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Recruiting guide
Softball skills video: what college coaches want to see
A softball skills video is 2 to 4 minutes of your swings, throws and fielding, or a bullpen if you pitch, filmed from the angles coaches use. It is the first thing most coaches watch, so it decides whether they come see you play. Here is what to film by position and how to put it together.
By Kenneth Scott, Co-founder of REACH, former Utah Football captain
Updated November 12, 2026
What should a softball skills video show?
Show the tools coaches judge for your position, in 2 to 4 minutes. Hitters show swings from the side and from behind. Slappers show the slap, the bunt and a drive. Fielders show ground balls or fly balls and throws. Catchers show receiving, blocking and throws to second. Pitchers show every pitch from the side and from behind.
| Position | What to film | Angles |
|---|---|---|
| Hitters (every position player) | 8 to 10 swings off front toss, BP or a machine | Side view and from behind the hitter |
| Slappers | Soft slap, hard slap, drag bunt and a few full swings, with your run out of the box | From the side, with first base in frame |
| Infielders | Ground balls to both sides and throws to first | From the side, with the throw in frame |
| Outfielders | Fly balls, balls in the gap and throws to a base | From behind and from the side |
| Catchers | Receiving, blocking and throws to second | From the side, with a timer on screen if you have one |
| Pitchers | Every pitch you throw, several of each, with your spin pitches named | From the side and from behind the catcher |
How long should a softball recruiting video be?
Keep the skills video between 2 and 4 minutes, with your best work first. Coaches decide in the first 30 seconds whether to keep watching. Put game at-bats or innings in a separate video, and send that one when a coach asks for more or after a strong game.
Shorter is better than padded. Cut slow walk-ups and long gaps between swings or pitches. Once the video is done, put it to work with how to get recruited for college softball.
What goes on the title card?
Open with a simple title card: your name, graduation year, position, bats and throws, height, high school and travel ball team with age group, GPA, and an email or phone number. Add your measurables with where they were taken. Keep it on screen long enough to read.
Should you show pitch speed or exit velocity on the video?
Yes, if it was measured. Put the reading on screen or on the title card, with where it came from: a showcase, a college camp, or a radar or sensor reading. Never add a number you didn't measure. Coaches compare it with what they see.
Numbers taken at a showcase or college camp count more with coaches because everyone was measured the same way. For slappers, a timed home to first matters more than exit velocity.
Where should you post your softball video?
Post it where a coach can open it in one tap on a phone: YouTube as an unlisted video, or Hudl. Use a clear title with your name, graduation year and position. Put the same link in every note to coaches and on your REACH profile.
Tips for any sport are in how to make a recruiting video, and where to be seen in person is in travel ball and college softball recruiting.
Send it beyond Division I too. In the NCAA's 2024-25 figures, 2.1% of high school softball players play in Division I, and Division II, Division III, NAIA and junior college coaches watch video the same way.
How REACH helps with softball recruiting
REACH lists nearly 1,500 college softball programs at NCAA Division I, II and III, the NAIA and junior colleges. It checks your grades against each school's admissions and shows your family's cost after aid. REACH does not score your softball, because coaches decide on video and on seeing you play. It puts you in front of each coach with your position, your measurables, your travel ball team and your video link, and nothing goes out until you approve it.
Replies come back into REACH, and parents see every coach message. REACH is independent and not affiliated with the NCAA, NAIA or NJCAA. It is free to start. More is on the softball recruiting page.
Questions
Do I need a professional to film my softball video?
No. A steady phone on a tripod, good light and the right angles are enough. Coaches care about the swing, the throw and the pitch, not production.
How often should I update my video?
When something changes: new numbers, a new pitch or a better swing. A fresh video is a good reason to write to a coach again.
Should pitchers include hitting?
Only if you want to be recruited to hit as well. Otherwise keep the video to pitching, and add a short hitting clip later if a coach asks.
- Do I need a professional to film my softball video?
- No. A steady phone on a tripod, good light and the right angles are enough. Coaches care about the swing, the throw and the pitch, not production.
- How often should I update my video?
- When something changes: new numbers, a new pitch or a better swing. A fresh video is a good reason to write to a coach again.
- Should pitchers include hitting?
- Only if you want to be recruited to hit as well. Otherwise keep the video to pitching, and add a short hitting clip later if a coach asks.
Sources: NCAA, Probability of competing beyond high school, 2024-25 figures (March 2026).
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