If an athlete is planning to transfer to an NCAA Division I or II school, they need to remember that coaches cannot speak to them about a transfer until they receive written permission from their current institution. So, the first thing the athlete should do is talk to their coach and explain that they would like to request permission to speak with other schools. One of the things that upsets many coaches is when they receive a “permission to contact” form from another school and the student-athlete has not given them any indication that they are considering a transfer. The key to remember – coaches don’t like surprises.

It also can be helpful if the athlete and his/her parents are on the same page. A father once contacted school B to say that his son wanted to transfer from school A, and asked school B how to accomplish the transfer. School B assumed that the athlete was interested in their school and sent a “permission to contact” form to school A. The compliance person at school A contacted his counterpart at B and said that the athlete wanted to know why the form was sent because he had no interest in transferring. I told my counterpart at A that the athlete should talk to his Dad!

For more information on this and other relevant topics, please call 913-766-1235 or email rick@informedathlete.com.

PR: wait… I: wait… L: wait… LD: wait… I: wait… wait… Rank: wait… Traffic: wait… Price: wait… CY: wait… I: wait… YCat: wait… I: wait… Top: wait… I: wait… L: wait… C: wait…

Ryan Allen

Now is the time that is most crucial for players to become routine regimented, both on the field and in the classroom. 

Whether you are a high school or college athlete, your first priority is always your class work. 

Once the season starts, however, it becomes very difficult to put class work first. 

Time management is key - make sure you are completing assignments when they’re due and staying on top of things. 

It will only get more difficult to balance as the semester progresses, so put yourself in a good position for success at the start!

If you don’t understand something in a class, get help EARLY by talking to your professors or instructors or work with a tutor.   

Don’t be afraid to ask for help!  Better to do that than be standing on the sidewalk as the bus pulls away with the rest of the team for a weekend series!

It is also extremely important for all players at this time to become very aware of their bodies and the habits that will allow them to perform at optimal level, (e.g. getting plenty of rest, eating good meals, doing daily body maintenance work). 

Taking care of business now will put you in good position to start the season and continuing to be disciplined and focused will help you through the ups & downs during the season.

Good luck to you!

With the early signing period having passed

Now, with that being said, this article is for those of you, who like me, were not able to sign with a school in November and are still looking for that right opportunity. 

I remember the feeling that I had when the early signing period of my senior year had passed and I had not received many calls or offers from schools that I had hoped to hear from. 

I found it extremely frustrating to see kids that I was convinced I was better than – signing with Division I schools – while I was left wondering and waiting.   

For whatever reason they got called and you did not – it’s happened and now nothing will be able to change that. 

I know it’s hard not to, but I can tell you that continuing to wonder why they got calls and you didn’t will not help your frustration.

But, what you can do is focus on YOU and put YOURSELF in the best position possible to continue participating in your sport after high school graduation.   

Reach out to schools to gauge their interest in you as an athlete and as a student.

If they won’t knock down your door, then you go knock down theirs. 

Don’t be afraid of a little rejection, most schools will do it in a very respectful (and even helpful) manner. 

For those of you finding yourself still looking for a place to play, I want to wish you the best of luck. 

Don’t let one little bump in the road derail your entire path - Keep pushing and finding ways to make it happen!

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.

Each year, parents spend thousands of dollars on lessons, equipment, competitive sports teams, and travel in the hopes that their child will be noticed by college athletic recruiters and offered a scholarship. 

Their journey is often complicated by making costly mistakes due, in many cases, to not knowing or understanding the NCAA rules. 

If you are going through the recruiting process or plan to be soon, this book could save you hours of time and THOUSANDS of dollars. 

Decisions made during the recruiting process can have HUGE and lasting impact both emotionally and financially later on. This book provides real-life advice and experiences that are typical of the many situations you will encounter if you are actively pursuing an athletic scholarship. 

In this book, you will learn how soon you should get started in the recruiting process, what you should do if you’re not getting recruiting interest, what to look for and questions to ask on your campus visits, what academic requirements are needed to be eligible for an athletic scholarship, what to do if things don’t work out and you need to transfer to another school, and what you should know BEFORE you go through the recruiting process.

For over 20 years, I was Director of NCAA Compliance at 2 major universities: The University of Illinois and Oklahoma State University. In addition, I have walked in parents’ shoes when our son was recruited and accepted a college baseball scholarship at a Division I school. 

Some of the stories I share are based on situations I’ve encountered throughout my years on campus. Some of these stories include mistakes that were made in our own son’s recruitment process despite my years of NCAA experience and expertise.

Note:  Price includes shipping.

