No matter what season your sport is summer is a great time to get in shape. Unless you are playing a club sport you are most likely not in season during the summer, with no school and no practice this give you ample time to work out. Improve your cardio, strength, flexibility and balance. Even if you are playing a club sport throughout the summer, you should be spending an ample amount of time improving your overall endurance. The biggest difference between high school athletics and college athletics is speed and endurance. Many top high school athletes are blown away by the intensity and speed of their sport at the next level. The more in shape you can get in high school the better recruit you will look to college coaches and the more prepared you will be when you get to the next level.
2) Study
But its summer? Summer is not an excuse to blow of your academics. Sophomores and juniors this is especially critical for you. ACT/SAT prep should be on the brain, start practicing and studying for those tests. Look into Kaplan’s test prep services; start taking free practice test online. A great tip is to have your parent’s time you just like the real test, that way you’ll be more prepared for the strict time constraints. Junior’s summer is also a great time to start registering for these tests, and seniors register for more testing times improving your score by 1 or 2 points can mean the difference between thousands of dollars of scholarship dollars.
3) Take Visits
If you’re an underclassman start taking unofficial visits this summer. Look at schools nearby to avoid excessive cost, on each visit make sure to take note of what you like and what you don’t. Upper classman start taking unofficial visits that you are seriously interested in attending, this will help you narrow down which schools you are more serious about and what schools you want to take official visits too. Do prior research about the coaching staff, the current players and the academic program. This way, you’ll impress the college coaches with your knowledge of their team and their school.
4) Camps and Combines
Camps are a great time to improve your skills. Whether it’s a one day camp or several days long, you can learn a lot from coaches who don’t see you play every day like your high school or club coach. Camps are also a chance to go up against some tough competition especially if you play in a smaller division. However
there’s a myth out there that camps are a way to get “discovered” by college coaches – that’s just not true. When a coach goes to a camp, he or she is going there to check out athletes they know about and have been in touch with. Before the event, make sure you reach out to college coaches who are running or attending the event. Introduce yourself, tell them you will be attending, and show them your athletic profile with highlight film. This will put you on the coaches’ radar and if they are interested, they’ll be paying closer attention to you as a prospect during the event. You have to remember that recruits don’t get discovered at camps or combines; only athletes with a prior relationship with the college coach will be evaluated.
Bonus Tip: NCSA recommends going to several one day camps instead of one or two three day camps. One day camps allow you to experience other coaching styles, see campuses and learn a lot from a great coach. There is less diversity at 3 day camps. Ask coaches or hosts about prorating a 3 day camp for 1 day, most are willing to accommodate.
5) Work on your recruiting
Summer is a great time to start putting a lot of effort into your recruiting. Reach out to coaches, update your profile and be as proactive as possible. Coaches will take a small break during summer but most will continue to build recruiting lists, and actively look for athletes to fill their open roster spots with. Just make sure your on one of those lists.
6) Relax
Between practicing, working out and working on your recruiting remember to relax a little bit. Both your body and mind need some time to regenerate after a long school year and season. Play your sport with some friends and remember exactly why you fell in love with it, take a vacation with your family and get lots of sleep! You will only go through high school one time, it’s important to have some fun and enjoy it!
