You Have Worked to Hard to Let It Slip Away!!!

Every year high school athletes with the dream of playing at the collegiate level, let there dream slip away or settle for playing at the only school that gave them an offer...

The sad fact is that many of these athletes were good enough to play at the next level or play at a higher level, or possibly could have received a larger offer.  These athletes work hard and focus on this goal from a young age, working out, lessons, play a year round schedule in the respective sport...but fail to effectively introduce themselves to college coaches. 

Did you know?
In order to maximize their recruiting potential or even receive an offer at all, the majority of high school athletes must put the right information directly into the hands of college coaches to initiate the recruiting process!

Our program is designed to complete the introductory phase of the recruiting process, so that you can focus on school and athletic responsibilities.

To find out how our program works, please watch this short video:

Let us help you maximize your recruiting potential!
Visit www.upperhandpromotions.com and create your FREE athlete profile today!  This profile will become your online athletic/academic resume throughout the recruiting process.  Then, select the program you want to use, to allow us to complete the introductory phase of the recruiting process for you!

Athlete of The Week!!!

Every week Upper Hand Promotions gives two high school athletes a chance to be selected as Athlete and Video Highlight of the Week!  Each winner will have their stats and/or video sent directly to 10 college head coaches of the athlete's choice.  A great way to connect with and get on college coaches recruiting radar!

How to Nominate?
- Post your stats or video highlight on Upper Hand Promotions Facebook Wall
- Have your friends or family like the wall post (The post with the most likes, WINS!)

This Week's Winners Are...

Video Highlight of the Week
No nominated videos this week...Make sure you post your video highlights of this week's game!

Player of the Week
For the second week in a row our UHP Player of the Week comes from Waxahachie High School in Waxahachie, Tx.  QB Don King III was 18 of 23 for 348 yards and 2 TD's in a 48-15 win against Forney High School.  Through 5 games, King has led the Indians to a 4-1 record by throwing for 1,244 yard with 9 TD's and only 2 INT's.



Congratulations to Don King III, this week's UHP Athlete of the Week!

Do not forget to post your stats or video highlights from this week's action!  I challenge everyone to see if they can take the player of the week award away from Waxahachie High School!

Visit www.upperhandpromotions.com to create your FREE athlete profile.  This profile will become your online recruiting resume for college coaches!  Let us help you maximize your recruiting potential by putting the right information directly into the hands of college coaches across the country!

Athlete of The Week!!!

Every week we will be awarding an Athlete and Video of the Week Award to two high school athletes. Each award winner will have their big game stats and video shared in a professionally designed promotional email sent directly to 10 college coaches, at the schools of their choice. A great way to connect with college coaches and get on their recruiting radar!
How to Nominate?
- Post your stats or video highlights on our Upper Hand Promotions Facebook Wall
- Have your friends and family like your post! The post with the most likes in each category (Video or Stats) wins the UHP Player of the Week awards!

This Week's Winners...

Video Of The Week No nominated video this week...Make sure to post your video highlights this week!

Player Of The Week
Christian Brewer from Waxahachie High School in Waxahachie, Tx.  In a 55-9 win against Red Oak High School, Christian had 11 total tackles from the Strong Safety position.  Through 4 games this season Waxahachie is 3-1 and Christian leads the team averaging 10 tackles per game!

Congratulations to Christian our Week 2 Athlete of the Week!

Don't forget to post your stats or video highlights from this weekends action.

Visit www.upperhandpromotions.com to create your FREE athlete profile, which you can keep up to date with all the information college coaches are looking for during the recruiting process. Your profile becomes your online athletic/academic resume!

Athlete and Video of The Week!!!

Every week from this point forward, we will be awarding an Athlete and Video of the Week Award to two high school athletes.  Each award winner will have their big game stats and video shared is a professionally designed promotional email sent directly to 10 college coaches, at the schools of their choice.  A great way to connect with college coaches and get on their recruiting radar!

How to Nominate?
- Post your stats or video highlights on our Upper Hand Promotions Facebook Wall
- Have your friends and family like your post!  The post with the most likes in each category (Video or Stats) wins the UHP Player of the Week awards!

This Week's Winners...

Video Of The Week
Aubrey Oswalt from San Marcos Academy in San Marcos, Tx.  Aubrey has 3 interceptions his last two games, one he returned 52 yards for a Touchdown.  His San Marcos Academy squad has gotten off to a 4-0 start.  Great Job Aubrey and San Marcos Academy!



Check Out Aubrey's Video

Player Of The Week
Steven Rivera from Kennedale High School in Kennedale, Tx.  Against Kaufman High School, Steven rushed for 237 yards and 3 touchdowns and threw for a touchdown as well!  Great game Steven, keep it up, the season is young and you are just getting started!



