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If a coach cannot see you in person, the next best thing is a video.  Most coaches do not look at stats or newspaper clippings, they want to see you. In the event that a coach requests a video, what do you do? Here are some tips to make the best of it.  Wheaton College (Mass.) Baseball coach Eric Podbelski offers a few tips for making your video

  1. Do it yourself.  Rent or borrow a camcorder from a friend or the school.  Perhaps there is a student who will do it for free (and a pizza).  Professional services are expensive.
  2. Use a tripod- The Blair Witch Project might have made millions but it also made a few thousand people sick from the shaking camcorder shots. Do your son a favor and leave the camera on a steady and level tripod.
  3. Stick to the sport. Avoid the shots of Jr. hitting his alarm clock at 5 am to go hit the weights and take a few cuts off the T. Not only is this embarrassing to your child but the coaches don’t care much for it.
  4. Combine both game footage and practice footage.  For example; film a batter in the cage hitting against a pitcher or a machine and even show some soft toss swings.  Then include footage of live game at bats.  Same is true for a pitcher.
    5.
  5. By position-
  1. Pitchers- take video from all angles: behind the catcher, glove side, throwing arm side and backside. Film from the stretch and also include the breaking balls. The best place to see mechanics is from the catcher/umpire view.
  2. Fielders- set the camera between first and home and take a good view of the fielder from the front so the hands and feet can be seen. Follow the throws to first all the way. Mix in moving to right, left, straight on and charging. Show 10-15 grounders and then try to catch the live actions of a game.
  3. Outfielders- from right field show a long throw to third. Film the approaching view of the player charging a ground ball one of him going after a fly ball.
  4. Hitters- film the open side to see wrist, hip, feet action. Take a few shots from behind as well. Include live game footage.  
  5. Catchers – shoot to see the front of the catcher and include a few throws to second. Again follow the ball all the way to the bag.
  1. Keep it short! - Keep it under 10 minutes.  Again only send pertinent footage,
  2. Label the tape with your name, phone number, address and uniform number.
  3. If your want the tape back include a postage paid return address envelope.

Videos are not something coaches ask for all the time. Avoid a mass mailing of videos. It is expensive and annoyance to the coaches who don’t want them. Keep in mind that coaches will want to see a player live before he totally commits to recruiting him. A good video might open the door to this happening but it could also close the door (hopefully not.)