Water Polo Recruiting Video Basics - Advice from Coaches

The Video section of your profile is one of the most important in your water polo recruiting efforts. Often, coaches are seeing your Polovolo Profile before they have seen you play in person. Therefore, your water polo recruiting video will be a key first impression of you as a player.

General Tips

  • Please try to upload videos that are of the highest quality and clarity as possible. You want coaches to have a good viewing experience
  • Be aware of the audio content of videos before they are submitted. If audio content is not beneficial or is negative, it is best to remove/mute audio from the video.  In addition, on certain platforms like YouTube it may be flagged for copyright violations and render your video inaccessible.  If you feel that adding background music to a video is helpful, please feel free to do so
  • Adding text/graphics to a video is acceptable as long as it is instructive to a viewer. The most important text/graphic is that which clearly identifies you in the water so that it is clear to a coach who they should be watching
  • Make good use of the “Video Description” field for each video that you upload. The more a coach can understand about what you are submitting, the better
  • Keep your videos to 3 – 5 minutes in length. Remember, your Polovolo profile is built to allow coaches to quickly and easily evaluate you as a potential fit for their program. They will not – initially – dedicate a lot of time to watching video

What to Upload

There are two types of water polo recruiting videos that coaches tell us are helpful to them in their evaluation of you as a player. These are highlight videos and game videos.

Highlight Videos:  Think of this as your “greatest hits”. It can include clips over numerous games and often times will include graphics and audio/music. Coaches vary in their opinion on the value of highlight videos so make sure what you posts captures their attention so they spend more time reviewing all of your video. One thing that seems to be clear among coaches though is that should not be the only type of water polo recruiting video that you include in your profile.  

Tips

  • Highlight Videos should show you playing offense, defense and in transition. It should not be a video of just goals scored. Highlight yourself in all aspects of playing water polo
  • You may have multiple Highlight Videos uploaded to PoloVolo. Please use the “Video Description” field as follows:
    • First enter the label “Highlight Video”
    • Next, add the date that the video was completed (MM/DD/YYYY)

Game Videos – Most coaches indicate that they have the greatest interest in this type of video. It is not a highlight video, it is simply what could be termed, good “game film”. This type of water polo recruiting video should illustrate your all-around capabilities, skills and awareness playing on offense, defense and in transition. It is best if these videos are against high quality opponents and in games of high significance.

Tips

  • Make sure that you can clearly be identified in the video. You may need to add text, graphics, audio or add information in the “Video Description” field to properly indicate this.
  • Feel free to add multiple Game Videos, but make sure to keep them current by updating new ones over time
  • Please use the “Video Description” field as follows:
    • First enter the label “Game Video”
    • Next, add the date of the game you are uploading (MM/DD/YYYY)
    • Add  your cap# and color
    • Add the name of the team you are playing against in the video
    • Add the significance of the game (playoff, championship of high school/club season)
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