Player Video

Need some help please. A couple of colleges have requested a video of my son. I've heard lots of ripoff stories about videos and the promises those people make. However, there must be someone good out there. Know any? If it's something I can do on my own, what exactly are the coaches looking for on the video? My son is a pitcher/infielder. Thanks.

 

Red Bear:

I was going to write a long response to this, but luckily I took the time to look for a couple minutes at a recent post that I read over on the HSBaseballWeb (everyone should read that site). All of the questions that you asked are over there. Most of the responses are NOT state specific, but these particular questions have good plain straightforward answers.

A coach wants a VIDEO of Junior in action ..... Fine, no problemo ....

#1: The Video

How to Make Your Own VIDEO ..... (from the HSBaseballWeb)

After you've made that great, simple, inexpensive video, the next question is "what do you do with it". Obviously, send it out to him (but make a copy of that video first - it's time consuming if you have to do it frequently).

#2: The Letter

Example VIDEO tape letter to accompany your tape (from the HSBaseballWeb)

Now you have a video tape and a letter to send. What do you do next? Is this the only coach who's called? Are you marketing your player correctly yourself?

#3: Market your Player

How to market your son (reprinted from Baseball Parent Magazine) HSBBWeb

All of this is good general stuff. Fire away if you have any more questions.

 

Another point ....

This is for everybody...... Don't go making a video now and shooting off a copy of Junior to every coach you can find an address for. If the coach DID NOT request a video, the only thing he's going to do is trashcan the letter and use the tape as a blank one to film his hitters on.

Make sure that the tape has been rewound before you seal it up. Avoid the little irritants. Make sure that the tape has been labeled with the players name, HS, Date and Phone #.

 

and dont film a whole ball game...Coach dont have but a few minutes to watch...

 

They recommend that it's very specific ... a short workout/bullpen...

Total, not more than 3-5 minutes.

 

Two years ago I got some advice from a college coach about what they wanted to see on a video for a position player:

Less than 5 minutes, crisply edited
If you have game highlights that show a great play, include those, but don't fill up the video with ordinary stuff.
60 yd run from base running stance. Try and put the stop watch on the screen so they can see it. (they actually time the run on video with their own watch).
For an outfielder: throw to the plate from 250 feet. Long view - he wants to see how the ball carries, not so much interested in mechanics. Also not so interested in catching because it's too easy on a fungo to know where the ball is going. 3-4 throws.
Hitting: a few swings shot from across the batters box - looking for swing mechanics. Then a few swings from behind the plate so they can see hands and angle of the bat through the zone. A couple long shots to see if the ball really jumps, but that's hard to tell on a video. 8-10 swings, 20 max.

-jda

 

professional option

Take a look at www.skillshow.com. I know several folks who have used skillshow with success. They are at every Pefect Game showcase and have a good reputation with coaches. They aren't cheap, but the coaches will know the tape is authentic. Skillshow also has an option to have an athlete webpage where the tape can be easily downloaded, along with whatever biographical information you'd want to include, upcoming schedules, references, etc.

If you'd like a specific reference to a player site with video, shoot me a PM and I'll give you the info to view the skillshow page that my son did.

 

Great information in this thread...thanks guys!

 

If you opt to do it professionally, SkillShow is the best in the country.

 

When looking at a video of a pitcher the coaches would definitely like to see him throw off the mound for 12-15 pitches (6-8 fastballs from stretch and wind up, 2-3 curveballs from stretch and windup and any other pitch you may have as well). Make sure when pitching to always motion as to what pitch you are throwing, and maybe have someone say it aloud so the camera can hear. Throwing too many pitches gets boring to the coach. (And remember you can always edit pitches on the tape, so only show your best ones!!)Secondly, be sure to show the plate and show some close ups of his throwing mechanics. Thirdly, if available, a radar gun reading on each pitch is ideal. As for an infielder, show 3 or 4 balls hit straight at him so the coach can see mechanics (include the throw). Secondly, hit 2 or 3 in the hole on the glove side. Follow this up with 2 or 3 to his backhand side. Then 2 or 3 slow rollers. Be sure he's going through the entire play and throwing through the bag. Also be sure to edit out the time it takes to return to the position. As a hitter a coach can see enough with 8 to 10 swings. Anything more than that gets boring. Lastly, show the player running the sixty from a baseball stance, as was said by an earlier poster. Try to include the stopwatch if possible. Also be sure to include a profile sheet so if the coach wants more info he already has it along with an accurate schedule of when you play. Lastly, send it to any school that expresses interest in seeing such a thing. A good lead in is to ask the coach if they would like to see a video on you and they will respond if they would like to see, and most coaches that call will want to see it. Avoid any company if money is an issue, b/c this is too easy to do as a parent or player. Hope this helps.