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Don’t Be a “That Guy” on Social Media

January 7, 2015 By

Don’t be “that guy” who….

  • Leaves an open-ended post just waiting for someone to chime in. Confused? You have seen them, trust me, you have seen them. They go like this “Such a bad day, can’t believe that just happened….” For the love of all that is holy man, it is so obvious that you are looking for someone to ask you what happened and, honestly, it is a bit pathetic. If you have to profess your emotional needs on social media, you might need to focus on finding some good friends that you can talk to on a more personal level instead of shotgun blasting a question out that says more about you then you even know (or maybe you do, which is even worse).
  • Posts a #WCW (Women Crush Wednesday, for those not in the know) EVERY SINGLE WEEK. We get it, you have a girlfriend. We are proud of you. High five. If your lady friend needs you to continuously tell her that she is your crush, you must be the worst boyfriend in the world. I am hoping that you are showing her enough affection and attention that she can figure it out more than once a week, on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. What makes this even worse, is when you do it with every new girlfriend you have every other week.
  • Talks about your “GRIND.” We get it, you are working hard. So is everyone else and while you took the time out to “talk” about your “grind” your opponent was probably snapping another ball, lifting another weight, stretching another body part or studying some more film. Be silent about your “grind” and let your actions do the talking on the field.
  • Likes their own post. That is beyond sad. You obviously like your own post as you posted it. Come on!
  • Retweets something you find hilarious but others might find offensive. Remember, if you retweet or repost a moron, you are a moron.

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Filed Under: Article Archives, Maturity, Social Media, Twitter Tagged With: , , , , ,

8 Things Every Parent Can do to Help with Recruiting

October 9, 2014 By

Follow these easy steps to make your son and/or daughter a more recruitable athlete…

 

  1. Do NOT overstep your bounds. If I have said it once, I have said it a hundred times….the coach will be recruiting your son and/or daughter, NOT you.
  2. Be very supportive of your son and/or daughter. I know they are going through their teenage years and this one can be tough, but remember, you were once a teenager (even if they don’t acknowledge) and times can be tough.
  3. Make sure your son and/or daughter will actually have a chance to go to college. There are tons of hoops to jump through nowadays, and you want to make sure your child has them all covered.
  4. Create a nice, clean highlight tape that is available on YouTube. Remember, you do NOT have to be an award winning director to create a great video.
  5. Review possible questions that a coach might ask your son and/or daughter. Role play if you will. Make sure your child speaks clearly, slowly and is looking you in the eyes.
  6. Do research on schools and try as hard as you can to take some trips to the schools on NON sports days. Sure, every school looks amazing on game day, but that is not reality. It will only look like that about six weekends per year. Go to the campus on a Tuesday, see what is really like. Go during different seasons so you can truthfully understand the different weather the area might have.
  7. Be sure your son is getting the right type of exposure from the right people. Just because someone tells you something, doesn’t mean it is true. Ask around, ask other parents. Do your homework.
  8. Allow your kid to be on social media, but make sure they know you are monitoring them. Nothing personal to the athletes, but they are young and they are dumb (sorry, it’s true and the reason I know it’s true is because every single adult was also, you guessed it, young AND dumb once as well) and they will make mistakes. The only difference is that when an adult used to be young and dumb, only the people that saw them do something ignorant knew about it. Now, with the onslaught of social media, the world can know about it in less than a second. Even saying that, there are so many benefits to social media for them to be off of it (one of the first questions a coach will ask me, “is the kid on Facebook? Have him friend me so I can contact him”).

 

 

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Rubio Long Snapping is, by far, the biggest and best resource for Long Snappers in the country. Rubio has been featured in the Washington Post, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the USA Today, Deadspin and countless other publications.

Offering the best instruction and most exposure in the world, Rubio Long Snapping can help you to become the best snapper you can be!

