It Was Never Meant to Be Easy

One of the several issues that my former AD and myself ran into was the he apparently believed that every athlete SHOULD be able to play D1. When athletes weren't willing to put in the work, or didn't have what it takes to play at a high level, it wasn't their fault. But as many families have heard me say at seminars over the last couple of years, 95% of volleyball athletes across the country are NOT playing college volleyball at any level. 5% are. That statistic, in and of itself, shows that college volleyball is not for everyone.

It's okay to decide not to play college volleyball. I have seen plenty of athletes with the talent to play at the D1 or D2 level, that just decide it's not for them and that's okay! Just because an athlete can play at the college level, doesn't mean they should be required to.

Perseverance and resilience are both good things. But in order to get those two things you have to go through tough times. You need to struggle. You need to do hard things. You need to accomplish a goal that 1 month prior, was seemingly impossible. Perseverance and resilience require growth. They require some sort of gauntlet. They require some sort of process or journey that is not completely flat.

Recruiting can be that process for many athletes. It is a challenge. It was never meant to be easy.

Now, some of you are saying, "But Jason, isn't that what you do? Don't you make it easier for athletes?" Yes, I do. I carry a piece of the burden when it comes to the process. But the athlete is never removed from the process. This isn't something that happens behind closed doors without the athlete being involved. This is a process that must include the buy-in of the athlete 100%. Even with help, a lot of help sometimes, the process is still challenging and difficult. I'd like to say there are ways that we can keep the process simple, but almost never can we make the process easy.

But there is a way to make the process easier. This part is what takes work. Preparing and being proactive can make the process easier because we can minimize the bumps that are ahead of us; there are almost always bumps. I talk about this in my podcast about "The Rule of 1%" and I've included the links below.

Oh! This one would be good to listen to as well.

In the same way that you can prepare for a test to make it easier, you can be proactive in your recruiting process to make it easier...not easy...but easier. Just like the test was still difficult after studying hours and hours in order to do well, recruiting is the same way. Put the work into the process and something good will come out of it. A better grade...potentially a scholarship.

Here are a few tips:

1) Find your fit!

2) Be proactive - work ahead

3) Start early

4) Stay organized

5) Ask for help!

The easiest way to make this process harder than it needs to be is to not ask for help in the process. The hardest part about this is that you as an athlete are only going to go through it one time. College coaches, club coaches and recruiting coordinators have most likely gone through this process 100s of times and maybe 1000s.

Make the decision that you will commit to the process. Stick with it! Results can take time. Gain some resilience and perseverance along the way. It will make you a better volleyball player. Once you get to the college level, it doesn't get any easier as an athlete. Just becoming part of that 5% is step one, now you are in a position to compete against those 5%. How will you handle that challenge?

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