Informed Athlete | The Allen Group, Inc. | » College Athletes

How to approach an exit meeting with your coach

Ryan Allen — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 15:50:36 +0000

With the end of the season approaching, and having already arrived for some teams, a hot topic among all players and parents will be exit meetings with the coaching staff.

This is the time where each player will meet with the coaching staff (in my experience, the head coach, but may differ for other teams) to summarize the year as well as give an overall outlook at the individual’s future with the program moving forward.

For some players, the exit meetings may be nothing but a mere formality, a simple goodbye to the coach and see you next fall. But for others, the exit meeting may be a major factor in what a young player, and his/her family wants to do for the upcoming school year.

In approaching these meetings, there are many different questions that may be asked depending on the situation that a particular student-athlete is in (freshman vs. junior, pitcher vs. position player, and starter vs. bench player).

However, I believe that one simple rule that each athlete should live by is to make sure that at the conclusion of each meeting, there are no unknowns left on the table.

Speaking as an athlete who did not get all questions clarified, and paid for it later, I believe this is the overall priority with each exit meeting. As a former student-athlete, I know that all of us have many questions about what our future holds at a particular university.

Do I still have a chance to contribute?

Is there any chance I could be cut at fall semester?

Will my scholarship be renewed?

At the end of the day, there are many uncertainties that each player has. And to an extent, there are even some uncertainties within the coaching staff that may keep them from answering those questions to a player or parent’s satisfaction.

But bottom line, each athlete wants to receive an honest and thorough evaluation to give him/herself the best opportunity at success. By getting as many questions answered as possible, the student-athlete puts him/herself in a better position to make an educated decision about their future.

How to Actively Achieve Your Goals

Ryan Allen — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 14:13:05 +0000

Hello again! It’s been a while since I last wrote a blog for our website. I was inspired to reach out to all of our athletes, parents, and coaches by a graduate class on Sports Psychology that I am currently enrolled in.

I think it is important for each individual to have a specific set of goals in purposes towards their sport, and what they hope to achieve. In order for us to achieve what we want to in sport, or anything in life, we must know how we are going to achieve it. It is important to focus on the moment at hand on a consistent basis to achieve long-term goals and purposes.

If we want to establish a fun environment in sport, we must find a way to make sure that we are providing a fun environment on a daily basis. The same goes for any other objective that we seek to achieve. We cannot simply say that we want to establish a purpose on the first day of practice, and then put it in the back of our minds for a few weeks. We must make a conscious effort to let our actions correlate with what we want to accomplish. Our daily activities become our habits, and it is our job to make sure that our daily habits reflect our values and beliefs.

To me, two of the many purposes of sport are discipline and determination. I believe that these two aspects are exactly how we all achieve our goals. Certainly, there are differing circumstances with each individual which can lead to, or prevent, success. But, in examining the things that are within each individual’s control, discipline and determination are constants.

As stated by my professor and Sports Psychologist, Dr. Richard McGuire, almost nothing done in sports is instinctual. But, all athletes train tirelessly to try and make their actions seem as though they are instinctual. A pitcher does not have a natural instinct to cover first base when a ground ball is hit to his first baseman. But through repetitive practice and training, we make it become as instinctual as we possibly can.

It can be easy for each and every athlete to only focus on what they want to accomplish one year, two years, or even three years down the road. But, in order for each athlete to achieve what they want to in that time span, they must first set a series of attainable short-term goals that will allow them to build up to their ultimate goal.

In talking about short-term goals, I believe that one can even benefit from setting daily goals. This includes wanting to get something accomplished on each day and at every practice.

If you are a baseball pitcher, don’t be satisfied with improving your pick off move by the end of the week. Improve your pick off move today, and then improve it again tomorrow. By the end of the week, your pick off move will be that much better than if you had put off a goal that could be accomplished immediately.

In making our habits and actions as instinctual as we possibly can, we put ourselves in position to react and adjust to anything that is thrown our way.

Failure is a part of sport, and a part of life. All of us will encounter it many times. When failure occurs, we must find our own way to get back into a successful mindset.

