Core Training

3 Reasons Why You Should Attend College Softball Camps

We have covered this topic in previous posts before, but we will say it again. If you want to play at the college level one day, don’t sit around and wait for them to come to you. You control your own destiny in the beginning of the recruiting process. It is the athlete’s job to get the college coaches attention. Take a step back and put yourself in the role of the college coach. Imagine getting hundreds of emails from hopeful recruits every single day. How on earth would you have the time to sort through all of them and run your team? You wouldn’t. That is why it is important to attend college softball camps.

Attending the annual college camps put on by the schools on your list is a good way to go. Typically, schools will hold a winter and summer camp throughout the year. Information on these camps can be found on the school’s website, yes, more work for you.

Here are three reasons why attending college softball camps can be beneficial:

  1. Better chance of being noticed: This point is a no brainer. Even if the camp you are attending has 200-300 hopeful athletes participating, you still have better odds than being noticed at a tournament with thousands of players. You will stand out even more to the coaches if you send video or an introduction email, letting them know you are coming to their camp. The more work you put in, the greater chance of the reward.
  1. You might actually learn something: Many people get caught up in the focus of making sure they get recognized at the camps they attend, that they completely tune out what’s being taught right in front of them. Once you get to the camp, you’ve completed step one. If you sent the video or introduction email, they already know you are there. The next step is to take in and enjoy the experience, you may actually learn something new! Bring a notebook and keep it in your bag so you can take some notes on what you learned during breaks or after the camp concludes. If you decide to attend the school, later on, it will be helpful to revert back to things covered at the camp. Most college coaches instruct their camps the same way they instruct their team.
  1. A chance to see where you match-up: As mentioned above, many college coaches run their camps and clinics the same way they would run a college team practice. They want to see who has what it takes, and who could step in and make an immediate impact on their program. This is a good “gut check” for the hopeful athletes in attendance to see where they match up and what they need to work on to get to that next level. College camps and clinics typically draw the elite hopeful athletes, so it’s a good way for these athletes to see where they measure up with their peers. College coaches love competition, so don’t be surprised if you compete while you are there.

It’s important to get out and attend college softball camps and clinics. Go to as many as you want, the sky is the limit. By attending multiple college camps and clinics, you may learn new things at each because the game can be taught different ways. All college coaches instruct and coach differently. You may relate to a certain coaching style more than another and that’s okay. That may even tell you something. Finding the right school and program is a lot of trial and error at the beginning. Do some research on the school’s you’re interested in, sign up for a camp, put the effort in to make an introduction, and get ready to work hard and learn.

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