Steven's Highlights

Congratulations to Aubrey and Steven our first athletes of the week for the 2011 season! 

Don't forget to post your stats or video highlights from this weekends action.

Visit www.upperhandpromotions.com to create your FREE athlete profile, which you can keep up to date with all the information college coaches are looking for during the recruiting process.  Your profile becomes your online athletic/academic resume!

Football Season Is Coming Fast...Make Sure College Coaches Know Who You Are!!!

     The high school football season will be here before we know it and it can't come soon enough!  I am sure that most of you are working out and getting in shape for the season.  Getting physically prepared is just one part of preparing for the season, if you are interested in playing at the collegiate level...95% of high school athletes will need to proactively reach out to college coaches, if they want to maximize their recruiting potential!  This means that if you are not currently sending out important recruiting information to college coaches, you are behind the 8 ball and probably not on their recruiting radar.  One thing I can guarantee, if a college coach does not know you exist, they will NOT recruit you!
   Let us help you get on college coaching staff's recruiting radar before the season begins.  By doing so, the coaching staff will be able to keep an eye on your performance this year and track your development!  Our 2011 Football Prospect Guide is being put together as we speak!  Reach out to us as soon as possible, so that you can introduce yourself to all 875 college coaching staffs in the United States!

The pictures above are samples of this year's cover, as well as a sample athlete page.   Each athlete that chooses to be in this year's Prospect Guide will have a 1/4 page athlete profile that will include basic information like height, weight, school etc...Plus, a high school coach's scouting report, awards, stats and highlights from previous completed seasons.  Last but not least, all profiles will include the athlete's upperhandpromotions.com athlete id.  This will drive college coaches to the profile to view videos, pics and stay in touch with athletes they are interested in recruiting.  All your recruiting information will be stored in one easy to use and promote place.

- Create your Free Athlete Profile Today @ upperhandpromotions.com
- Once your profile is created, log in, click on products and then select the Football Prospect Guide to be included in the 2011 Football Magazine being sent to all 875 College Coaching Staffs across the country!

If you sign up this week, you will receive the enhanced profile on upperhandpromotions.com FREE for 1 month!  The enhanced profile will give you access to contact information for all 875 college football coaches in the country, plus we will introduce you to the head coaches at 10 colleges of your choice and you will receive a welcome kit with tools to help you maximize your recruiting potential!
If you would like more information or have any questions, email us at info@upperhandpromotions.com

Let us help YOU, GET NOTICED!

College Budget Reductions Have Coaches Depending on Video

With money tight in almost all settings across the United States, college coaching staff's are no exception.  Travel, scouting, marketing material etc...all budgets that have been cut in recent years.  What does this mean for a high school prospect?  A skills/highlight video plays a more important role in the recruiting process!

As we speak, college administrators across the country are looking into every way possible to save a dime. Cutting the recruiting budgets of coaching staffs has made its way to the top of the list.  In the past a coaching staff may have been able to travel to an event to catch a glimpse of potential prospects, now they have become more dependent on reviewing them from the comfort of their office.  Coaches are becoming much more dependent on video to make evaluations and in some cases even scholarship offers without actually seeing a potential recruit play in person.  It's definitely not the coaching staff's preference, however in some cases no alternatives are available.

Where does that leave a high school prospect?  In most cases, you will have one chance to make a first impression.  The skills/highlight video must provide a college coach the information they need to decide on whether to pursue a recruit or move on to the next one.  Upper Hand Promotions athletes have the advantage, we have done the research.  We know what coaches are looking for in each sport!  Let us help you make a first impression that will give you an opportunity!

Create a FREE athlete profile on www.upperhandpromotions.com to start the process! 

For more information, visit and become a fan of our Facebook page, Upper Hand Promotions or email us at info@upperhandpromotions.com.

Even an ex NFL player has to reach out to GET NOTICED!

As I always say and as our Upper Hand Promotions program is designed, getting started early and actively promoting a high school athlete is the only way to maximize an athlete's recruiting potential.  You can not sit back and think a college will come and find you...That is not how today's recruiting world works!  Check out the story below, if an ex-nfl player's son needs to actively reach out to colleges, you do as well...

From a yahoo news article about son’s of previous NFL players:

Zeke Pike, QB, Edgewood (Ky.) Dixie Heights
Son of Mark Pike, former NFL DE-LB, played 173 games for Buffalo

According to the elder Pike, recruiting has changed so much since he came out of high school 30 years ago. So much change, in fact, Mark researched recruiting for his son. From that, he determined what he considered the best course of action: being proactive.

"I kind of figured it out early and realized what I needed to do," Mark said.

While Zeke was still a freshman, his father sent game film to college coaches. More highlight clips went out the following year. Mark wasn't recruited until his senior season. He selected a school (Georgia Tech) on signing day.

