Posts Tagged ‘Takes’
Are you interested in football scholarships? There are literally thousands of high school football players each and every year who are hoping and dreaming of playing football at the next level.
The NFL is now the most popular professional sport and it’s popularity has translated to football being played more than ever at the grass roots level of high school. For every scholarship available at the college level, there is a huge amount of competition.
If you want to step out from your competition and get on the radar of college coaches, you need to know what college coaches are really looking for when they recruit high school football players for scholarships. Understanding what coaches are really looking for in the athletes they recruit can give you a huge advantage over your high school competition.
Here is a list of six key things coaches are looking for in the players they are recruiting:
1) Skills And Talent
To play at the next level of football, you simply can’t be an average high school player. It doesn’t mean you have to be a blue chip or elite level player that has been recruited since coming out of diapers, but you must have above average skills and talent. Keep in mind there are college of all sizes and division levels across America. Just because you may not have the talent and skills to play at a school like Alabama, Florida or Oklahoma doesn’t mean you can’t play at some level of competition.
2) Physical Size
College football and basketball are probably the two most size sensitive sports. Coaches are going to look for players who have the physical height and or weight to compete at their division level. There are many players each year at the high school level who probably have the talent to play at some level of college football, but they simply lack the physical size required for the college game.
3) Strength
Football demands strength, there is no way around it. To play at the next level and to be considered for football scholarships you simply must have the strength to compete. Obviously, the strength requirement to play a wide receiver vs. playing a linebacker are totally different, but you need to have the strength to play the position you want to be recruited for. The good news is that strength is a factor you can work on and improve while you are still in high school.
4) Speed
The college game is much faster than the high school game. Coaches will take a serious look at your speed based on the position they have in mind for you to play for them. Once again, speed is position specific but overall speed is a vital factor in the recruiting process.
5) Mental Toughness
Football is truly a demanding game. When you make it to the college level, the intensity of the practices, the weight lifting, the workouts, and the games all goes up a level. It takes mental toughness to take the grueling demands of being a college football player. Coaches will take a serious look at whether or not they believe you have what it takes to compete mentally.
6) Academics
If you can’t stay qualified to play based on academics, then all the other factors we have already talked about just don’t matter. Coaches recruit multiple players for every spot on their roster. Grades and the ability to stay qualified to play are a huge factor in determining who gets the scholarship offer.
Summary
These are six of the most vital factors college coaches will be looking at when or if they recruit you. If you need to work on any of these six areas, you need to spend the time trying to improve before you reach your senior season in high school. Some players wait too late in their careers to really work on these factors and their opportunity to play in college simply slips away.
For most players, being recruited for football scholarships does not happen overnight, it is a continuous work in progress. Each and every year some very good players fly under the radar of college coaches. If you find yourself in this situation, you need to take control of your recruitment and market and promote yourself to college coaches. If you have some or all of the six factors described above going for you, coaches will be thrilled to hear from you!
I find it hard to disagree that Aston Villa is not as strong a football team as say that of Manchester United, Liverpool or the Arsenal and I won’t bet on them winning the trophy just yet. However, after winning 5 league matches out of 6, getting the 4th place in the Premier League and being just 1 point short of Chelsea shows that they are surely catching up with them.To know that you are playing to lose must be quite a tough position to find oneself in but it is strange that Coach O’Neill and his team are just fine with it specially after having earned 21 points from 27 which shows they are in top form. It was ironic to witness Aston Villa show their gumption in a match against the Arsenal which ended in a draw. Villa has certainly come far under the guidance of O’Neill as was obvious from the 2nd half comeback they made thanks to 2 fantastic goals by Gareth Barry and Zat Knight. This was a Boxing Day gift for Aston as the draw helped them in keeping their 3 points lead over Arsène Wenger’s side.The character and determination with which the Aston Villa players defended their team against a loss from Arsenal was a revelation for me and fans all over. Earlier on if they had been placed in a situation where they were lagging behind a first class team such as Arsenal they would have given up long time ago but not this new team that Aston is developing into. Their confidence remained unwavering in the face of adversity and they proved that they were a courageous team that took destiny in their own hands. It doesn’t take long for the result of football matches to turn around and surprise all!In addition to these newfound characteristics of Aston Villa as a team, the exclusive traits possessed by football players Martin Laursen, Ashely Young, Steve Sidwell and James Milner are proving to be the driving force behind its’ new role as a strongly competitive side. I don’t see them letting anyone take them lightly and dismiss them so easily.The only thing that worries me at the moment is a player getting injured and not being able to play. John Carew is already missing from the action so in such a case the coach will have to play either one of these 2 players, Marlon Harewood or Nathan Delfouneso. I am not saying that these 2 players should be rejected outright as they have a lot of promise of turning into future stars but it is experience and expertise that is needed by Aston at this point. They have too much at stake to leave anything to chance. Therefore, it won’t be unwise to suggest that they should seriously consider hiring a new forward.The ouster of Carew due to injury has in some ways proved to be a blessing in disguise. O’Neill has experimented with setting up Barry, Sidwell and Petroy in the central midfield and has also deployed Milner and Young on the flanks. The result has not been disappointing. It makes me wonder if the Norwegian striker will find himself a place on the team when he is fit enough to return.O’Neill seems to settle quite a score by the Bulgarian Petrov. I also have started to accept him in the team but it is a mystery to me why O’Neill would try so hard to make sure Petrov got a place on the team. No doubt he is showing a lot of improvement this season but then let’s be fair. His passing is at best economical whereas what Aston needs is incisiveness. He lacks competitiveness and is not athletic enough as a midfielder should be. It may sound harsh to some but trust me, after having observed him for the past 2 and a half years I am not able to understand what it is that makes O’Neill so keen on having him on an otherwise splendid team.One weakness that I have observed is the weak full-back positions. Reo-Coker provided Arsenal with their 1st goal of the match but that could be merely a one time mistake that anyone could fall prey to. Luke Young is also playing well out of his familiar role although he could do better back where he belonged.All said Aston Villa seems to be a good contender for a place amongst the top 4. It is phenomenal that from being the team that always found itself right at the bottom of the ranks should suddenly be competing for the top slots. I couldn’t doubt manager O’Neill’s claim that it ought come as no surprise if his side finishes in the top four.Champions League Football Results by ScorePro.com