How to Make a Volleyball Recruiting Video and Impress College Coaches

College coaches don’t have the time to travel across the country and watch dozens of volleyball recruits in person. That’s why a volleyball recruiting video is so important. It takes just a few minutes for a well-made recruiting video to show coaches what a high school volleyball recruit can do on the court. But for a volleyball recruiting video to be effective, athletes need to know what volleyball coaches are looking for in recruits. Read on to learn how to capture the right footage and put together a volleyball recruiting video that will get noticed by college coaches.

How to make a volleyball skills video

Getting on a coach’s radar is easier said than done—but a standout men’s volleyball skills video can help potential volleyball recruits get noticed while showcasing their skills! Recruits should keep in mind that while a volleyball skills video doesn’t have to be perfect, it does have to demonstrate their technical abilities and overall athleticism.

In the video below, former D1 Head Volleyball Coach Jason Holt breaks down everything men’s volleyball recruits need to know ahead of creating their volleyball skills video, including:

• Drills that demonstrate agility, speed and power
• Strength training and conditioning workouts, like box jumps
• Ball control, setting footwork and consistency in sets, blocks and hits
• The importance of moving quickly—and why top coaches are looking for game speed 

What footage should my volleyball highlight video include?

College coaches watch a lot of recruiting videos (also known as highlight videos). While a volleyball highlight video should show off an athlete’s position-specific abilities with clips of their best plays, it should also be kept short because college coaches will only give it a quick look. If the coach likes what they see, they might request full game footage or more clips. Read on to see what each position should film. 

Volleyball recruiting video tips

• Avoid filming by hand, following the ball with the camera and zooming in and out.
• The smoother the video experience, the more coaches will be able to focus on the athlete—not the shaky videography. 
• Set up the camera on the baseline of the court on the side your athlete is playing on. 
• Make sure you’ve set it far enough back to capture the whole court, but there won’t be people walking back and forth in front of it. 
• When editing the video, start out with a slide that shares basic information: name, grad year, position, jersey number, club team name and height. Key stats like vertical jump can also be added.
• Put the best plays at the very beginning of the video.
• Add a drop shadow, arrow or some other indicator of who the athlete is so the coach evaluates the right athlete.

Volleyball recruiting tip: Some clubs film games for their athletes. Families can check with club coaches about capturing footage for a recruiting video.

What do college coaches want to see in a volleyball recruiting video?

Coaches usually watch the first 10–25 seconds of a recruit’s volleyball highlight video before they make a decision about pursuing a recruit. So, make those first 10–25 seconds extremely impactful and stack the best footage at the beginning of the video to capture the coach’s attention right away.

How long should my volleyball highlight video be?

The video should be three to five minutes long and shouldn’t waste time with fancy graphics, transitions or music. Instead, the video needs to focus on highlighting the best plays. Footage should show multiple repetitions of a few specific skillsets based on the athlete’s position and start off with a bang. 

Volleyball skills video for a libero

• Multiple repetitions of passing in all three positions
• Show ability to pass the ball no matter how much of the court you need to take
• Multiple repetitions of defense in all three positions
• Back row attacks, if applicable
• If there’s time, up to five of your best serves

Volleyball skills video for a middle blocker

• Multiple repetitions of middle blocking, showing footwork to block on left and right
• Multiple repetitions of blocking transition to attacking
• Five to seven attacks from transition (blocking to loading to attacking)
• Five to seven attacks off serve receive
• 10–15 hits/kills
• If there’s time, no more than three to five of your best serves 

Volleyball skills video for a setter

• 15–20 sets from all the positions: middles, outside LR
• Seven–10 digs/defensive plays from right back
• Five to seven attacks
• Five to seven blocks from right front
• If there’s time, no more than three to five of your best serves

Volleyball skills video for an outside hitter

• Multiple repetitions of attacking on the left side, right side and middle (second tempo sets, in the middle)
• Five to seven blocks
• Multiple repetitions of passes off a live serve from left back, middle back and right back
• If there’s time, no more than three to five of your best serves

Volleyball skills video for a right side hitter

• Multiple repetitions of attacking on the left side, right side and middle (second tempo sets, in the middle)
• Five to seven blocks
• Multiple repetitions of passes off a live serve from left back, middle back and right back
• If there’s time, no more than three to five of your best serves

When to send a college volleyball recruiting video

Every time athletes are reaching out to a coach for the first time, they should send a volleyball recruiting video. Additionally, families should create a new video after every major tournament (such as a national qualifier, super-regional, etc.) so that they can send the new video out to coaches of interest. This is a great way to stay on coaches’ radar and continue communicating with them. Try sending a new video every three or four months.