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How to Make a College Recruiting Video
How To Making the College Recruiting Video 
From Coach Houser
I have never met a volleyball coach who didn't think they knew how to make a video. It's funny actually when I hear another coach say,
"Since I've done a bazillion, ......" Well, if you want to know what Coach Houser does, Read below!
Difficulty: Average
Time Required: One Week
Here's How:
1. The Introduction - Have your daughter introduce herself...name, school, grad. year, and what her video will show.
2. First skill is passing/digging (unless she's a 6'3" hitter , then who cares if she can pass or NOT!) She must pass frees pass floater serves, pass spinner serves, dig the big hit (with her arms AND hands!).
No more than 5 minutes
3. Show the Serve - She should show her serving to location, and she should show her floater. If she serves a spinner, I don't think a college coach is interested unless it's a MONSTER serve. If she has a nasty jump serve , definitely show the coach. Do not show the coach a jumper that you have no control over. No more than 2 minutes
4. Hitting - Show her hitting high outside, low middle (if she can), high back sets, shoots, back row sets, hitting the overpass. She needs to show off her offspeed shots (tips, slams, roll shots, etc) during this part. 3 minutes * At this time, you may have been in the gym 2 hours...just for 10 minutes of tape. If she feels fresh, continue, but if she doesn't, come back another day and finish. It's OK with the college coach - I've asked.
5. Setting - If she's a setter , setting goes before the hitting. She must show her complete package...low outside, hit outside, show middle, back, backrow, setting with arms, making the set on the run, jump setting, dumping, etc. If your daughter ISN'T a setter, still show the college coach as much of this as she can adequately do. Setters: 3 minutes. Nonsetter: 1 minute
6. Blocking - Show good footwork, penetration , etc. If your daughter is 5'2" and does not have a great vertical, I wouldn't include blocking at all. About 1 minute
7. Game Play Footage - It is USELESS unless your daughter is clearly visible on the tape. So this fall, YOU, the parents, make sure that you get clear game tape, with her number clearly visible.
No more than 5 minutes
Some parents really zoom in on their daughters so that college coaches can see the girl's spirit and teamness. I think it's a great idea....no more than 1 minute.
Tips:
When taping any skill show the flight of the ball as it comes to her and show where the ball lands.
If your daughter cannot do a skill...jump serving, jump setting, etc...do not experiment with it on a college video.
Don't :
Use music, captions, fireworks, etc. - it is not needed. College coaches want good students, good athletes, and good attitudes. They are not going to be convinced by a slick marketing pitch. The Coastal Carolina coach says that she gets about 350 tapes a year. The Liberty Univ. coach says that within 5 minutes, she knows if the girl can help her or not. So all fireworks will be a waste of time.
Do:
Have the ORIGINAL kept in a safe place...as a coach, I keep ALL originals; then they will not get lost.
Make as many copies as necessary. Send copies to as many schools as you wish. Some will say "Thanks" while some will say nothing.
Contact the school your daughter wants to go to. If your daughter has her heart set on one particular school, contact them once a week until you get a definitive answer. Some schools will lead you on. Press for an answer.
When to Start Sending Videos
Start sending videos whenever the girl is skilled enough to make it worth the college coaches' time. If she's interested in a DI or DII scholarship, this should be spring of her junior year AT THE LATEST. If she wants to play for a smaller school, then you can usually take your time, as those schools will take a quality athlete nearly ANYTIME, often even after the deadline for applications for the next fall have expired.
What You Need:
* A good video camera - digital cameras make transition to DVDs that much easier
* A step-ladder
* A tripod for the camera
* A person to help feed the balls
* A person to run the camera
* A good computer for editing...microsoft media software is good enough and free.
* A Volleyball Court - Ask the school, they usually will help out
* Volleyballs
* Lighting...consider using a garage floor lamp from your hardware store.