Zeke picked up offers before he even became the starting varsity quarterback in 2010.

"It was worth it all," Mark said of his actions.

A couple takeaways...

1) Be Proactive:  Starting early is the best way.  Get on a college's radar early in the process, so they can track you throughout your high school career.  In Zeke's case above, he was receiving offers prior to even starting on varsity.  Once you hit high school, it is time to get to work!

2) Highlight Clips:  A quality highlight film is essential, not just a highlight film.  If the film does not showcase the skills coaches are looking for, the tape goes in the trash.  Do not waste your time sending out highlight films that do not do what they were intended to do!

Most high school athletes do not have ex-nfl players for a dad.  In this case the athlete had a parent that knew the process, knew what coaches were looking for and had the time to proactively reach out to coaches across the country.  In the real world, free time and knowledge of the recruiting process is not something most parents or high school athletes have...That's what Upper Hand Promotions is here for...Let us help you navigate through the recruiting process!

For more info email us at info@upperhandpromotions.com... We would be happy to walk you through the recruiting process, develop a personalized promotional plan and help YOU maximize your recruiting potential!

Two Must Do Things to Maximize Recruiting Potential

I encourage every high school athlete to do the research, talk with their coaches and determine what actions they must take to maximize their recruiting potential.  Everything you read from college coaches, select coaches, high school coaches etc...I can promise will lead to two MUST DO action items, to get the recruiting process started...

1) Start sending Recruiting Letters of Interest to the coaches at the schools you are interested in attending.

2) Make sure that you have a skills/highlight video created and start sending off to college coaches or have it ready if they request one.

* A college coach can not recruit an athlete they do not know exists and prior to spending the money to come out and see an athlete, the college coach wants to know the athlete is a potential fit for their program.

There are two potential problems with the action items above, time and knowledge of the process.  The letter and video will take time to produce, researching potential schools and contact information for the coaches will also take hours of personal time.  Not to mention, the letter and video must provide the coach with the information they are looking for, for it to be effective.  If not, the college coach will throw it away and move on and the athlete may miss out on a potential opportunity!

Upper Hand Promotions can help address both of the action items above.
1) Recruiting Promotional Cards:  These cards are designed to effectively introduce the high school athlete to college coach.  We have all the contact information, so let us produce the letter and send it out for you, for not much more than if you designed, printed and mailed yourself, not to mention save you hours of research and development each month.

2) Highlight/Skills Video: Every coach wants to be able to see what they need to see in a short period of time.  Your video must be able to highlight the skills coaches are looking for at a position specific level.  Our program takes raw game footage and breaks it down to highlight the skills coaches want to see!  If you send a video that does provide the information needed, coaches will discard the video and move on to the next athlete.  Again, do not miss out on an opportunity!

For more information or to answer any of your recruiting questions, please email info@upperhandpromotions.com.  Talk to you soon!

Play Ball in Front of College Coaches

Upper Hand Promotions has recently teamed up with Top 96 Baseball Camps.  Top 96 camps are held all over the United States.  The camps are coached by active college coaches, each event has a list of which coaches will be in attendance.

As I have said all along, the best way to get noticed is to do a combination of promotion/marketing, attend camps and hard work on the field and in the classroom.  I suggest that if Top 96 will be hosting an event in your area, you take a look at the coaches that will be in attendance and determine if you have an interest in competing in front of those coaches!

If you are interested in learning more about the Top 96 program, schedule of events etc...Please send an email to info@upperhandpromotions.com.  Make sure to go through us,  as we will be able to save you some money at registration!

Take the 1st Step: Introduce Yourself to College Coaches

     At the start of each season, most high school coaches send out a prospect list to their college coach network.  The list will include the high school athletes involved in their program, with a goal of getting these athletes on their college coach network recruiting radar.
     Upper Hand Promotions has taken this process to a new level for high school athletes and college coaches, while saving high school coaches time.  Our by sport Prospect Guide will go out to every college coach in each sport.  Each athlete that chooses to participate in the Prospect Guide, will have a 1/4 page profile that will include their high school coach's scouting report, personal info, as well as any highlights/stats that are important for college coaches to see.  The college coach will have an easy to use prospect list, with athletes from several schools, all in one place.

The two pictures on the left are samples of what the cover and athlete profile pages will look like:

To introduce yourself to every college coach in your respective sport, send an email to info@upperhandpromotions.com, with Prospect Guide in the Subject Line.

There are very few guarantees in the recruiting process, however we can offer 1 guarantee...If a college coach does not know that you exist, we guarantee the coach will not recruit you and you will not receive an offer from that school!

There are several important steps in the recruiting process, make sure that the initial introduction is not something you leave out.  Without the initial introduction, there will be no recruiting process!



Class of 2012, Your time is NOW!