The way that we can quickly reacquire the feeling of success is by trusting in our routine and letting that push us through our failures and setbacks. But, in order to rely on our routine, we must first establish one. It must be one that we trust and believe in to put us in the best position to succeed. The rollercoaster of emotions that occur in sport can be difficult to overcome if we try to react separately to each situation. But, in creating a constant, positive reaction to failure, we establish consistent success.

For all of us, talking about doing a task is much easier than actually doing that task.

We can all talk about what we want to accomplish with sport. But, none of that will carry any weight unless we are willing to take the necessary steps to put it into action. In order to accomplish our goals we must allow ourselves to not only become creatures of habit, but creatures of positive habit. By that, I mean that we must become regimented in habits that will allow us to fulfill our established goals and purposes.

Advice about Fall Drills

Ryan Allen — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 21:14:43 +0000

Ryan Allen

So fall drills have started, and lo and behold, the coach/coaches aren’t quite what they seemed to be when they were recruiting you to their school.

Unfortunately, this seems to happen fairly often. I was a fortunate one that did not have horror stories to tell once I stepped on campus. A few of my former teammates from high school and Connie Mack ball were not so lucky.

I’d like to be able to tell players that there is a magic fix to the problem, but unfortunately, that’s not a realistic option.

The best option available in this situation is to try and use this for mental toughness and experience in working with someone you don’t see eye-to-eye with. It’s a tough situation, but like any tough situation, it can be used to benefit you later on down the road.

Even though the waters are rough with this particular coach, don’t hesitate to open the lines of communication if you feel that you are not on the same page with your coach. If this is done in a respectful and confident manner, odds are that the coach will have a greater respect for you because of it.

In some cases, the best option may be for you to transfer away. Again the best way for this to be done is respectfully (Remember, those coaches still have control over what school you transfer to).

For those reading this, I hope you don’t have to encounter something like this. But, for the ones that are/will go through this, I hope this can provide you with some help.

Former Mizzou pitcher Ryan Allen joins Informed Athlete

Rick Allen — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 22:20:22 +0000

Informed Athlete is very pleased & proud to announce the addition of Ryan Allen to our team.

Ryan completed his final year of college baseball eligibility in May after playing 3 years for the University of Missouri (2006-2009) and 1 year (2010) for the University of Central Missouri. He will graduate in May 2011 from the University of Missouri with his bachelor’s degree in Business Management. He also is a private pitching instructor at Balls N Strikes in Columbia, Missouri.

As a former college athlete, Ryan brings a unique point of view to Informed Athlete that only someone who has “been there” can understand. He will be providing input on website content and writing blogs & giving advice from the student athletes’ perspective.

Campus Visits 101

Rick Allen — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 02:14:32 +0000

One of the most important decisions that a college athlete recruit will make is which college scholarship offer to accept. The best way to learn about a college or university and the baseball program, that you are interested in or that that is recruiting you, is to visit campus. From the standpoint of NCAA rules, there are two types of visits: “official” and “unofficial”. This article will discuss both, the differences and the rules for each.

Unofficial Visits
Any time an athlete visits campus with parents or other family members, or with some of their friends, at their own expense, this is an “unofficial” visit. Some facts about unofficial visits:

Must be made at prospect’s expense

University can provide up to 3 complimentary admissions to campus athletic event

No limit on number of unofficial visits

Cannot visit campus during a dead period – a period of time in which the NCAA will not allow any contact between the coach and a recruit.

Cannot participate in tryout during official visit (Division I)

Official Visits

Official visits are highly regulated by NCAA rules. During an official visit to an NCAA institution, it is permissible for the institution to provide a prospect with transportation to visit the campus, and with meals and lodging during a visit to campus that cannot exceed 48 hours from the time that the prospect (and parents or legal guardians, if they accompany the prospect) arrives on campus.

Large universities with ample recruiting budgets may provide all of the permissible expenses that they are permitted to provide. However, some institutions, especially smaller colleges or universities with limited recruiting budgets, may only provide meals while on campus, or meals and lodging for just one night instead of two.

