How to Make a Recruiting Video as a Pitcher
With fewer roster spots and limits on when coaches can contact players, a good recruiting video does more work than it used to. A coach may give it thirty seconds. The video has to make those seconds count.
What coaches are looking for
- Arm action and delivery, from angles that show them clearly
- Velocity, verified
- How your secondary pitches move
- Whether you throw strikes
- Athleticism and body type
They are evaluating a delivery and a set of tools. Editing and music do not help.
What to film
- Open side view. From the side facing your chest, showing the whole delivery.
- Behind the pitcher. Shows direction to the plate and how pitches move.
- Behind the catcher, if safe. Shows what a hitter sees.
Throw from the windup and the stretch. Show each pitch you would throw in a game: several fastballs, then your off-speed pitches. Game footage is valuable if the camera angle is usable.
How to film it
- Use a tripod. Shaky video is hard to evaluate.
- Film in landscape.
- Keep the whole body in frame from start to finish.
- Use good light. Outdoors in daylight is best.
- Show velocity on screen with a radar gun or pitch-tracking unit, or include the report.
How long
Sixty to ninety seconds. Put your best material in the first fifteen. A coach who wants more will ask.
What goes with it
Open the video with a title card, or put this in the message:
- Name, graduation year, position, throwing hand
- Height and weight
- School and travel team, with coach contact details
- Fastball velocity range and your other pitches
- GPA and test scores if you have them
- Your phone and email
Sending it
- Write to the pitching coach or recruiting coordinator by name.
- Keep the message to a few lines and include the link.
- Say why that program, specifically.
- Send updates when something real changes, such as a velocity gain, new video or your spring schedule.
- Division I coaches are restricted in when they can reply. Silence before the contact date is not a no.
Be honest about the numbers
Coaches will see you in person eventually. A video showing 88 from a pitcher who sits 84 damages trust. Send what is true and update it as you improve.
Recruiting guidance is part of Summit's pitching program, including help with the video and conversations with coaches.
This article is general information, not medical advice. See a doctor or physical therapist about pain or injury, and check with a qualified professional before starting a new training program.