In just 15 years, Chris Rubio, President and Owner of Rubio Long Snapping, has become the #1 Long Snapping instructor in the country and the go-to man when a college coach needs a Long Snapper. Colleges from across the country rely on “Rubio’s” word day in and day out on who the best Long Snappers are in the country. Rubio Long Snapping has assisted in over 1,000 Long Snappers earning full scholarships and preferred walk-on opportunities to major colleges and universities just for Long Snapping and many into the NFL as well.

 

 

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Filed Under: Admissions, Article Archives, Coaches, College, Long Snapper, Maturity, Parenting, Recruiting, S.A.T., Twitter, YouTube Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

So, You Didn’t Make the Underclassmen Invite Event Cut….Now What?

April 8, 2013 By

As you know, Chris Sailer and I sent out the invites to the Underclassmen Invite Event in CA yesterday. Many woke up happy today, while many were left wondering what happened.

The world is not ending. If you did not get invited, you can still prove yourself to us either at the remaining spring camps (NC, GA and even CA Prep) and, more importantly, at the 11th Annual National Snapping Spring Event in Las Vegas on May 4-5, 2013. Sailer and I will be choosing a couple deserving athletes from these locations.

Therefore, if you feel that you are deserving of being invited, prove it to us in either NC, GA, CA and/or VEGAS!

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Confused as to what this camp really is all about? Here you go:

Underclassmen Invite Event –
Date: June 29-30, 2013

Location: Sherman Oaks Notre Dame HS, CA

Description: This two day event is the first time that Chris Sailer Kicking and Rubio Long Snapping will be completely gearing a camps towards the athletes and their parents/guardians.  This camp is meant to not only get the athletes headed in the right direction in the beginning of their high school careers, but also the parents as well.  It will provide information regarding nutrition, social media, recruiting, film, education and, of course, on field instruction. This event is just as much for the parents/guardians as it is the athletes!

There will be formal meetings/classroom sessions on individual topics such as….

1. Training (what level is right for the underclassmen athlete, how often, proper techniques)

2. Nutrition and Lifting (Good habits, bad habits)

3. Social Media (Setting up and using the proper social media outlets – this has become a must)

4. Filming (proper angles, techniques, times, set up)

5. Education (the importance of it, standards, year by year plan)

College recruiting for Kickers, Punters and Long Snappers is finally getting where it needs to be.  Scholarships are being offered earlier and earlier each year.  Early exposure is necessary these days.  The Chris Sailer Kicking and Rubio Long Snapping Nike Underclassmen “Invite Only” Event is the perfect opportunity to make a name for yourself and solidify your national ranking at the perfect time.  The middle of the summer is now the time college coaches build their underclassmen lists.  You want to be on that list.  This camp will get you there.  It is also your first opportunity to prove that you are a “TOP 12” candidate in your class.  The camp is set for early July for a reason, college coaches asked us to do this.  They want the inside track early.  Don’t be surprised to see more and more underclassmen offered during the season in the near future.  

Camp Includes:
Instruction, Video Analysis, Recruiting Meeting, Parent Meetings, Competition, YouTube recruiting video, a Chris Sailer Kicking / Rubio Long Snapping shirt and a chance to be ranked with Chris Sailer Kicking / Rubio Long Snapping.

Who can attend: 
Kickers, Punters and Long Snappers that will be entering the 9th, 10th or 11th grade. This is an INVITE ONLY EVENT. You must be invited by Chris Sailer or Chris Rubio to attend.

How do you get invited:
1: Chris Rubio evaluation that shows you have college potential and/or commitment.
2: Recommendation  
3: Invitations will begin being sent out starting April 8   

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Filed Under: Article Archives, College, Deep Snapper, Facebook, Freshman, Frosh, High School, Long Snapper, Maturity, Motivation, Nutrition, Recruiting, Relationships, Twitter, YouTube Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Athletes at All Levels Can Get Use Out of Twitter

April 8, 2013 By

Here is an article that I had published in my local paper, The Lewiston Tribune, a couple week ago, that I think you will enjoy. Embrace:

 

Last Wednesday, the Lewiston Tribune printed an article by longtime coach Nick Menegas. The article spoke of social media, Twitter to be specific, and the negative effect it has on today’s athlete and society.