Some important points to know about official visits include:

Cannot be made prior to first day of classes for senior year of HS

Limit of 5 official visits, only one per school (even if 2-sport athlete)

Cannot visit campus during a dead period

Must be registered with Eligibility Center

Must provide HS transcript and ACT or SAT test score to university

University can provide transportation, meals, lodging for prospect

University can provide meals and lodging to parents, also transportation if traveling together in car with prospect

Phone call rules prior to visit (unlimited during 5 days prior to visit)

48-hr. rule from time of arrival on campus

Will visit interfere with competition?

Can combine two visits into one trip with assistance of schools.

Cannot participate in tryout during official visit (Division I)

This article has addressed the difference between official and unofficial visits and outlined the rules for each. However, knowing the rules is only the starting point.

Many parents and athletes are so excited and happy about being noticed and recruited, that they often forget the ONE THING that is vital to their future success and happiness playing the sport they love at the level they aspire. That one thing is proper preparation for the visit!

Making the decision on which college to attend is extremely important and can have major financial and emotional implications for many years.

The visit, whether official or unofficial, is extremely important and should be treated as you would a job interview. Proper preparation is essential for you to make sure you have the information to help your son or daughter make the very best decision for them.

If you have questions about this topic or any other issues related to recruiting, eligibility, financial aid or transfer issues, please go to register for our free newsletter, or contact Rick Allen at 918-994-7272 or rick@informedathlete.com. Rick has over 20 years of experience in NCAA rules at the college level and is also the parent of a college baseball player who was recruited at the Division I level.

Does your nutritional supplement contain banned substances?

Rick Allen — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 22:10:41 +0000

It was recently reported by the New York Times that two dietary supplements that are popular with high school football players, Mass Xtreme and Tren Xtreme, contain steroids, according to court documents filed by federal authorities. Search warrants executed by authorities on July 23 allege that the products, manufactured by American Cellular Labs, contain illegal man-made steroids.

This news should serve as a reminder to high school athletes, parents, and coaches to be careful about nutritional supplements that are purchased over-the-counter.

In addition, high school athletes who will be starting their college careers at NCAA colleges and universities within the next month are reminded that they will be subject to NCAA drug tests, and in many cases, additional drug tests administered by their school or conference. These athletes should have received a list of the NCAA’s banned substances from their college or university. If you did not receive such a list, be sure to contact your coaches and request a copy of the list.

Many universities, especially at the Division I level, have their own drug-testing policies, which in most cases are “help-based” programs. This means that if an athlete tests positive in a university drug test, they will be referred for counseling and/or drug education classes, and may serve a penalty determined by the coach or school, but will not necessarily be subject to restrictions by the NCAA.

NCAA athletes will also be subject to drug tests administered by the NCAA. The NCAA drug-testing program is a “punitive” program. Student-athletes who test positive for NCAA banned substances will be ineligible for one calendar year from the date of a positive drug test. There have been cases in which freshmen athletes tested positive for a substance that they began taking while involved in high school sports because they were not aware that the product contained an NCAA banned substance.

Athletes and parents are reminded that a product as common as caffeine is on the list of NCAA banned substances. Most athletes would have to drink a large quantity of caffeine to test positive in a NCAA drug test, but due to different body compositions and metabolic rates, there is no sure way to know how much caffeine may be consumed before being in danger of a positive NCAA test.

For more information about matters regarding NCAA rules, or any other issues that athletes and parents have questions about, go to www.informedathlete.com to sign up for our free newsletter, or contact Rick Allen at 918-994-7272 or rick@informedathlete.com.

The Effect of New Scholarship Rules in Division I Baseball

Rick Allen — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 22:09:05 +0000

With the NCAA Division I baseball scholarship changes coming into full effect during the 2009-10 academic year, walk-ons will take on more important roles on baseball rosters.

Each Division I institution will be limited to 27 counters (athletes receiving an athletic scholarship) among their roster limit of 35 players, with the other 8 spots being occupied by walk-ons who will receive no athletic scholarship.

Division I rosters of no more than 35 players must be established the day prior to the first contest in February. Coaches can have more than 35 players during the Fall and January practice periods, but must be at no more than 35 before the start of the season.

