Since many of us are craving some face to face time these days I thought I would share this week's article as a video blog. I hope you enjoy and get some valuable insight into what is going on with the NCAA decisions and how it impacts college recruiting. Watch Here Written by: Brandi Jackson, RecruitPKB College Consultant For more information about college recruiting, please contact Brandi at bjackson@pkbgt.org
How are you taking advantage of your time? Don't feel too overwhelmed to accomplish everything just because you have more time available during this period of social distancing and quarantine. But do take advantage of having the opportunity to focus on things you weren't able to before when school and golf were majority of your days and weekends. This is a great time to start a new project, pick up a hobby, try a new sport, read a book, exercise, or help someone else. Obviously we all need to follow the guidelines in place to protect our health and the health of others, but within what is allowed take advantage of this time. If your golf course is still open set aside practice time and focus during that time. Some days it's ok to go out there and not have a plan, but most days you [...]
As we all are fully aware we are in the midst of a very crazy time in the world. Many people are being affected in much more serious ways than just the outcome of the college recruiting process but I will allow the news to cover all of that information and focus on how this may or may not be affecting you as a student-athlete. First thing, there has been a mandatory DEAD PERIOD put into place until at least April 15th for all DI and DII coaches. This means that a coach can't have in-person contact on or off-campus with a prospective student-athlete and they can not watch a student-athlete compete. Also, NLI signings have been suspended until April 15th as well. Coaches are however ALLOWED to communicate via electronic communication (phone, text, email, social media) during this temporary dead period if you are a [...]
While it's rare for even the best players in the country to get everything they want from their college decision, it helps to prioritize your criteria and focus on schools that offer the best opportunity to have access to your higher priority factors. Keep in mind though, if those schools are unrealistic in comparison to your resume then you likely won't get any responses and limit your options. There is a balance between staying open-minded in order to find options that are realistic, while also keeping in mind the aspects that you feel are most important to you. These are some of the more common aspects to consider in determining your college golf experience: 📌Academic demand 📌Golf demand 📌Location 📌Social life 📌Size 📌Scholarship opportunity 📌Coach relationship 📌Intended major 📌Cost 📌Weather 📌Playing time 📌Team chemistry Additional factors: 📌Team diversity 📌Strength of schedule 📌Workout demands 📌Surrounding area 📌Housing These [...]
I was recently asked by a young player about how to overcome injuries during and after season. While I do now suffer from chronic foot pain and post-surgical arthritis and inflammation in both of my feet, I never had any major injuries or illnesses during my actual golf career. So while I have some thoughts and opinions on this and how I manage them in my current training, I wanted to seek out someone who has battled both chronic and acute injuries throughout her career. I sat down in a recent episode of Tap In To College Golf to ask Taylor Totland, former Furman golfer and current Symetra Tour pro, how she has dealt with her injuries. We talk about how to deal with the downtime during the actual injury and not let it get you down in the dumps because you can't compete or practice. She [...]
Through this series, I have encouraged and educated you on how to use social media as a valuable tool in the recruiting process but I wouldn't feel like I am doing my job if I don't touch on the bigger picture aspect of social media and it's influence on young girls. Stop for a minute and think about the types of accounts you follow. Do they inspire you? Do they provide valuable insight into areas that are connected to your goals? Do they make you happy? Are they motivational in a positive way? Are they a true reflection of your values? Or do they make you feel not good enough? Do they make you feel envious or jealous? Do they motivate you in a negative way? Do they encourage you to devalue your beliefs about yourself? Do they include inappropriate language and images? Social media can [...]
So far we have talked about whether social media is necessary, privacy settings, golf-specific accounts, and what to post and not to post in regards to using social media as a recruiting tool. This week we are going to discuss how to best interact and engage with the college golf program accounts. While there is a double edge sword to not wanting to encourage a young athlete to spend more time on their phone or be caught up in the social media world, there is no doubt that social media is more and more becoming a vital part of the college recruiting process. If you aren't comfortable using it as a recruiting tool for yourself, then I do at least recommend trying to keep up with the college golf program's accounts. This is a great way to keep up with what they are doing and learn [...]
We are going to dive in a little deeper with social media and it's purpose in the recruiting process. This week we tackle "What should I post and what should I not post on social media?". Clearly there are some obvious answers to this question, but it still seems that many young athletes don't always think before posting. Now as with many parts of this process I don't recommend you pretend to be someone you aren't on social media or when talking to coaches. They need to see the real you, because if not, within a few weeks of being on campus they are going to get the real you. But when it comes to social media always remember that what you put out there will always be out there, no matter if it gets deleted or it's on someone else's feed or account. So any [...]
This week we are tackling privacy settings and having multiple social media accounts to use for recruiting purposes. For security reasons, it is perfectly ok to have your social media accounts set to private, just make sure you accept any follow requests from college coaches. If you choose to have a golf specific account that is totally fine and can be a great addition to your recruiting profile. It can be a great way to keep coaches up to date on your progress, just be sure you keep the amount of times you share and post to an acceptable amount. You can share your tournament results and thoughts, some insights on your practice time, drills, lessons, workouts, travel, etc. Keep it humble but this is also a way to show your love and commitment to playing golf and competing. If you don't feel comfortable sharing this [...]
For most people, social media has become a way of life. It's how we get our news, stay in touch with friends and family, shop, build a business, and much more. And in the recruiting process, it's a way to help maximize your efforts for finding a college golf home. In the next few articles we will cover the ways to use social media and the ways not to use social media as a prospective student athlete. But first, I want to address the question, is it necessary? No, it's not necessary, because in this world of too much screentime, oversharing, and inappropriate content I want to make sure no one feels like they have to use social media. If you aren't comfortable as a kid or young adult (or as the parent of a kid or young adult) using social media, then do not feel [...]
