forget the academic aspects of what makes you attractive to colleges. The stronger your academics, the greater the possibilities for obtaining funds for your college experience. Keep in mind that many lower division colleges do not offer full athletic scholarships, but there are academic and community scholarships along with student loans.

Preparation: It’s often the little things that make the difference in getting recruited. This means talking to your high school coach for guidance, attending off-season tournaments, and researching colleges that might have the most interest in your abilities. Other things that can be done include, but are not limited to the following;

Register: You can register with the NCAA Eligibility Center, which puts you on the list of available athletes.

Contact the College: Make them aware that you are available and where they can find more information. Quite often, a short, initial contact makes all the difference in getting them to look at you.

Short Video: A short, three-minute video demonstrating the skills playing lacrosse may provide the impact needed to get their interest. Be sure to post the video to YouTube or another popular site and put in contact information. You should also create a DVD with a full game along with the highlights and send to those who ask for it.

Why SportsForce Can Help You

When viewing the many lacrosse recruiting websites, SportsForce has helped over 1,000 athletes and can help maximize your chances of being recruited by the college or university that best suits your needs. For lacrosse players, getting your name out there is vital towards obtaining a scholarship from the college that will help you succeed in achieving your dreams.

If you are looking to maximize your chances of getting a scholarship to a college that offers the opportunities that you want, then SportsForce provides you with the tools needed to succeed. Sign up for a free evaluation today by clicking HERE

Basketball is one of the most competitive of all sports when it comes to being recruited by colleges or universities. There are over a million men and women playing high school basketball and many thousands overseas. However, only 50,000 will receive athletic scholarships, which means that you start at a numerical disadvantage.

Today, there are many great student athletes in basketball who fail to get noticed or receive scholarship opportunities from schools that they never considered. This is why so many fall by the wayside and by their senior year it is basically too late. Understanding how to get recruited in basketball starts by assessing your talents so you know where you stand.

Basic Requirements

To provide yourself with the best chance to get noticed by college coaches and recruiters, it all starts early when your talent is beginning to emerge. In fact, the recruiting process often begins in 9^th grade as talented athletes are spotted and watched through their high school career. So, it’s best to start planning even before high school to get properly noticed.

Evaluation: Where you stand in terms of talent offers an excellent starting point for the student and parents to properly prepare. One of the most important considerations is height which may seem arbitrary, but it is one tool that many recruiters will use in determining potential on the court. Being the average or above average height for a specific position helps considerably in getting noticed.

Each division in the NCAA and NAIA will have their own standards for recruiting, but being the right height does play a strong role.

Highlight Video: A short, effective highlight video that demonstrates the jumping, shooting, passing, dribbling, and other essential talents is crucial in getting noticed by college coaches. The video is really designed to wet their appetite to see more of the athlete in play.

Improve Academic Performance: The higher the grades, the better the chances of getting recruited due to qualifications for scholarships outside of athletics. All colleges are looking for students with excellent grade point averages, so boosting academic performance helps considerably.

The overall goal is to have college recruiters taking notice by the beginning of the junior year. This is when most of the recruiting occurs, so it is important to get an early start.

How SportsForce Helps You

You can greatly improve your status in how to get recruited in basketball by having SportsForce provide the right support. From assessing your strengths, going over the requirements, and creating a plan for success, you will maximize your chances at being recruited by colleges when SportsForce is by your side.

SportsForce offers a complete system that will help you get noticed by colleges and universities. SportsForce will also show you other ways that will help increase your chances of being recruited, from assisting with video highlights to emphasizing academics, SportsForce offers complete support so you’ll get noticed by recruiters from around the country. Sign up for a free evaluation today by clicking on the “Blue” button in the upper righthand corner of the website.