Ryan Allen

If you are a high school baseball player (or any athlete) who hopes to receive a college athletic scholarship, the most important thing you can do is get your name out there.  Playing in front of coaches gives yourself a better shot to put your name in that coach’s head. 

Some kids are fortunate enough to have coaches find them, but there are many out there who need to be proactive and take the initiative.  It is important for a young player to put forth the effort not only on the ball field, but in selling himself to college coaches. Even though baseball is not in season, the fall and winter months are crucial periods for high school baseball players who want to play at the next level.  This is when many colleges have “showcase camps” to evaluate high school players. 

In my opinion, Perfect Game USA has great showcase events that are highly organized.   They usually have good attendance from many coaches across the US, as well as pro scouts, if that’s your goal. 

These showcases are very helpful and beneficial to any young baseball player in search of a college scholarship, as they give you a chance to display your abilities in front of a number of college coaches (coaches at D-1 schools, many junior colleges and schools from other divisions will attend). 

While these showcases are not guaranteed to get you a scholarship offer to a high Division 1 school (although it does happen), there are many other doors that can be opened by attending one of these camps. 

When should you start attending these showcase camps?  The earlier the better!

Summer can be vital for any baseball player’s development as it is the one time of year where each player can focus completely and solely on baseball on a daily basis.

While it is always important for each player to play within the team concept and to help the team win on a daily basis, this is a point in the year where each player needs to put his own development as the number one priority.

This is especially true for any young player who has redshirted, or simply not played many innings throughout the year.  After all, that is the reason for coaches sending players to summer leagues in the first place.

Every player can benefit by going into summer ball with a plan in place for what they want to accomplish in those two short months.

Go to the park everyday with a purpose to somehow improve your game, as each little piece leads to an overall big improvement.

I don’t want players to think that they need to drive themselves nuts in trying to improve either.
By all means, have fun with your teammates.  Hang out, socialize, do the whole nine, since after all, developing a relationship with your teammates is just as important as any drill.

But keep in mind, the real reason and purpose in your being there.  Again, this is only two short months, and it’s up to each athlete to make them matter.

The National Letter of Intent and the NJCAA Letter of Intent/Scholarship agreement are separate documents, so it is possible to sign both.  The athlete can then decide later which school is a better fit for them.

If you have any questions, please send an email to rick@informedathlete.com.

3. 4-4 transfers in bowl subdivision football and men’s ice hockey, as well as in baseball and basketball, are ineligible to compete during their first year in residency.

4. Athletes in baseball or basketball looking for immediate eligibility upon transfer need to look at NCAA Div. II, Div. III, NAIA, or a two-year college.

5. Find out when your grades from this term will be posted to your transcript.  Request a copy of your transcript ASAP.
 
6. You must have written permission from your present NCAA Division I or II school before speaking to another Division I or II school about the possibility of a transfer.  Request this “permission to contact” before the athletic offices are closed for the holiday break if possible.

For more detailed information, you can search the blogs on our website, or contact us for assistance at 918-994-7272.

Allen’s new book Both Sides of the Plate – Insider Secrets for Navigating the College Baseball Recruiting Process  is now available for $17.95 + $4.75 shipping.   

 Decisions made during the recruiting process can have HUGE impact both emotionally and financially.  This book provides real-life advice and insights into many situations you will encounter during & after the recruiting process. 

Some of the questions this book answers include:

- How soon should we get started in the recruiting process?

- What should we do if we’re not getting recruiting interest?

- What should we look for and what questions should we ask on campus visits?

- What are the academic requirements needed to be eligible for an athletic scholarship?

- What should we do if things don’t work out and we need to transfer to another school? 

- What should we know about transfers BEFORE we go through the recruiting process? 

Each year parents spend thousands of dollars on lessons, equipment, competitive sports teams, and travel in the hopes that their child will be noticed by college athletic recruiters and offered a scholarship.  Their journey is often complicated by making costly mistakes due, in many cases, to not knowing or understanding the NCAA rules. 

Informed Athlete helps families navigate through the often confusing and complex athletic recruiting, academic eligiblity, transfer and financial aid rules so they can make informed decisions that are in the best interest of their family.  This book was written to address many questions we receive on a daily basis from families who call asking for help. 

To order your copy, please go to:  http://www.informedathlete.com/online-store/both-sides-of-the-plate.

 Phone calls will also be unlimited during a contact period in the sports of men’s and women’s basketball.

This information is also noted in the current July & August 2010 recruiting calendars which are posted on Informed Athlete’s website. 

If you have any questions about this new rule, please contact Rick Allen at rick@informedathlete.com or call 918-994-7272.

