COACH COMMUNICATIONS 101Communication with coaches is a chance to build relationships, to impress coaches, and to

show them how invested you truly are in college & playing for their program. Every recruit

should gather as much knowledge as possible when it comes to communicating with college

coaches because they only get one chance in the recruiting process.

FORMER BIG 10 AND PAC 10 RECRUITING COORDINATOR RANDY TAYLOR, CURRENT NCSA RECRUITING ANALYST

1. Be enthusiastic when talking to coaches! You should think about the followingareas when talking to a coach : your overall tone, confidence and your leadershipability.

2. Before you have your first live call with a coach, you need to practice!

3. When it comes time to actually call a coach, you need to make sure you have a listof questions written down to ask the coach. You should also have a pen and paperready to take notes.

4. Always have a POINT to your call. Is it to find out more about the college? Is it to find out where you are on the coach’s recruiting list or whether they have evaluated you? Is it to set-up an unofficial visit?

5. Be prepared to answer questions a coach may ask you.

HOW TO PREPARE FOR A PHONE CALL WITH A COACH

• How are you doing in school?• What is your favorite subject? Least favorite subject?• What are you looking for in a school?• What other schools are you looking at?• What other schools are recruiting you?• Have you visited our campus?• What is your biggest strength as a player?• What is your biggest weakness as a player?• What do you want to major in?• What is your upcoming schedule?• What type of scholarship are you looking for?

QUESTIONS COACHES MAY ASK

• What is the typical day for a student-athlete?• What position do you envision I will play for your team?• Will my specific major interfere with my athletic schedule?• What are your expectations for this upcoming year?• What are the admission requirements for an athlete?• How would you best describe your coaching style?• Does your program have a full-time academic adviser?• What are the key positions you are looking to fill in the (your grad year) class?• What are the physical demands of each season?• Have I been evaluated by your coaching staff yet?• How many players are you recruiting at my position

PREPARE YOURSELF WITH QUESTIONS TO ASK A COACH!

I CAN’T THANK NCSA ENOUGH FOR MAKING SUCH A PROFOUND IMPACT ON THE REST OF MY LIFE THROUGH HELPING ME FIND MY LOCATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND ATHLETICS. IT BROUGHT COMPLETELY DIVERSE LOCATIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES TO THE TABLE AND WITHOUT NCSA MY

DECISION MAY NOT HAVE BEEN ATTAINABLE AT ALL.

SOPHIA WILLOUGHBYSOCCERSAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY

1N C S A : A T H L E T E S H E L P I N G A T H L E T E S C O M M I T , S U C C E E D & L E A D .

HOW DO I RESPOND TO AN EMAIL FROM A COACH?The best response to a personal email from a coach is to call the coach directly. If a coach gave you their number and I told you to call it with questions, do so! This can be a great way to bypass recruiting regulations. If you leave a voice mail, follow-up with an email letting the coach know you tried to reach them. You can also respond back to a coach’s email, with another personal email. Make sure you address anyquestions the coach asks you and also ask them at least a couple of good questions.

HOW DO I KNOW IF MY EMAIL IS APPROPRIATE?You are more than welcome to email a draft to NCSA and we will proofread and edit it for you. Always make sure you use proper grammar, spelling and punctuation in every email to a coach. Your email should have a clear objective and should be concise. If you don’t follow these steps, you run the risk of coaches deleting your email.

THERE ARE SEVERAL COACHES LISTED ON THE COLLEGE WEBSITE - WHICH ONE SHOULD I CONTACT?If you have had contact with any of the coaches in the past, contact that same individual. At some schools, the head coach does all of the recruiting, while at other schools the assistant coaches are the primary recruiters. If you are initiating a first contact, reach out to a couple members of the staff. If there are more than 3-4 coaches, target the Head, Assistant, Recruiting Coordinator and/or position specific coach. It is okay to copy them all on one email, as long as they are all addressed (i.e. Do not say “Dear Coach” and copy three other coaches. Say “Dear Coaches”).

WHAT IF I GET AN EMAIL FROM A COACH AT A SCHOOL I AM NOT INTERESTED IN ATTENDING?Replying to all college coach contacts is one of the most important steps in the recruiting process. You NEVER want to burn any bridges with college coaches by ignoring them and you never want to turn any coaches down too soon.

Reasons you must respond to ALL coaches:

1. If you do not respond to a coach they will STOP RECRUITING YOU.

2. Your opinion may change. Once you research a college and talk to a coach, you are bound to learn something new. You never know which college might be the perfect fit for you.

3. Consider this practice! The more coaches you communicate with, the more familiar you will become with the types of questions college coaches ask. This practice will prepare you for email exchanges and conversations with coaches at your favorite schools.

4. By investigating many different types of institutions, you will have a better idea of what you like and what you dislike in a college.

5. College coaches change jobs You might ignore a coach because you do not like their school, only to have them get hired at one of your top choices.

6. College coaches are friends with one another and they do not appreciate it when a student-athlete ignores a contact. You never want to give anyone something bad to say about you. Always make a good impression.

7. If a coach takes the time to send you information, you owe them a response. It is common courtesy.

COACH COMMUNICATIONS VIA EMAIL

NCSA IS A GLOBAL NETWORK THAT ENRICHES ATHLETES’ LIVES THROUGH CUTTING EDGE TECHNOLOGY, EXPERT EDUCATION AND WORLD CLASS RELATIONSHIPS THAT CONNECT ATHLETES, COACHES & BUSINESS LEADERS.

N C S A : A T H L E T E S H E L P I N G A T H L E T E S C O M M I T , S U C C E E D & L E A D . 2

WHAT IF I RECEIVE AN EMAIL OR GENERAL MAIL FROM THE ADMISSIONS DEPARTMENT?Remember that if you are an underclassman, admissions materials is one of the only things coaches are allowed to send you. Sometimescoaches give the names of their underclassmen prospects to the admissions department. Respond to the admissions officer who sent you theinformation and explain that you are actually a competitive athlete and you would like to receive more information that pertains to your sport.You can also respond directly to the coach. Tell them that you received information from their school and you would like to receive moreinformation that pertains to their program.

Always open with “Dear Coach_____(last name)” and refer to the schoolby name. Thank the coach for the information they sent you (if applicable).

Begin by telling the coach your name, grad year, where you are from andwhat team(s) you play for.

Tell them you are interested in their school and team. Tell the coach WHYyou are interested. Use specific details you learned when researching theschool. (Example : I have always dreamt of playing for a DI school in theMidwest and I am also impressed with the pre-med program ABC Collegeoffers). Tell the coach a little more about yourself including any upcomingcompetitions (if applicable) you will be participating in.

Include all of your contact information

Once a recruit has made contact with a coach and hopefully developed agood relationship, the next form of contact is to visit the school and meetin person. Meeting the coach is huge for the recruit as it gives the coach atrue chance to see the recruit’s personality for real. Just as phoneconversations, every recruit should have a specific list of questions andtopics prepared to talk about with a coach. Coaches are impressed whenrecruits prepare well for conversations, because it all shows the levelof interest.

TIPS TO REMEMBER WHEN CONTACTING COACHES

VISITS

N C S A : A T H L E T E S H E L P I N G A T H L E T E S C O M M I T , S U C C E E D & L E A D .

COMMIT.SUCCEED.LEAD.

WANT TO GET AHEAD OF YOUR COMPETITION?Call 866.579.6272 & get started today!

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