From: The Important Role of Highlight and Skills Videos in Recruiting on NSCASports.org
After you’ve collected enough footage, it’s time to start editing. The goal is to put together a video that showcases what you can do, as this is one of the main ways coaches evaluate a potential recruit. Here are some tips for putting together a great highlight video:
- Include the right highlights. Depending on your sport, coaches will be looking for different types of footage. For example, it’s important for basketball and football videos to show in-game footage, but sports like baseball and softball should focus more on technical skills.
- Keep your video short—about three to five minutes. If a coach wants to see footage of a whole game, they will request it.
- Showcase your best clips first. Sometime coaches won’t watch more than the first 20 or 30 seconds of your video. If you start out strong, you have a better chance of capturing their attention.
- Use freeze frames and/or spot shadows. Right before the action begins, freeze the video so the coach can see what has been set up. Then, add a circle or arrow to identify your student-athlete.
- Vary the skills you showcase. While it’s impressive to be able to drain three-pointers, if your whole highlight video only shows that one skill, you’re not showing that you’re a well-rounded player. Include footage of other important aspects of the game such as playing defense.
- Include footage from before and after the play. Coaches aren’t just interested in the execution; they want to see how you react and communicate during gameplay.
- Make sure the quality of the video is high. You might have made an amazing catch, but if the camera is shaking and you’re out of focus, you’re more likely to be looked over. Coaches are making split-second decisions when they watch highlight videos. Don’t give them any reason to stop watching.
- Keep it simple. There’s no need to include special editing effects or music in your highlight video. The fewer frills, the better.
- Provide detailed information along with your video. The first frame of the video should include your name, school, jersey number, position, graduation year and contact information. You can also add sport-specific measurements such as height, weight, etc.