I read it and was confused. Although there are some negatives with Twitter, as there are negatives with anything, there are also tons of great aspects about it that I would like to shed some light on.

Who am I and why listen to me? I was a long snapper (the guy who snaps the ball to the kickers) at UCLA. I am now a private football coach who is based in Lewiston. I train long snappers at camps across the country.

That is merely one aspect of my job. I also rank them and help them get to colleges. Last year, I had over 75 of my long snappers go on to play college ball. I am a very avid user of social media. I encourage my athletes to appropriately use social media to stay connected and promote themselves.

Twitter (think of it as merely mass texting in which you get texts/info from those you choose to follow) is a great thing that can be a valuable asset for people and businesses. In the Lewiston sports world alone, think how much easier it would be for parents if the local high school had a Twitter account to immediately announce highlights, pictures, scores and players during the games to family members who maybe can’t be in attendance at every single event. Imagine simply looking at your computer or cellphone and getting updates about your son’s/daughter’s game since you couldn’t make it all the way up to Coeur d’Alene. Wouldn’t that be great?

Twitter can be used improperly, of course. Just like anything, put it in the wrong hands, bad things can happen. Can it hurt an athlete’s image? Absolutely. Here is the best part about Twitter: If I am a parent and I don’t like what “Joe Athlete” is saying on Twitter, I simply don’t follow them. If I don’t follow someone, I don’t know what they are saying and it doesn’t affect my children or me.

Twitter can also benefit professional athletes and their fans. Coach Menegas mentioned how all he knew about Jim Brown was what he read about him on the sports page. That is true, but why wouldn’t you want more from someone who you admired? Imagine how much more he could have benefited from Jim Brown if he was allowed a bit more into his personal life. Maybe see him as more than just a jock? Maybe showing a fun personality? Maybe hearing Jim Brown offering up advice on football or life? Maybe hearing his thoughts on a movie, a restaurant, a game, etc.? Maybe making him more accessible and therefore more human?

And, in saying that, imagine how much Jim Brown could have benefited from Twitter. More fans mean more endorsements, which, in turn, would mean more money for him and his family.

Twitter, and social media in general, should not only be utilized by professional athletes. Social media needs to be embraced whole-heartedly by the youth. It is a way for them to follow their dream school, maybe a college athlete they like, a coach they would like to contact (the NCAA has not sanctioned against this, so why not utilize it?) or even have a conversation with other fans.

The world of sports, like the rest of the world, has changed drastically since the days of just reading about your favorite athlete in the paper. Think about it. You now have several all-sports channels on TV and radio. And, with Twitter, the sports world has become even more visible and immediate. Society wants things now and Twitter allows that for the fans and the athletes.

The world is advancing, changing and getting quicker. It is not stopping and either you get on the train or be prepared to get ran over.

“Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.”

– Benjamin Franklin

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Filed Under: Article Archives, Change, N.C.A.A., NFL, Recruiting, Twitter Tagged With: , , , ,

Can My Social Media Profiles Affect the Recruiting Process?

April 5, 2013 By

In this day and age of Social Media with almost all high school students on Facebook, Twitter, etc. college football coaches are no exception. So, what does this mean for potential recruits? It means you must always be aware of what your public facing social profiles look like. Just like in the corporate world during the hiring process, college football coaches are combing the major Social Networks to see what they can find out about a potential recruit. They are doing their due-diligence in order to make the best possible choice of student athletes for their particular University.

Social Networks in many cases are the perfect venue to showcase your talents on the field, but in some cases can be the most damaging off the field.  Players should represent themselves online as they would offline to avoid any potential issues with college coaches following them on the various Social sites.