Right now is a very important time for high school athletes graduating in 2012. The majority have some varsity experience and are starting to actively look at their college options. In order to ensure they have options, all should be introducing themselves to college coaches, creating interest and getting on schools recruiting radar prior to their senior year. After all, a college program can only recruit an athlete they know exists. By the time the 2011-2012 school year kicks off, college coaches have the majority of their class of 2012 targets already in mind. Make sure you do what it takes now, so you don't miss out on a potential opportunity!

2012 Graduates To Do List
1) Create a list of potential target schools
2) Introduce yourself to the coaching staff
3) Consistent communication with interested schools to stay top of mind with coaching staff
4) Stay on the radar, Be Accessible

If you have not started the process above as a 2012 graduate you are behind the 8 ball. Get started now, before your senior season starts you should have initiated contact with the programs that interest you, determine mutual interest and have a plan for the schools with mutual interest to ensure you have options come signing day!

If you need help getting this process started or are interested in learning more about maximizing your recruiting potential visit www.upperhandpromotions.com and create your free athlete profile.

Class of 2012, move quickly, make yourself visible and if you need help...that's what we are here for...Email us with questions at info@upperhandpromotions.com!

Do Not Get Taken Off "The List"

Every college coaching staff, in almost every sport, has "The List" when it comes to recruiting.  Each staff has their own way of organizing, adding/removing prospects and deciding who to make and who not to make scholarship offers to each year.  The goal of a high school athlete is to get on as many lists as possible, stay on the lists and receive several offers to leave themselves options come signing day.

Upper Hand Promotions offers several programs and tools to help high school athletes get on "The List", at schools they are interested in attending.  Equally as important however, once you make the list, how do you stay on it to receive an offer at the end of the recruiting process?

4 Suggestions to Improve Your Odds of Remaining on "The List"
1) School/Grades:  Make sure that your transcript is easily accessible, never hide or hold back your academic information.  If your grades are not where they should be, acknowledge the issue and share your plan for improvement with interested coaches.  A coach finding out information you tried to hide, will lead to your removal from "The List".
2) Skills Video:  Let's face it your athletic ability will play a major role in receiving an athletic scholarship offer.  So, you must have the proper tools to showcase this ability to college coaches.  All athletes interested in competing at the next level, should have a highlight tape and at the very least one full game tape available at all time.  When coaches are discussing a prospect with a recruiting coordinator or scout, if video is not available, your odds of being placed on or remaining on "The List" are slim to none.  Give the coach a reason to want to pursue you!
3) Scouting Report:  An evaluation done by a trusted third party gives the college coach a different viewpoint and might point out something they missed or haven't had the opportunity to witness.  Again, give the college coach a reason to want to pursue you!
4) Parents:  I know, what do your parents have to do with you in regards to the recruiting process?  Simple...A college coach has thousands of talented high school athletes interested in playing at the college level.  When reviewing their recruiting lists, if a prospect's parent has been identified as a potential issue, another prospect at that position with similar talent jumps over them on "The List".  An example of parent issues could include: openly questioning coaches, complaining to other parents, challenging conditioning or training methods etc...Make sure your parents are aware that their behavior can impact your recruitment!

The hardest part of the recruiting process is making the initial introduction of high school athlete to college coach, catching their eye and earning a spot on "The List."  However, getting on "The List" is just the start of the process. Make sure you educate yourself to stay on "The List", once you get there!

Email info@upperhandpromotions.com with any questions you may have about this post or the recruiting process in general.

If you are ready to start introducing yourself to college coaches across the country, improving your odds of getting on "The List" at schools you are interested in attending...

Create Your FREE Athlete Profile on http://www.upperhandpromotions.com/ today!

Must See TV...

More and more high school athletes are having highlight videos created, with the hope of improving their odds of getting noticed.  However, creating a highlight video is just the start of the process.

When a company has a commercial made, do they post the completed video somewhere with the hopes of a customer finding it?  How much business do you think the business will receive, if the commercial is never viewed by their targeted audience?  I know, easy question...NONE.

High school athletes are posting their highlight video all over the internet, hoping a college coach spends their time to search and find this hidden video.  College coaches do not have the time to search hour after hour, watch hundreds of videos, to find the athlete they are looking for to fill a roster spot.

In order for a highlight video to be effective, the athlete must put their video directly into the hands of a college coach and grab that coach's attention within the first few seconds.  The highlight film is important, but the target audience and quality of the video is even more important.

Put the highlight video to work for you, do not just let it sit out in cyber space!

For more information on how to effectively use video to maximize your recruiting potential...

Email us at:  info@upperhandpromotions.com

Upper Hand Promotions Athlete of the Week!