Walk-ons who are on teams that have more than 35 players participating in fall practice sessions must be aware that they are at increased risk of being cut from the team. Once a player is cut from the team, he will not be able to use the athletic facilities to work out and will have no practice opportunities with the team.

A student-athlete who is receiving an athletic scholarship must be included in the counter limit of 27, and the total roster size of 35, even if they are injured and unable to play. So a walk-on who has been performing well during practice sessions must be aware that they may be cut from the team to make room for an injured player receiving a scholarship because the injured player must be counted among the 27 and 35.

Juniors at Division I programs who choose to return to school for their senior year may be asked to return as a walk-on as their scholarship was probably already “given away” in the recruitment of an incoming freshman. This has already been the case for a number of years, but may become more common as the opportunity for coaches to give 5% or 10% scholarships to late signees is only available in rare situations.

Some baseball programs have established their own set of “rules” for distributing scholarships. Some let recruits know up front that their scholarship will decline each year after their freshman year, while others may inform the players after their enrollment that there will not be a baseball scholarship for their senior year if they return.

Players and parents should be asking about the effect of the new financial aid rules on their baseball scholarship so they will know well in advance.

For those who are walk-ons, especially at programs that have more than 35 players participating in Fall drills, it will be extremely important to assess your chances of making the 35-man roster that will be in effect for the season.

For those who choose to transfer, it is quite possible that a fresh start at an NCAA Division II or NAIA program may result in increased opportunities for financial aid, for playing time, and for a better opportunity to be drafted due to the increased playing time.

For more information from the parent of a college baseball player who is also an expert with over 20 years experience in NCAA rules regarding recruiting, eligibility, financial aid, and transfer issues, go to www.informedathlete.com and register for our free newsletter, or contact Rick Allen at 918-994-7272 or rick@informedathlete.com.

Should I stay or should I go?

Rick Allen — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 00:11:41 +0000

Congratulations to baseball players across the country who were drafted in the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft. It had to be exciting to see your name next to the name of a major league baseball team.

Many of you will have a difficult decision to make by August 17. Those of you who recently finished your high school career, or may even still be competing for your high school baseball team, have the largest number of options to consider.

Some of you will choose to sign a contract with the team that drafted you and begin your professional career. Others of you will choose to attend a four year school and will not be eligible for the draft until after your junior year of college (exceptions for those of you who turn 21 in your sophomore year, for example, or who start out at a four-year school but then transfer to a two-year college). Still others will attend a two-year college next year – possibly encouraged to do so by an advisor – with the goal of being drafted in a higher round after one year at the two-year college.

For those of you considering starting out at a two-year college, be sure to keep your options open for transfer to a four-year program in case your dreams of being drafted higher don’t work out. Be sure to do the following if you have not done so already, so that you have the option of successfully transferring to an NCAA Division I or II institution.

1. Register with the NCAA Eligibility Center. Even if you are not planning to transfer to an NCAA Division I or II school at this time, registering now can make the process much easier if and when the time comes.

2. Have your high school send an official transcript with official seal and date of graduation to the Eligibility Center. Do this as soon as possible because it can be hard to find the appropriate staff members at a high school office that is closed for a few weeks in the summer.

3. If you have attended more than one high school, you also need to have an official transcript sent to the Eligibility Center from each high school you have attended.

4. Have your official ACT or SAT scores sent directly from the testing agency to the Eligibility Center. The Eligibility Center cannot accept scores taken off of the high school transcript.

5. Go to the NCAA Eligibility Center website and be sure to answer the amateurism questions for your amateurism certification. This includes answering the required question about NCAA Bylaw 10.1 (this is the “ethical conduct” bylaw that requires that athletes provide complete and accurate information to any questions asked on the Eligibility Center website or on other required NCAA forms).

6. The goal is that you will be certified as a “Qualifier” by the NCAA Eligibility Center so that you will have fewer academic requirements to satisfy as a transfer from a two-year school to a four-year school. Even a “Qualifier” will have academic requirements to satisfy as a “2-4” transfer, but the requirements will not be as extensive as they will be for a person who did not meet Qualifier standards.

