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How to get a College Volleyball Scholarship - Top 10 Insights from Coaches

Parents often wonder what their child needs to do to get a college scholarship.

After talking to a few friends that coach college volleyball, here are my top 10 insights…

1. Pick a club that will train individual skills. When you play club ball, you should play for a coach that will focus on teaching you individual skills. Individual skills are extremely important and when you visit a college, coaches will look at individual skills.

2. Do something extremely well. You need to develop 1 skill really well. It’s better to be highly skilled at a specific position than to be average at a few.

3. Develop good ball control skills. You want to especially develop your passing movement skills. Being able to serve receive is important, especially if you’re tall, coaches will notice.

4. Be fast. Coaches will notice your speed. Also, make dynamic plays. Coaches want players that make dynamic plays. Coaches want players that make plays when the game is on the line.

5. Attitude. When a coach is recruiting players, they will often watch how players react in certain situations. For example, when things don’t go your way, how do you react? Coaches want kids who get excited about playing well. Coaches want players that huddle up and cheer. It’s important to be a team player, not a team cancer.

This is really important… Every coach is afraid of getting a bad attitude kid. College coaches don’t want to get stuck with them for 4 years. Coaches are careful about not getting a bad apple.

6. When you're visiting a college, don’t have your parents ask all the questions. As a player, when you visit a college make sure you have questions for the coach. Also, be on time for your visit.

7. When you visit a college and practice with the team, be friendly. You need to be friendly with the team because the team will ultimately decide whether or not you come play. If the team doesn't like you, the coach won't want you.

Get connected with the team. Don’t be shy. Don’t be intimidated. Just relax. Don’t think it’s a big deal. Don’t freak out if you make mistakes.

8. When you practice with the college team, don’t be afraid of being overly aggressive. You don’t want to make the mistake of being too much of an observer. It’s time for you to shine.

9. When you email a coach, make it personal. For example, don’t send out a mass email to many different coaches. Each email should be personal. Also, make Youtube videos highlighting your skills.

10. Don’t put incriminating info on your Facebook. Colleges check up on students' non-scholastic activities using Facebook. You could get into trouble posting incriminating photographs online, so think before you post.

Follow the link for more information on how to get a volleyball scholarship.

http://www.strength-and-power-for-volleyball.com/volleyball-scholarships.html

That's all for this issue.

As always,

Get strong and explosive,

Dennis

NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist,
President, Strength and Power for Volleyball LLC
strength-and-power-for-volleyball.com