Each week an athlete is selected from hundreds of high school athletes for the honor of Upper Hand Promotions Athlete of the Week!  The UHP athlete of the week is featured on our blog, which is potentially read by hundreds of college coaches. The athlete also selects 10 college coaches that he or she wants to receive a promotional email highlighting their accomplishments.  The Upper Hand Promotions team designs and sends the emails directly to the selected college coaches for the athlete.

This week's Upper Hand Promotions Athlete of the Week is..............

Dakota Jones, a 6' 180lbs linebacker from Waterford High School in Waterford, CT.

Dakota has started at linebacker on varsity since his sophomore season.  His 4.6 40 time allows him to do what he loves best...track down and attack the ball.  Dakota's work ethic and passion for the game is second to none!  His goal is to continue to compete on the field in college, while pursuing his degree in Sports Medicine or Journalism.

Interested college coaches can request his upperhandpromotions.com athlete id to view Dakota's complete athlete profile and highlight videos.

Please send an email to info@upperhandpromotions.com with his name as the subject.

High school athletes interested in being considered for next week's UHP Athlete of the Week, please send an email to info@upperhandpromotions.com before 3pm Friday.  The email should contain current athletic stats, GPA and why you should be featured in next week's blog! 

Take Control and Find A Place to Play!

Every year thousands of high school athletes make a huge mistake in the recruiting process...The athlete depends only on their high school coach to find a place to play at the next level.  High school coaches play a very important role in the recruiting process, providing the BEST and most respected feedback to interested college coaches.   However, the high school coach is limited on time...So, what often happens is they reach out to their immediate contacts at the college level.  This is a good thing, but limits the opportunity of a high school athlete looking to maximize their recruiting potential. 

A typical high school coach has a handful of personal contacts at the college level, yet there are hundreds of schools that offer athletic scholarships in most sports.  If you depend only on your high school coach, all your hope lies in their immediate contacts.  Take control, develop a personalized promotional plan and directly reach out to all the colleges you are interested in attending.  Just like advertising, the more people you reach out to, the better your response rate will be...

For example, every NCAA Division 1 and 2 baseball program has 11.7 scholarships available for their program.  If your high school coach knows and reaches out to 5 programs, you potentially have access to 58.5 scholarships.  However, if you reach out to 50 programs and drive that coach to your high school coach for his recommendation, you potentially have access to 585 scholarships.  It's a numbers game, the more introductions you make, the better your odds are of finding a coach interested in an athlete with your skill set.

Upper Hand Promotions has programs designed to provide you with the college contact information and assist in the design of promotional material needed to reach out to and catch a coach's eye...Or we can develop and execute a complete promotional plan for a high school athlete!

Increase your odds, take control and find a place to compete at the next level!

For more information, visit http://www.upperhandpromotions.com/ or
If you have questions or you are ready to get your program started email: info@upperhandpromotions.com

Upper Hand Promotions Athlete of the Week!

Each week an athlete is selected from hundreds of high school athletes for the honor of Upper Hand Promotions Athlete of the Week!  The UHP athlete of the week is featured on our blog, which is potentially read by hundreds of college coaches. The athlete also selects 10 college coaches that he or she wants to receive a promotional email highlighting their accomplishments.  The Upper Hand Promotions team designs and sends the emails directly to the selected college coaches for the athlete.

This week's Upper Hand Promotions Athlete of the Week is..............

Elijah Short - Shortstop from King High School in Houston, Tx

In his last full season, Elijah hit .359 with 5hr, 14sb and an on base percentage of .439.  He was selected as district MVP and received the King High School Heart Award!

Interested college coaches can request his upperhandpromotions.com athlete id to view more information about Elijah. 
Please send an email to info@upperhandpromotions.com with his name as the subject.








High school athletes interested in being considered for next week's UHP Athlete of the Week, please send an email to info@upperhandpromotions.com before 3pm next Friday.  The email should contain current athletic stats, GPA and why you should be featured in next week's blog! 

Become our Athlete of the Week!

Recognition and Awards play a key role in getting noticed...Whether it be All Tournament, All District, All State or even being recognized as an Athlete of the Week!  All of this recognition can be placed on your athletic resume to help you stand out from the other athletes competing for scholarships.

The Upper Hand Promotions program has been developed to help high school athletes increase their visibility.  So, to go along with the awards piece of increasing visibility we have decided to award one athlete a week as our UHP Athlete of the week.

Every Friday, we will review all nominations we receive and feature the selected athlete on our Blog.  The award will be for their statistics or accomplishments for the week, not yearly accomplishments.  The email for nominations should include the following: Dates of Games played, who the games were against, stats from the game, a picture of the nominated athlete and why you feel you or the person you are nominating should receive the Athlete of the Week Award.

To go along with the feature on our Blog, we will notify 10 college coaches of the selected athletes choice, of the award and weekly accomplishment.