Good luck with your decision as you review your college or professional options. If you have any questions about college eligibility contact Rick Allen by phone at 918-994-7272 or by e-mail at rick@informedathlete.com.

Summer Camps – An opportunity to be seen!

Rick Allen — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 23:46:38 +0000

Summer is a very important time in the recruitment of high school athletes by college coaches. Participation on summer teams, in summer individual competition, or in summer camps and clinics are an opportunity to be seen by college coaches as you are participating in your sport. This has become more evident over just the past few years. We see the trend noted frequently in the sports pages as college football programs announce high school athletes committing to their program during campus visits in the spring of the junior year or during participation in summer camps held on the college campuses.

This trend is also being noted in other sports as well. During this past spring, I have been on college campuses from Carolina to the west coast and have heard comments that are very similar, particularly from sports such as soccer and volleyball. When I was on those campuses to analyze and review their athletic compliance program, I met with a sample of coaching staff members to ask them about their recruiting practices. One of my routine questions is about recruiting phone calls and how they document and monitor those phone calls so as not to violate the NCAA recruiting rules regarding permissible phone calls to recruits.

Coaches in the sports of soccer and volleyball told me that “When it becomes permissible for us to start calling prospects on July 1 following the junior year of high school, our recruiting for the upcoming class is already completed for the most part. By then, most of our recruiting has been done through e-mail contact and through camps and unofficial visits during this past year, and our phone calls are mainly just to keep in touch with prospects who have already committed to us.”

So, as much as possible, get out there this summer to participate in camps and clinics, on your summer teams, and visit college campuses as you travel this summer if possible. When visiting college campuses, contact the athletic department and ask if a coach is available to speak with you.

In addition, remember that when you are participating in summer events, and camps or clinics, that somebody is always watching how you perform, not just on the field or on the court, but how you conduct yourself on the bench, in the dugout, and during pregame warm-ups. They are watching to observe if you are going 100% on each play. Are you a team player? How do you interact with your teammates and coaches?

Enjoy your summer and go out there and have fun. And remember that each time you step out there to compete, it’s like a tryout opportunity. Even if a college coach is not watching you, your current coach is, and the college coaches are frequently asking them not only about your athletic ability but how you conduct yourself.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss your individual situation, please email rick@informedathlete.com or call 918-994-7272.

Transfer Issues Related to "Walk-ons" in College Athletics

Rick Allen — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 22:56:00 +0000

Question: My daughter is participating on the volleyball team at a Division II college as a walk-on. The coaching staff did not recruit her. She now desires to transfer to a college closer to home that is in the same conference as her first college and join their volleyball team. Her current coach won’t give her permission to contact any school in the same conference. Does the coach have the right to do this? The coaches didn’t even recruit my daughter.

Answer: In many cases the coach does have the right to do this. If a student-athlete at one four-year college contacts another four-year college about the possibility of a transfer, the coach at the second college is not permitted to speak with the student-athlete until he/she has received written permission from an athletic administrator at the first college. In this case, however, the first college must provide your daughter with the opportunity for an appeal hearing with a campus committee. We provide assistance to athletes that find themselves in this situation. For more information, call 918-994-7272 or email rick@informedathlete.com.

College Recruiting – Why doesn’t the coach call me back?

Rick Allen — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 22:40:06 +0000

“Stressed Athlete” recently sent me this question: “I called and left a message for a college coach asking him to call me back because I have some questions about their program, but he has not returned my phone call. Does this mean they are not interested in me?”

Answer: If the coach has already called and spoken to you or one of your parents that week, the NCAA rules do not permit him to call again during that week. For example, if the coach called and spoke to you on Sunday evening and you called back and left a message for him with some questions on Tuesday, the coach is not permitted to return your phone call until the following week. However, you can try to call again to reach him at his office or send him an email with your questions.

For information on recruiting, please go to http://www.informedathlete.com/recruiting/recruiting-info/and you will find recruiting calendars for most sports. These can serve as a reference for when and what type of contact that coaches are allowed to have with prospective student-athletes.