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The Importance of Game Video in Lacrosse Recruiting

The Importance of Game Video in Lacrosse Recruiting

(Editors note: This recruiting article was written by Chris Meade, Co-founder of LacrosseRecruits.com  and our go-to guru of the recruiting process.)

It is this simple: quality game video will be one of the most important resources to get the majority of players recruited.

I know there is the assumption that coaches need to see players in person to evaluate them, but getting the opportunity to be on a coach’s radar is initiated by a coach seeing a combination of highlight video and game video. As everyone knows, coaches are increasingly stretched thin. On average, there will be four or more major recruiting events each weekend from June until the end of July. The coaching staffs will divide and conquer by taking responsibility for tournaments in certain areas of the East Coast or the entire country. At larger programs, a staff of four paid coaches will have much better coverage than a smaller D3 program that consists of two paid coaches.

To help coaches recruit you, especially the coaches from smaller programs or outside your geographic region, you have to give them the opportunity to see you play. Seeing your game video can ultimately lead a coach to plan on attending a specific tournament or make sure they are on Field 12 at 2PM to watch you play in person. The video package that you provide is the first opportunity for a coach to evaluate you. You get to pick the clips and performances that best exemplify the type of player you are. The process is not easy, but the time and effort you put into your video will help yield greater results with coaches.

How do you get game video?

A small percentage of high school programs organize filming of their lacrosse games. As a parent or player, you can see if your school already films, has video equipment available through the Athletic Department or you can hire a professional videographer. As we get closer to the summer tournament schedule, you should see if different tournaments offer filming services. For example, LacrosseRecruits.com will be at 13 boys and girls events over the summer providing filming.

What games should I get?

You should try to get video against the best opponents on your team’s schedule. Coaches like to see how a player performs against quality programs or against specific players who are headed to play college lacrosse. For example, if you are an attackman and have a great game against a UNC commit, that game video will allow coaches to compare you to D1 talent. If you play in developing areas, you may not have many opportunities to play against great competition, so I suggest that you focus on getting film from tournaments or camps over the summer.

What type of game video should you include to the coaches?

The type of video that coaches like to see varies from program to program. Typically, you should include a highlight video that is no more than 6-8 minutes and the video from your best full game or two of the best halves from the season. The highlights give you the opportunity to showcase your ability, athleticism and attitude. A coach does not want to see 6 minutes of you scoring goals though. For an offensive player, they want to see the different facets of your game, dodging, shooting, feeding, off ball movement, riding, picking up groundballs and other intangibles. You want to include full game video or your best halves, so a coach can see how you perform within the flow of a game. It is important to help a coach get a better sense of you as a complete player.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Chris Meade at chris@lacrosserecruits.com. I tell a pretty good video mix up story that landed me at Wesleyan University.

Chris Meade is Co-Founder of LacrosseRecruits.com. He grew up playing lacrosse on Long Island and graduated from Wesleyan University in 2005. Chris was a team captain and led the team to their first NCAA tournament appearance.