A common place to create a problem or controversy is the way you “comment” on your peers leaving comments on your Social profiles. Always, think before you reply back to ensure you are not leaving yourself open to negative feedback,  potential controversy or negative press. Photos are no exception either. Often coaches scroll through potential recruits Photo streams to see if they can find any “red flags” during the recruiting process. Always be careful with regards to the photos you post on your Social profiles.

Bottom line is coaches are watching and players need to be conscious of this. The online term for this is Reputation Management. Make sure when you are “googled” you are represented the way you want to be!

–Rubio Long Snapping

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Filed Under: Article Archives, Coaches, College, Facebook, High School, N.C.A.A., Recruiting, Twitter Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

New Avenues for Small Town Athletes

March 27, 2013 By

I thought I would share with you an article I wrote the Lewiston Tribune that was published today. Enjoy:

If you are a high school athlete reading this, you live in a small town. It may not be the smallest of towns, but it is a small town nonetheless. Twenty years ago, it would have been extremely tricky for you to get recruited by a college. That is no longer the case.

Recruiting is much different now than it was 20 years ago. Before, it was all on your coach and what he/she could do for you. And, since you are in a small town, a coach would degrade your talent as being just the best of what is available. Sad, but true. With less people, usually comes less talent. That is simple math.

Therefore, the athlete has to prove to the college coach that he/she is not only the best in their small town, but they are also one of the best in the country and that the coach should undoubtedly recruit them for the next level.

Nowadays, with the proper use of technology, athletes can easily expose or “sell” themselves to colleges across the country. No matter if you are from a small town or a big city, the playing field is equal for all athletes on the Web. Technology allows even the smallest-of-town athletes to reach the biggest of city universities – instantly and for free.

Athletes can create a YouTube channel to highlight their games, practices and improvement over their careers. An athlete can create a Facebook and/or Twitter account to get in contact with a coach and send them film.

All of the above is fine and dandy, but if you still aren’t a top-tier athlete you won’t get past hello with the coaches.

Once you have set up your social media outlets to get your recruiting process going in the right direction, you need to let your current coach know that you are serious about playing sports in college. Let them know you have the desire to push yourself to do what it takes to play a sport at the next level. Your coach will also be able to contact coaches on your behalf and give you some insight into the whole recruiting process.

Plus, if you have expressed your desire to the coach and shown you have talent, he/she is undoubtedly going to remember your name if a college comes into their office recruiting another athlete. “Oh yeah, Sally is a great right fielder. You should also check out my pitcher Julie.” Now your name is in the coach’s head. They will ask for film (you will simply send them your YouTube link) and now your recruiting starts to pick up speed.

If you are really serious about your athletic ability, you need to look into a very good personal coach that specializes in your exact talent. A high school coach is good but they have to focus on the whole team and not just one athlete. They will often tend to know a little about a lot, while a specialized coach will know a lot about a little (think one particular position or aspect of the sport). Plus, your personal coach, if he or she has been around the block and has put other athletes into college, will have many contacts as well that can help you out in the recruiting process.

Every college will hold camps during the summer that athletes can attend to learn and prove themselves. These camps are less for learning (too many athletes attending) and are more for tryouts. You do not need to be invited to but it helps if you are so they know who you are going into the camp. You really want to focus on these camps between your junior and senior years. However, I would highly recommend going between sophomore and junior years to get your name in their head and get a trial run of what the camp will entail.

To be invited, simply have your current sports coach contact the school and say they think you should be invited. If your coach isn’t really motivated to help you, contact the school yourself. Give them some simple stats and let them know you are very interested in becoming a _____ (mascot of your choice). You are now in the school’s recruiting database and will now start to receive mail from them on a regular basis. Once you get to the camp, you must dominate.