The first Athlete of the Week will be awarded on Friday March 4th.  Nominations must be submitted to info@upperhandpromotions.com by 3pm CST, Friday March 4th. 

We look forward to recognizing our first  UHP Athlete of the Week!  The selected athlete must have a FREE athlete profile on http://www.upperhandpromotions.com/, so create your profile today!

Hear it from a fellow High School Athlete...

This week I want to change things up a little and share with you a story straight from one of our clients. A few days ago, one of our current clients posted on our Facebook Wall.  His testimonial is in regards to our new limited space program.  The program is an online promotional program, designed to give high school athletes the information and tools needed to promote themselves directly to college coaches.  In addition, we reach out to 10 coaches on their behalf each month!  The goal of the online promotional program is to make the initial introduction of high school athlete to college coach...The most difficult part of the recruiting process.

Here is what Dakota Jones posted on our wall:
"To everyone that has not joined Upper Hand Promotions, do it NOW. I have been with it for about a month now, and UHP helps me a lot. During the month of time, I have received emails from Division 1 schools, and Division 2 schools. They want me to go to prospect camps for their college. It's a great opportunity for you and your community. If you want to play the next level, Upper Hand Promotions is here to help. So email them and get started. Thank you!"

If you are serious about improving your odds in the recruiting game...

Visit http://www.upperhandpromotions.com/ and create your free athlete profile!

If you have any questions about the recruiting process or the limited space online promotional program, email UHP at info@upperhandpromotions.com

The UHP team hopes to hear from you soon...We are here to help!

Cleared for Takeoff!

    Every high school athlete knows they have to work hard and take care of business both in the classroom and on the field or court.  However, in order to be eligible to play at the next level, there is one more step all high school athletes must take...Getting cleared by the NCAA Clearinghouse.  In order for a student athlete to compete at the division 1 or 2 level, the athlete must register and be cleared by the clearinghouse.

What is the NCAA Clearinghouse?
    It is an organization that reviews a high school athlete's academic record, SAT or ACT Scores and amateur status, to determine if a high school athlete conforms with NCAA regulations.

When should a student athlete register with the NCAA Clearinghouse?

    The NCAA recommends that a high school athlete register at the start of their junior year.  There is no deadline to register, however a student athlete must be cleared prior to receiving an athletic scholarship or competing at the Division 1 or 2 level.

How does a high school athlete register?
    Students can register at the NCAA Clearinghouse Website.  At this website, the student athlete will enter personal information, athletic background and pay a registration fee.  The student athlete will need to have their high school transcript sent to the clearinghouse.  The transcript must be mailed directly from their high school.

Once a high school athlete is cleared by the clearinghouse, they will be eligible to receive athletic scholarships, as well as compete at the Division 1 ans 2 level.  The next step for the high school student athlete is introducing themselves to college coaches and finding a place to play...

Upper Hand Promotions specializes in the introduction process.  Let us help you increase your visibility and introduce you directly to the coaches at the schools you want to target!

Visit http://www.upperhandpromotions.com/ and create your FREE athlete profile to get started!

If you have any questions about the clearinghouse or the recruiting process in general, do not hesitate to contact us at:  info@upperhandpromotions.com

   

   

Recruiting Is A Contact Sport!

   When a high school athlete starts the recruiting process, the athlete and parent must attack the process like a job search.  Plan, Prepare and Execute...If you want to maximize the high school athlete's recruiting potential.  Just as a person would do when searching for a job, contact as many potential suitors as possible.  Recruiting is a contact sport!  The more schools you introduce yourself to, the better chance you have to find a coach looking for an athlete with your skill set.

Plan: 

Compile a list of schools that interest you both athletically and academically. Complete this prior to your junior year. These don't all have to be NCAA Division I-A schools. Several professional players played in lower division schools and still got noticed.  Take for example, the Super Bowl MVP from last night...Aaron Rodgers started his collegiate career at a junior college.  Yes, he ended up at California, but he got that chance because he took an opportunity and made the most of it.  When creating your list, include schools that may not be your top 5 picks, because the best offer may come from a school not in your top 5 or 10.

Prepare:

Once you have a list of potential target schools, start researching these schools.  This can be a very time consuming process, but it must be done if you are going to effectively get on college coaches radar.  The biggest mistake a high school athlete makes, is waiting on a coach to find them.  A high school athlete must find the name and contact information for the coaches at the schools you decided on in step 1.

Execute:

Now you have a list of potential schools and contact information, a large list, as we have already stated, recruiting is a contact sport.  The larger the list, the more opportunity you will create. The next step is reaching out to these schools using a variety of different methods, email, letters, etc...Do not sell yourself short. The school you may not have considered initially, may end up making you the best offer!

In the recruiting game, you can never reach out to enough coaches...Put your helmet on and be ready for the contact, do not shy away...You will regret it in the end!

