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Recruiting: What should a freshman be doing now?

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    #16
    Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
    Players know when they have done well or not. Parents are not good judges of their own kids' ability. Go for a hike or see some local sights.
    Speak for yourself. I’ll watch my kid and give her an honest assessment. Hasn’t been wrong yet.

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      #17
      Four 2022s committed this week according to TDS.
      https://www.topdrawersoccer.com/high...11-17_aid45828

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        #18
        Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
        Speak for yourself. I’ll watch my kid and give her an honest assessment. Hasn’t been wrong yet.
        Not in your mind..

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          #19
          Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
          Speak for yourself. I’ll watch my kid and give her an honest assessment. Hasn’t been wrong yet.
          Dad of the year. Bet she wants to go to school very far from home.

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            #20
            Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
            Dont send her to any ID events if she isn't ready. If you think it - parents are.notoriusly biased - then she's really not ready. Plus the NCAA is trying to get the timetable pushed back to a more saner schedule. Except for the super studs coaches aren't looking at her age yet. She should contact coaches to get on their lists and establish contact, but dont feel obliged to attend the events. Once HS is done next fall that is when she should ramp up her efforts and will start getting more interest in the spring

            Like others said, she should spend time focusing on what she wants in a school as well as better targeting the soccer level. Its never too early to do some regular college tours on free weekends or when attending a tournament. I'd also recommend doing a local ID event at a school she's not that interested in. It's good to get some experience before going to ones at her target schools
            I strongly agree with what is said above. My daughter has been playing D1 for a few years. I would add 4 things you should be thinking about now:

            1) If she has a preliminary list of schools, try to take her to visit ones of different sizes and locations. We found it was very helpful to walk around the campus to see what kinds she actually liked. That way you can add or cross ones off the list that don’t have the “feel” they like. My daughter had everything from 1,500 student schools in rural settings all the way up to 20,000+ student schools near the city on her first pass list. Informal visits to a few helped her to focus her search.

            2) Sign her up for an SAT prep course for next fall and take the test. Coaches at the best academic schools will want to see that upfront and it will give her an edge having it upon request. It will also give you a more realistic idea what school she belongs at. Our experience was that being a stand-out soccer player helps to get into reach schools, but your SAT score must be within -150 pts of the average non-student-athlete. That was our experience.

            3) Start to make a short 4-5 minute highlight video to send out with her intro email to coaches. Coaches do look at these because they told us so. It doesn’t need to be fancy although the editing software that you probably have on your computer/iPad will do a pretty professional job (plenty of YouTube videos on how to do it). You want a dozen or so plays where she is making a smart play.

            4) NCAA has an “eligibility website” where she can make a profile with basic information. I believe coaches must have access to this. I think it beats setting up profiles on non-“official” websites like TopDrawerSoccer, etc.

            That is pretty much what all I would advise in later freshman/early sophomore year, particularly if she is a late bloomer. The spring of sophomore year is when showcases and ID camps become more important, but you’ll have all the important pieces in place if you do the above. Your club/HS coach will be big help when you are ready to reach out to college coaches.

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              #21
              Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
              Players know when they have done well or not. Parents are not good judges of their own kids' ability. Go for a hike or see some local sights.
              What a dumb comment. Lots of kids are clueless as to what's going on around them in a camp situation, and pick up the wrong information:

              1) "I scored 3 goals in the scrimmage. The coach seemed to love me." --- the kid was playing with the scrubs and knocked in a couple of rebounds against a non-keeper.

              2) "I was stopped every time I tried to make a move toward the goal. It was awful." --- the kid was playing against a YNT kid 2 years older, and the coach loved how she didn't get discouraged and kept attacking.

              3) "I was one of the top players there." --- the kid was one of the top 5 players on her team, and there were 4 teams, and she was a year older than all the other kids.

              Some parents do see their kids through rose-colored glasses, and oftentimes pay for that blindness down the road. But lots of parents know very well what they're looking at, and can tell when their kid is a step slower than the others (and she's usually a speedster), or is getting dispossessed a lot, or is being completely ignored by the key coaches.

              I remember watching my kid at a YNT camp and knew right away that she was going to be cycled out within the next few months. It was a bummer, but it was obvious that she lacked what the other kids had in terms of skill and aggressiveness.

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                #22
                Some kids win the race to puberty. But doesn't mean your child can't out work them. Just have fun and develope. The system will find good and great players.

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                  #23
                  Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                  Some kids win the race to puberty. But doesn't mean your child can't out work them. Just have fun and develope. The system will find good and great players.
                  This attitude funnels you to D3.

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                    #24
                    Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                    This attitude funnels you to D3.
                    Good. That is the plan. Good luck with your plan.

                    Comment


                      #25
                      Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                      Good. That is the plan. Good luck with your plan.
                      That’s an expensive plan.

                      Comment


                        #26
                        Please stop your foolishness writing posts on both sides of the discussion. Are you that fearful that this site will fall into oblivion? Should have thought about that before you started your trolling activities. That wasn’t the way to sustain a forum.

                        Comment


                          #27
                          Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                          Some kids win the race to puberty. But doesn't mean your child can't out work them. Just have fun and develope. The system will find good and great players.
                          This is hogwash. Player development is just like a pediatricians growth chart. You can literally see what percentile a player is in from the very early stages. All of this really comes down to tracking their “growth line” and monitoring their trajectory on it. Events like puberty only alter the trajectory of that line. It certainly doesn’t just start or end there.

                          Comment


                            #28
                            Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                            What a dumb comment. Lots of kids are clueless as to what's going on around them in a camp situation, and pick up the wrong information:

                            1) "I scored 3 goals in the scrimmage. The coach seemed to love me." --- the kid was playing with the scrubs and knocked in a couple of rebounds against a non-keeper.

                            2) "I was stopped every time I tried to make a move toward the goal. It was awful." --- the kid was playing against a YNT kid 2 years older, and the coach loved how she didn't get discouraged and kept attacking.

                            3) "I was one of the top players there." --- the kid was one of the top 5 players on her team, and there were 4 teams, and she was a year older than all the other kids.

                            Some parents do see their kids through rose-colored glasses, and oftentimes pay for that blindness down the road. But lots of parents know very well what they're looking at, and can tell when their kid is a step slower than the others (and she's usually a speedster), or is getting dispossessed a lot, or is being completely ignored by the key coaches.

                            I remember watching my kid at a YNT camp and knew right away that she was going to be cycled out within the next few months. It was a bummer, but it was obvious that she lacked what the other kids had in terms of skill and aggressiveness.
                            And I bet she knew it too. Kids know more than we give them credit for.

                            Comment


                              #29
                              First sign you're not targeting right - no coaches come to watch you at showcases. Second hint - after showcases the coaches that do come don't reach out to you (or your club coach depending on age) and/or all you get is a generic email inviting you to an ID event.

                              Comment


                                #30
                                Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                                This is hogwash. Player development is just like a pediatricians growth chart. You can literally see what percentile a player is in from the very early stages. All of this really comes down to tracking their “growth line” and monitoring their trajectory on it. Events like puberty only alter the trajectory of that line. It certainly doesn’t just start or end there.
                                Hmmm, you ever see players dominate at an early age because of size, more athleticism and even yes puberty, only to be surpassed by more skilled players at age 15/16? My suggestion to that freshman girl is to go out develope her game, have fun doing it and not worry about size, just yet. If she lands at D3, that's where she belongs. If she lands D1, again, the system will find her. I believe players land where they land because of skill and commitment.

                                Good luck to her.

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