Remember, an immediate knock on you as an athlete will be that, being from a small town, you aren’t playing against top talent simply because there aren’t as many athletes. Now, at the camp, you will be head-to-head with the actual top talent from all over the country. This is the moment when either you prove you have the ability to be playing with the big dogs or are simply the best of the average.

It is all on your shoulders at this point. Yes, you are an athlete from a small town, but you have set yourself up to be on the big stage.

Do you have the talent to be there?

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Chris-Rubio-2Rubio Long Snapping is, by far, the biggest and best resource for Long Snappers in the country. Offering the best instruction and most exposure in the world. Rubio Long Snapping can help you to become the best snapper you can be!

In just 12 years, Chris Rubio, President and Owner of Rubio Long Snapping, has become the #1 Long Snapping instructor in the country and the go-to man when a college coach needs a Long Snapper. Colleges from across the country rely on “Rubio’s” word day in and day out on who the best Long Snappers are in the country. Rubio Long Snapping has assisted in over 300 Long Snappers earning FULL SCHOLARSHIPS to major colleges and universities just for Long Snapping and many into the NFL as well.

Rubio_Card_frontMAGNET

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Filed Under: Article Archives, Athlete, Coaches, College, Facebook, Graduating, Graduation, High School, N.C.A.A., Recruiting, Twitter, YouTube Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

So, a College Coach Calls and Says….

March 5, 2013 By

Last night, a coach calls me and here is our conversation…..

Rubio ” What’s up Coach ________!”

Coach “Rubio, what’s going on? Is this a good time?”

Rubio “Perfect. Let it rain. What’s up?”

Coach “I am calling to do a background check on a couple of your guys. What can you tell me about the following guys’ personality and how they handle themselves socially…”

The rest of the conversation is obviously private. You think coaches only care about how you behave on the field? THINK AGAIN!

Clean up your act and start with social media. Remember, if you retweet something ignorant, YOU are ignorant. If you are tagged in a photo that shows people being wrong, YOU are wrong. If you hang out with morons, YOU are a moron. Blunt, but very, very true.

Trust me, coaches will find out about all of this.

Make social media work for you and not against you. 

The Process of being Great

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Filed Under: Article Archives, Coaches, College, Deep Snapper, Facebook, High School, Long Snapper, Maturity, Motivation, Parenting, Recruiting, Twitter Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

How to get Exposure as a High School Athlete

October 15, 2012 By
One of the most common questions I receive is “Rubio, how can I get exposure to the college coaches?” Great question that is easily answered once and for all here….

1. Get yourself to a reputable camp that actually has connections to the colleges. 

It is very easy to make a nice looking website and claim things on the website. The problem is that many sites are simply smoke and mirrors with tons of claims and no actual facts. Do your homework, talk to coaches to see who they recommend, check testimonial pages and speak to others that have attended the camp to see if it is worth your time and, more importantly, your hard earned dollar. You should go to a camp because you know it will be good and worth it, not because it might be good and worth it. 

2.  Make sure your high school coach knows that you are serious about your position and getting to the next level.

Once you have decided that you will stop at nothing to make it to college, you must let your coach know. Tell them that you are going to camps, you work on your position year round and are wiling to do what ever it takes to make your dream a reality. This will impress the coach (as long as you are truly doing what you are saying) and make your name stick in his head when the colleges come knocking on his door. Please note: take your coach’s advice on recruiting to a certain extent. This becomes an issue if a coach pushes someone too high. To clarify, unless your coach is VERY familiar with your particular position, take Long Snapper for instance, don’t rely on his word too much. What this means is that quite often a high school coach will tell a player “You are the best Long Snapper I have ever coached! You are definitely going to college for snapping!” This is fantastic if the coach has actually coached several college Long Snappers. If he hasn’t, you just might be the best of the worst and yet another reason you need to attend quality camps (see #1).