Upper Hand Promotions can help walk you through the steps above, provide the needed information and can even execute the plan for you, if you are like most high school athletes and do not have time to effectively carry out the plan!

Visit http://www.upperhandpromotions.com/ today, to create your FREE athlete profile!  We will contact you and help you develop your plan to reach out to as many potential schools that meet your needs!

Contact us at info@upperhandpromotions.com, if you have any questions or need helping creating your athlete profile.

We look forward to hearing from you! 

While you are here, become a follower of our blog...Every Monday we have a blog post that will provide more information on how to effectively promote yourself to college coaches!

Don't Be, That Guy!!!

     As signing day approaches, many talented athletes are left confused. 2 days left until their dream comes true, signing a scholarship offer and finally realizing their goal of competing at the next level.  The athlete did all they could on the field and in the classroom, all that's left to do is decide and sign.  One major problem...many talented high school athletes only have one offer, some walk on invitations or no options at all! 
     One example, yet this story could be repeated hundreds of times across the country...A DFW athlete finished 2010 with over 2,700 total yards and 34 touchdowns.  He is 6' 200lbs and runs 4.5 40 yd dash.  Yet, with 2 days left until signing day, he remains without a solid offer.  How does this happen?
      The fact is with budget cuts across the country and not enough time in the day, it is impossible for college coaches to be aware of every athlete in the country.  It has become the high school athlete's responsibility to make college coaches aware of their success, both on the field and in the classroom.  If a high school athlete does not actively promote themselves, less talented athletes who are either local to a college or had a promotional plan in place, end up with an offer.
     Only the top 5% of high school athletes are actively recruited, the remaining 7 million athletes must treat the recruiting process like an advertising campaign.  The fact is most high school athlete and parents don't know where to start.  Our program was designed to teach the athlete and parent, to develop a plan, design promotional material and help execute the plan, if needed.  Do not be the talented high school athlete, who has to settle for whatever offer they might receive or receive no offer at all. 

Don't be, THAT GUY!!!

I always try to leave you with something light hearted, so check out this video about not being "THAT GUY"

Visit http://www.upperhandpromotions.com/ to create a FREE athlete profile and start making a name for yourself with college coaches today!

If you have any questions, send them to info@upperhandpromotions.com and we will be more than happy to respond within 24 hours.

Getting Noticed is a Full Time Job...Use Your Time Wisely!!!

Click Here...Babson College Baseball Coach Matt Noone Discusses The Recruiting Process!   - From educationaladvocates.blogspot.com

A high school athlete has a busy schedule...school, practice, studying, games, the list goes on an on...One that has dreams of playing at the next level, has a full time job to add on top of the list of responsibilties.  Most high school athletes are not aware of the full time job that must be done, in order to make it to the next level.  The majority of high school athletes sit back and wait for a college coach to find them, then as a senior they are disappointed that they have not received any offers or offers from schools they are interested in...The following advice comes from the interview in the link above with the Head Baseball Coach at Babson College.  As you can see many actions items must be completed in order to improve the probability of a high school athlete reaching the next level!

Summary of Coach Noone's Tips
1) Research the College, not just the sport: The school must offer a degree that you are interested in pursuing.  In order to be on the field you must be academically eligible, so find something to pursue that will keep you engaged.  When visiting schools, an athlete should forget about the athletic part of it and think, if the school and academics was the only reason I was coming to the school, would this be a school I would like to spend my next 4 to 5 years.
2) How to Start the Process and Contact a Coach: Coach Noone states you can start the reaching out process as early as your Freshman year...By the time you are a senior the majority of the recruiting process is already over.  To initiate communication, an email or letter should be sent to the coach providing basic academic and athletic information.  A skills video is also an important aspect of the process, giving the coach a chance to see your ability and decide if they want to spend money out of their recruiting budget to come see you live.  In a time of budget cutbacks, an athlete must give the coach a reason to come out and see them.  A college coach does not have the time or budget to travel around hoping to find a potential recruit.
3) Follow Up:  Once initial communication is made, an athlete must keep the coach up to date on his/her progress and their upcoming schedule (Games, Tournament, Camps, etc...)  A coach will not make an offer from a video, the goal is to get a coach to come see you live!

Get started today, do not wait until it's to late and you miss out on the opportunity to play at the next level or have to settle for a school you may not be interested in attending!

Visit www.upperhandpromotions.com, we offer several tools that help you complete the action items above and free up your time to focus on school and your sport of choice!

Contact us:  Info@upperhandpromotions.com... We are hear to answer your questions and get you started introducing yourself to college coaches across the country!

Areas of Focus to Help You Stand Out

Pima College Coaches Gives Personal & Recruiting Advice - Click Here to Read Armando Quiroz personal and recruiting advice for high school athletes, as written by the Tucson Citizen.

