As May arrives, we’ve tapped into our network to help you finish the spring season grind with strength, while also making intentional moves to optimize the important summer ahead. 🤝
In this edition:
A Head Coach’s guide to more effective college coach communication
Two exclusive live May events📆
*UPDATE: Recordings and limited-time offers available at the bottom of this edition!
Headfirst alumni tips and tricks for managing your academics in-season
🚩Situational awareness: As of April 26, recruiting contact between Division I coaches and a baseball student-athlete or their family is now prohibited by the NCAA until August 1 of junior year. Go deeper.
1 big thing: Elevate your college coach communications
Why it matters: Coach communications have become saturated via all primary channels, and it is difficult to differentiate yourself in authentic ways. An intentional approach can be a difference maker in your recruiting journey.
📅Office Hours: Join us for expert insights and specific strategies to cut through the noise on Wednesday, May 10th from 8:30pm-9:15pm (EST). Sign up here plus receive a special offer.
*Update – the recording of this session is available at the bottom of this edition.
Go deeper: Stan Exeter was a two-time All-Patriot League player prior to two decades of Head Coaching experience at Arcadia, Swarthmore and Ursinus. Check out a few tips from Stan below, and don’t miss the opportunity to engage more deeply on Wednesday, May 10th.
Effectively craft all written communications. Coach Ex has traded fungo for editing pen ✍ and marked up this sample email through the eyes of a recruiter who will receive it.
Efficiently share a good new video clip or update from the season or classroom. In last month’s edition, we recommended capturing game video from your busy high school seasons. As you might imagine, not all video is created equal, and there are do’s and don’ts for sending along. This will be a hot topic covered in the May Office Hours! 🔥
Enthusiastically grab all in-person opportunities at camps or on campus to introduce (or re-introduce) yourself to a college coach. Eye contact, firm handshake, clear expression of name, grad year and hometown. Be yourself – and always remove your shades! 😎
The bottom line: Be intentional, be proactive, be authentically YOU.
A worthwhile balancing act
One optimistic thing: You choose the frame!
Our thought bubble: The skills, discipline and hustle that are crucial to your in-season academic performance are muscles that require development like any other.
These creative habits can also form a foundation for success as you pursue the balancing act of life as a collegiate student-athlete – and consider internships and employment opportunities during and beyond those years.
We reached out to several inspiring Headfirst alums at the next level who we know are setting the bar in this area – and heard a few consistent themes:
✏Get ahead and get organized; communicate early and often with teachers/professors
📆Map your commitments and assignments. Identify pockets of downtime and use them wisely (Google Calendar is a hit among our alums!)
💙Lean on your support system (friends & teammates in classes, professors, coaches, etc.) – and be a place to lean as well.
Go deeper: Check out the tips and tricks these rising stars are utilizing to ensure success in the classroom, despite their increased in-season athletic demands.
Get smarter: A must read from Compass Education co-founder Bruce Reed on the signals and admissions trends emerging from A New Era in Testing (8-minute read).
Adversity = your game-changer
One big thing: Harness the power of adversity.🏇
Dr. Adam Wright of the Washington Nationals and Dr. Nick Holton co-founded The Antifragile Academy.
They’ll headline an exclusive Roadmap webinar to introduce players and parents to the concepts underlying their trailblazing work. Thursday, May 18, 8:00pm – 9:00pm (EST) – register here.
*Update – the recording of this session is available at the bottom of this edition.
Antifragility is the ability to not only bounce back from adversity, but to thrive amidst and because of it.
Why it matters: The partner PhD’s will explain the three components that make up antifragility:
Well-being (building the good)
Resilience (navigating the bad)
Performance (acting as our best selves or teams)
Go deeper: Drs. Wright and Holton will also share their science-backed 🔬three-part framework for antifragility, matched with several, simple action steps that you can immediately start applying to your life to provide support during difficult times.
They’ll share some of the gamified, team-based ways they train parents, teams and student-athletes in the skills of antifragility.
We’ll finish with additional opportunities for you to engage with the hosts.
Our thought bubble: Building these skills and tools is a critical element of your journey towards a successful collegiate student-athlete experience. And in our experience, they are – by far – the least understood and most neglected. Join us on the 18th and begin to make adversity your game-changer. 🧠💪
👋As we sign off:
The rewards of a recruiting journey from our Summer ‘23 Event Management and Operations Intern – current Villanova grad student and pitcher, Stephen Turzai. ✨
Keep your eyes peeled 👀 for a special summer kick-off edition in early June!
Thanks for reading and we’ll be back in a flash 🏃!
*Update: Recordings and limited-time offers!
Elevate Your Coach Communication Office Hours Recording
OFFER:
Email Justin Cronk your basic video clips by May 31st for a free, no strings attached, verbal evaluation of your projection at the next level.
More details are available at the 5:20 mark of the recording.
Harness the Power of Adversity Webinar Recording with The Antifragile Academy
TWO OFFERS:
FREE, live Q&A with Dr. Adam Wright (Washington Nationals)
Stay tuned for more details on a date and time.
2-for-1 access to an exclusive Roadmap cohort on Wellness, Resilience & Performance
Sign up here.Offer expires June 12th. More details are available at the 50:30 mark of the recording.