3. Always be in the right place at the right time. 

Let’s say you have a top tier running back on your team and college coaches are always on campus to see if he passes the eye ball test at practice. You have essentially hit the jackpot. ANYTIME a college coach is at your practice, you need to MAKE SURE you just happen to showcase your talent in front of them. If you are a Long Snapper, you should just happen to be snapping 15 yard bullets so they can see you. If you are a lineman, you should be working on your stance and steps. Make them notice you. This is your chance, do not let it pass you by simply because you were shy. You don’t want any opportunity to pass you by. 

4. Create a YouTube channel.

First of all, I like the YouTube channels over other film sharing services for a couple reasons. A) You don’t need an account to view a YouTube channel and B) YouTube is such a large company there is rarely issues with their server(s). The last thing you want is to send your coach a link and either he can’t access it, it is broken or takes way too long to load. With YouTube, you are relatively safe in these matters.

Creating a YouTube channel for yourself is very easy to do, save you tons of time in the long run and always will give you a base to send coaches to see you and your improvement. To make your own YouTube channel simply…

  • Go to YouTube. com 
  • Click create a YouTube account. If you already have a gmail account, you can simply use that. If you are starting fresh with this process it literally takes one minute.
  • Once your account is created, there is blueish profile silhouette of a person in the upper right hand corner…click on it.
  • A drop down menu will appear….click on MY CHANNEL and then press OK, I’M READY TO CONTINUE
  • You will now see a very basic version of what your page will look like. You can fluff this up anyway you want and I would recommend a solid action shot of you in uniform to show how great you are in your sport right off the bat.
  • At the top, just to the left of your name, click on UPLOAD and let the games begin!

You should upload practice and game footage once a week during season and approximately once per month in the off-season. If you are below average at first, that is ok and, don’t erase those videos in the end. Leave them, it shows how much you have improved over time. 

5. Associate yourself with a reputable recruiting service. 

Similar to #1, there are tons of services out there that create flashy websites and claim tons of things when, in actuality, they just take your money and do nothing for you. You want to find a service that can be a one stop shop for you. They should be able to  do research for you about coaches and ways to contact them, send out mass email blasts for you, create a page for you, create a video for you, and have it all go to the right people. If you are true D1 athlete, that is the direction they should send your information. If you are more of a D2-D3 athlete, the majority of your blasts should be sent in that direction. You don’t want to waste your’s or the coach’s time by sending them info if you are not at their level. (Please note: I have encountered many of these companies and one of the best I have seen is NCSA).

6. Create a Twitter account and Facebook page to keep in contact.
 

Most already have one, if not both, of the above mentioned social media monsters and they should. The NCAA has not banned college coaches from using them yet, so it is a loop hole that should be utilized. When you begin to make contact with coaches/recruiting coordinators, let them see your personality, keep your pages clean (yes, parents feel free to monitor them as well) and be sure to send them links to your newly created YouTube channel. 

 

Follow these six steps and you should get all of the exposure you could ever imagine. Now, the ball is in your court to put all of the exposure you will be getting to good use.

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Chris-Rubio-2Rubio Long Snapping is, by far, the biggest and best resource for Long Snappers in the country. Offering the best instruction and most exposure in the world. Rubio Long Snapping can help you to become the best snapper you can be!

In just 12 years, Chris Rubio, President and Owner of Rubio Long Snapping, has become the #1 Long Snapping instructor in the country and the go-to man when a college coach needs a Long Snapper. Colleges from across the country rely on “Rubio’s” word day in and day out on who the best Long Snappers are in the country. Rubio Long Snapping has assisted in over 300 Long Snappers earning FULL SCHOLARSHIPS to major colleges and universities just for Long Snapping and many into the NFL as well.

Rubio_Card_frontMAGNET

 

 

 

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Filed Under: Athlete, College, Eligibility, Exposure, Facebook, Featured Posts, Graduating, High School, N.C.A.A., Recruiting, S.A.T., Twitter, YouTube Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Social Media for Athletes: To Embrace or Not To Embrace

April 1, 2012 By

Today’s teen athletes are actually very similar to those in the past couple decades. They make good decisions and they make bad decisions. The difference is, now, those decisions are amplified a billion times and spread faster than anything the previous generations could even fathom. An athlete can make a slip up on a social media site and it can be shot around the world with a single click on a smart phone in less than a second.