Focus Areas
If you are a high school athlete interested in playing at the college level, the following focus areas can help you seperate yourself from other potential recruits.
-Grades:  Not only will grades put you ahead of a potential recruit, but also could open up doors for additional financial assistance.
-Attitude: Be a good teammate and overall young adult.  A coach is not interested in high school athletes with attitude problems, there are to many kids out there to settle for one that disrespects their coach, the game or their parents.
- Priorities:  Im sure you have all seen the NCAA commercial that talks about, every year thousands of athletes go pro in something other than their sport.  Do not give up on your dreams, just because a school shows interest in you.  Effectively introduce yourself to your targeted schools, that carry your potential major, in order to give yourself the best possible chance of competing in college, as well as pursue your targeted degree.

     As you read the article above, I am sure each of you could relate to several of the topics Coach Quiroz covered.  The recruiting process can be a confusing time for a high school athlete and parents, especially if it is the first time for the parents.  So often, the athlete and parent don't know where to start, who to contact, what to say, how to contact etc...Not to mention, have the time to do it all effectively.  Upper Hand Promotions is dedicated to teaching athletes and parents how to effectively navigate the recruiting process and if needed help carry out an effective promotional plan.

Visit http://www.upperhandpromotions.com/, to create your FREE athlete profile.  Once our profile is created we will send over a presentation that talks about the recruiting process and how our program can help you effectively navigate through it.

Contact us with questions:  info@upperhandpromotions.com

Get Started Somewhere...

    If you are a high school athlete that is interested in playing at the college level, you have to start the recrutiing process somewhere...Develop a well researched plan of attack and carry out that plan!  The first step of developing that plan should be researching schools that meet your search criteria and creating a list of potential target schools. 
    Now here is where my advice comes in...For the initial contact part of your promotional plan, your list of target schools should include a large number of targets.  The goal is to get on as many coaches recruiting follow up lists as possible.  What each coach is looking for in a potential recruit or what positions are positions of need, is not information easily available.  So, the more coaches you reach out to, the better off you are going to be in the end.  Ultimately, you want to leave yourself options when it comes time to make a decision.
    If your dream is to compete at the college level and work toward an opportunity to play professionally, you must get an opportunity to play in college first, no matter what level.  Take tonight's national championship game as a perfect example.  Cam Newton, the QB of the Auburn Tigers, started his collegiate career where? A junior college...and look where he is today!  Cam Newton is the QB of the National Champions and a potential first round draft pick.  Why?  Because he took an opportunity to play at the next level (Regardless of Division), worked hard, earned an opportunity and made the most of it. 
   So, as you work through the recruiting process, keep an open mind and never close the door to a potential opportunity.  Keep your eyes open and create as many options as you can throughout your high school career.
   To bring a little lighter side to this post, as I watched the game tonight, I captured this picture from the ESPN broadcast that fit the message to tonight's post...

Do not get left on a high school sideline picking your nose! 

Visit upperhandpromotions.com and create your FREE athlete profile today!  Our team of experts can help you develop a promotional plan designed to effectively introduce you to college coaches across the U.S.

College Coach Talks About How a HS Athlete Gets Noticed

Todd Dagenais - As Posted on Livestrong.com   <--- Click Here to see Coach Dagenais give suggestions to high school athlete on how to get a college coach to notice them!

     High school athletes and parents across the country are all asking the same question...What do I need to do to increase my chances of being noticed by college coaches?  Click on the link above to hear what advice the Head Volleyball Coach of the University of Central Florida has on the subject. 

Todd's Tips
1st - Let college coaches know you exist.
2nd - Create a sport specific resume highlighting your physical attributes that are of interest to college coaches of your sport.  A letter of interest should accompany the athletic resume.
3rd - Create a skills video showcasing the major skills that pertain to your specific sport.
* The goal is to get the college coach out to see you play!
* Attend several college games at various levels to determine where you may fit in the recruiting process.

In order to effectively promote using Todd's tips an athlete must:
1) Determine a list of schools that match their personal search criteria
2) Find contact information for coaches at their targeted schools
3) Research what sport specific information college coaches are looking for on the athlete resume, letter of interest and skills video.

With work, school, practice and games, high school athletes and parents have very limited free time.  Upper Hand Promotions (UHP) has done the research and developed a process to help athletes and parents create and manage an effective promotional campaign.  UHP can provide the contact information and assist in developing effective resumes and video or if you are extremely limited in time can execute the promotional plan for the athlete and parents.

Visit http://www.upperhandpromotions.com/ to create a FREE athlete profile to start the process. 

Contact us for more information or request a phone call to walk through the details of our process and develop a personalized promotional plan.

Email: info@upperhandpromotions.com