How Long Should a Baseball Skills Video Be?
As a high school baseball athlete, one of the most crucial tools in your recruiting arsenal is the skills video. The skills video provides college coaches with a glimpse of your talent, allowing them to assess your potential without having to invest time and money into traveling to watch you play. So you’re ready to make your recruitment video and start gaining the attention of college coaches… But the burning question remains: How long should a skills video be?
In this post, we'll explore this essential aspect of the recruitment process and provide insights to help you create a standout video that captures your abilities and keeping the attention and interest from coaches who see it.
The Importance of the Skills Video
Before diving into the ideal length of a skills video, it's essential to understand why this video is so significant in the recruitment process. College coaches receive numerous inquiries from prospective players, and reviewing a thought out, well-structured video allows them to assess your skills efficiently. Your skills video acts as your first impression, and making it just right is crucial to stand out in a sea of hopeful recruits.
Keep It Concise
When it comes to the length of your skills video, the golden rule is to keep it concise. College coaches are busy individuals, and they don’t want to waste unnecessary time watching a lengthy video.
Generally, a skills video should be around 2-3 minutes in length. This duration is sufficient to showcase your abilities without overwhelming the viewer.
You want to leave a good lasting impression when someone watches your video. One that is concise enough to hook coaches and provide enough content for a proper evaluation of your various skill sets, but not too long to the point where they are bored and exit the video before it’s done. Even if they see you as a legitimate prospect, the psychology behind this concept is to leave them wanting more, prompting them to pursue the next step in the process, which is contacting you.
The Research Behind The Optimal Video Length
Wistia, a video hosting platform, conducted an extensive study on video engagement. They found that as video length increases, engagement drops. Videos that are 2 minutes in length tend to have the highest engagement rates. Viewers are more likely to watch a video in its entirety when it's short and to the point.
Tailor to Your Position and Strengths
The ideal length may vary slightly depending on your position. For example, pitchers may want to include the same pitch from multiple angles, which could extend the video slightly.
For pitchers, consider showcasing about three pitches from behind home plate and behind the pitcher’s mound for each pitch in your arsenal, with one or two pitches at a side angle from the windup and stretch.
However, regardless of your position, always prioritize the aspects that showcase your strengths. If you’re a pitcher who is incredibly fast and athletic, showcase your 60-yard dash time as well.
A skills video for position players follows a different format. A position player should include the following in their skills video: a couple of swings from live batting practice, a couple of swings with the ball on a tee, two to three throws from your position that are captured on the radar gun, your 60-yard dash time, and some defensive fielding (a couple of ground balls, fly balls, picks, or throw-downs to second and third if you’re a catcher).
Again, remember to tailor your video to what your strengths are. So if you’re a defensive wizard, lead with some saucy glove work. If you hit bombs, hook the coaches with a nuke to dead center. You can also choose to omit elements from your skills video that are not your strength. If you have a poor 60-yard dash time, just don’t include it and give yourself more time to work on that aspect of your game.
Consider hiring a professional video editor
While creating a skills video yourself is certainly feasible, enlisting the expertise of a professional editor can offer significant advantages. First and foremost, it can save you valuable time. Editing and condensing footage to fit within the 2-3 minute timeframe can be a time-consuming task, especially if you're not familiar with video editing software or don’t have the proper equipment. A professional editor can streamline this process efficiently, ensuring that every second of your video counts.
Moreover, a skilled video editor who has baseball experience can help you select the most appropriate footage that truly showcases your talents to coaches.
While hiring a professional video editor may require a financial investment, the benefits of a well-edited skills video can greatly outweigh the costs. It's an investment in your future and could significantly increase your chances of catching the eye of college coaches in the competitive world of high school baseball recruitment.
If you’re looking to give yourself the best chance to play college baseball at the school you want click below to schedule a free consultation and advice for your recruitment process. Don't miss this opportunity to showcase your skills and make a lasting impression on college coaches.