So, the question arises….should an athlete be involved with social media?

My answer is….ABSOLUTELY….but they should be monitored!

There are several types of social media formats out there. However, I am going only going to discuss only the two head honchos at this point along with the goods and bads of each, for a soon-to-be college athlete.

Facebook and Twitter
– Obviously, Facebook is the big dog of the group but Twitter is gaining steam. Pretty much the entire student body of any high school and college has a Facebook account….and they should. It is a tremendous way to stay connected with one another. If you don’t have an account, I am not even going to explain it to you because you are not reading this and you are currently in a coma.

Facebook Positives – Keeps people connected. You always get to see what people are up to regardless of geographic location. I live in Northern Idaho, but am easily connected with people in Los Angeles, Chicago, Lousiana, Georgia, Maryland…you get the point. Facebook is a tremendous way to keep up with people. I was speaking to some good friends of mine about how Facebook basically is going to wipe out the High School Reunion market. Why even go? Who doesn’t know what is happening with someone simply through their Facebook account?

Facebook Negatives – Imagine your high school hallway, add that group of really annoying girls/guys that are waaaaay too into themselves and amplify that all over the world. That is what Facebook can be. It is a drama-filled machine, if you let it be. The trick is not let yourself get involved. Don’t comment on someone’s post and you will not be involved. If you have a problem with someone, deal with them directly. Don’t just walk outside and scream it. That would be pointless….side note: that is what making a statement or subtweet (sent out to all, but directed at one) is actually doing. You are making yourself look worse than the person you are attempting to ridicule.

Twitter Positives – You can find out information INSTANTLY and you can spread information INSTANTLY. One click and it is gone, to anyone, in the world, that is following you.

Twitter Negatives – Again, you can find out information INSTANTLY and you can spread information INSTANTLY. One click and it is gone, to anyone, in the world, that is following you. Therefore, you say something ignorant and press “tweet” it is out there. Even if you delete it later, someone will have it on their Twitter account.

Facebook Recruit Advantage– Still pretty much under the radar from the NCAA so college coaches can use it to contact you without penalty. And, if they can’t, they can have assistants (people that work for the program but usually are not getting paid) contact you as somewhat of a “middle” man.

Facebook Recruit Disadvantage – You take a trip to a school or show some interest. Within a couple days, a beautiful student of that campus “friends” you on Facebook. You are amazed and almost break your keyboard clicking “accept!” Not to burst your bubble, but she doesn’t find you attractive…at all. She is on the athletic staff to “friend” you, then search through your account for any incriminating posts, messages, likes and especially photos. She will report everything you have done back to the coaches. Why don’t you take some time and go clean up your account now:)   Don’t want to or think I’m wrong? Check out this excerpt from an interview with Houston Head Coach Tony Levine (thanks M.F.)

Q: How  do coaches monitor social networks when it comes to recruiting? TL: “We monitor it for all of our recruits in more ways than one: position coaches, recruiting coaches, our recruiting coordinator, I do as well. Two things that come to mind: number one, if they’re taking other visits, it’s a great way to find out. When a kid posts a picture of himself at another school on a Saturday with a jersey on, you know he’s on a visit. The second thing is, what they’re posting. The same kid that we dropped because he took two other visits, on his Facebook page, and obviously I was friends with him — posted things nightly that we’re not looking for in our program”

Q: So a recruit can hurt himself by what he posts on his social media pages? TL: “Without question. And he did. In that respect, I think social media has changed (recruiting) for a number of reasons.”