The NCAA College Recruiting Calendars for June & July 2010 for many of the top sports are now posted on Informed Athlete’s website:  www.informedathlete.com under “Recruiting Calendars” in the menu bar.  For your convenience, the calendars are in pdf format, and the first page contains a listing of the recruiting definitions.

Informed Athlete educates, advises, and assists families of high school and college student-athletes on issues related to athletic recruiting, academic eligibility, transfer isues and financial aid rules so that they are able to make informed decisions that are in their best interest.

If Informed Athlete can be of assistance to you in any way, please don’t hesitate to contact us at 918-994-7271 or send an email to rick@informedathlete.com.  We don’t charge for an initial 15 minute call.  If your situation requires additional time and research, I’ll be honest and upfront about the time involved and we can discuss the fee. 

Best wishes for a great summer!

We are excited to provide this update on Donnie Webb following our recent interview with him. 

His agent informed us that Donnie was called up from the Indians minor league camp to the Cleveland Indians big league spring training squad. 

In his first at bat in the sixth inning of a shortened intra-squad scrimmage game, Donnie hit a game-winning 3 run home run! 

Since that intra-squad game, Donnie has pinch-hit in 4 games with the major league squad and has two hits in four at-bats.

It certainly appears that Donnie has taken right up where he left off at the end of last season when he was called up from Class A Lake County to the Triple A Columbus Clippers. 

Congratulations to Donnie on a great start to spring training!  We will keep you updated on his development.

If you would like to listen to our interview with Donnie, sign-up for our newlsetter & you’ll receive the March issue with the link. 

Informed Athlete helps families of student-athletes (high school & college) who have the athletic skills to compete at the collegiate level, but often struggle through the recruting or transfer process. 

If you need assistance, please visit our website:  www.informedathlete.com, call us at 918-994-7271 or send an email to rick@informedathlete.com.

Informed Athlete LLC provides guidance and answers questions that high school and college athletes, parents, and coaches have about college athletic recruiting, eligibility, transfers, and scholarships.

Rick & Julie Allen founded Informed Athlete in 2008 to help families of student athletes who have the athletic skills to compete at the collegiate level, but often struggle through the recruiting or transfer process and make mistakes that cost a lot of money or result in an athlete quitting their sport before they have reached their full potential.

Informed Athlete is NOT a recruting service – our prime concern is the family we work with.  We also offer assistance following college enrollment, for example in situations involving a transfer from one college to another.  We deliver our services in several ways including our website:  InformedAthlete.com, monthly newsletters, teleseminars, live presentations and individual consultations/coaching sessions with the student-athlete and his/her family.

Rick Allen is uniquely qualified in this field.  He has worked on college campuses since 1980, and has over 20 years experience working directly with the NCAA compliance rules and procedures on two college campuses:  the University of Illinois and Oklahoma State University.  In addition, he also understands what it’s like to be in the parents’ shoes as his son went through the recruiting process and signed to play baseball at University of Missouri 4 years ago.

That’s the last thing that a college athlete wants to hear from his or her coach.  Sometimes transfers are initiated by the athlete, but many times they are initiated by the coach.

Throughout the years, I have encountered many different reasons for athlete transfers including coaches moving to another school, athletes’ wanting to move closer to home, athletes’ desire to switch schools, or because their scholarship has been reduced or cancelled.

You may be wondering why I am writing about the topic of NCAA transfers when most athletes and parents are just thinking about the NCAA recruiting process.  The transfer rules may be the last thing on your mind.  I understand that – I’ve been there.  However, I believe that you should at least be aware of some of the basic transfer rules.

The sport of baseball is a bit unique in that it is the only sport in which most athletes receive partial scholarships, yet they cannot transfer directly from one NCAA Division I school to another and be immediately eligible, even if their athletic scholarship is reduced or cancelled.

Of special note is the fact that in many transfer situations the first college can still control whether a player will play at another Division I or II school.

An NCAA Division I or II college must receive the written permission of the four-year school that a player is currently attending before they are permitted to speak with that player about the possibility of a transfer.  This can become an issue of conflict between athletes and coaches, and we have worked with a number of athletes and their families to help reduce this conflict and accomplish the transfer in a positive manner.

Players also need to remember that academic eligibility will be a very important factor in order to be immediately eligible at the next college, whether transferring from a four-year college or from a junior college.  Registering with the NCAA Eligibility Center and being classified as a Qualifier – even if you know you will be starting out at the junior college level – is an important factor and will make the transfer process much easier and less stressful when that time comes.

Contact us for further information if you need help with transferring.  Through the years, we have assisted many athletes through tough transfer situations.  To schedule an appointment with Rick Allen, please call us at 918-994-7272 or email rick@informedathlete.com