Many of us dreamt of the opportunity to play our sport in college. A lot of us even hope for the glory of doing so on a Division I team. As a DI tennis player myself, I rememeber the ups and downs of the recruiting process, so I'm here with 5 tips that I wish I had known before I started my recruiting process.
1: Build a Relationship with the Coaches
The whole purpose of this process is to build up a relationship. Even if you do not receive a response, send emails after you compete at a major tournament, or when you are about to go to one. Keeping in touch with coaches and letting them get to know you will make a great impression.
Related: 8 Tips on How To Make a Memorable First Impression
2: Organize Your Target Schools
Use an excel spreadsheet organizing all the schools you are interested in and what is important to you. Research schools and create your target list and figure out what you value as important in your decision. When doing so, be open and honest with yourself about your skill level. You can have some “reach” schools, but have some safety schools too.
Related: Goals You Should Be Setting as an Athletic Recruit
3: Play in Tournaments
National-level tournaments are the key to getting exposure to coaches. I would especially recommend going to Socalamazoo as a girl or Kalamazoo as a guy, and winter nationals. Coaches typically do a lot of their recruiting during their breaks from schools, so plan to attend tournaments that match with your and their breaks. Also attend tournaments and camps that match your skill level so you're challenged but not made a fool of.
Related: Rate your Coaches, Facilities, and Campus Visits
4: Create a Highlight Video
Get in some point play, film your strokes, your movement, and different serves.
Related: 5 Tips to Make a Tennis Highlight Video
5: Watch the Dates
Be aware of the dates of when you can and can't contact coaches. Understand what they can do in terms of contact with you and vice versa. You will never get in any trouble if you contact a coach outside of a contact period, but the coaches simply might not be able to respond.
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* Originally published on March 25, 2022, by Janice Shin