Twitter Recruit Advantage – Still pretty much under the radar from the NCAA so college coaches can use it to contact you without penalty. And, if they can’t, they can have assistants (people that work for the program but usually are not getting paid) contact you as somewhat of a middle man. Easy way to follow your favorite coach or team and feel like you are part of them. Easy way to find other people in your situation, ie: Long Snappers.

Twitter Recruit Disadvantage – Anything you say, anyone you follow and/or retweet represents you. You say something asinine, you look asinine. You follow morons, you look like a moron. You retweet something ignorant, you look ignorant. Remember, whatever you put out there, EVERYONE will see. Someone bad mouths your lady, speak to them directly. You post on Twitter and everyone sees it….NOW! You don’t look like a chivalrous man, you look like someone airing their dirty laundry and no one cares. 

Trust me, I get it, there are tons of VERY funny things out there that I would love to retweet, but I don’t…because I am using my brain. Have common sense. You may get the funny line from a movie or inside joke, but just stop and think if the older football coach might not. Even if there is the slightest possibility that something could go wrong with a message or someone could decipher it wrong, don’t do it!

Would I Let My Kid(s) Have an Account – Yup, but as stated earlier, I would monitor it. It is the old theory of when a teen learns to drive. You are worried about how they will drive but almost more worried about the other drivers out there. Same difference here.

I would insist that I was their “friend” on Facebook or followed them on Twitter. If they put up a stink about that one because they are still at the “it isn’t cool to be friends with your parents on Facebook and/or Twitter,”  I would say “Ok. No problem. I won’t be your ‘friend’ on Facebook or follow you on Twitter, but then I have to have your accounts password to make sure everything is Ok.” If they still rage, then it is simple. They lose their computer, cell phone or any other way they can access their Facebook and/or Twitter account. You most likely bought them and/or pay their bills (yup, electricity counts) so the upper hand is yours.

Parents, I repeat, you have the upper hand AND you are just trying to help your child for the future. If they don’t get that, there isn’t much they will get.

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Chris-Rubio-2Rubio Long Snapping is, by far, the biggest and best resource for Long Snappers in the country. Offering the best instruction and most exposure in the world. Rubio Long Snapping can help you to become the best snapper you can be!

In just 12 years, Chris Rubio, President and Owner of Rubio Long Snapping, has become the #1 Long Snapping instructor in the country and the go-to man when a college coach needs a Long Snapper. Colleges from across the country rely on “Rubio’s” word day in and day out on who the best Long Snappers are in the country. Rubio Long Snapping has assisted in over 300 Long Snappers earning FULL SCHOLARSHIPS to major colleges and universities just for Long Snapping and many into the NFL as well.

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Filed Under: Article Archives, Facebook, Long Snapper, Maturity, Parenting, Recruiting, Twitter Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

How Can Twitter Benefit You?

April 11, 2011 By
Anyone that knows me, knows that I am a big advocate of Twitter. I was hesitant at first (most are since it is a relatively new concept out in the world) but I have jumped in with two feet and I am wholeheartedly behind it. I see major benefits for everyone involved and I even created a step-by-step basic instruction manual to set up your own account (come back to this later when you set yours up). The benefits are immense, but the basics you need to embrace are….. Mass Text Messaging – That is pretty much all Twitter is….if done correctly. People are always asking me to send a certain message to their son:
  • an inspirational quote (Good morning. #QOTD! “For success, attitude is equally as important as ability”)
  • a blog
  • a picture of perfect form
  • a personal video clip of a Long Snapper
  • a funny message (You know your wife is 8 months pregnant when….she says, w/ a straight face, “yeah, I think I’m just gonna have Samoas for dinner tonight”)
  • my protest of the day (#ProtestOTD! Guy at gym w/ full on massive stereo headphones. Ease down buddy. You are going to tip over & u look like Princess Leia)

With Twitter, it is simple. You can actually set up yours and their cell phone to follow me and receive a text message when I put out a message (that link I provided about 18 lines up will show you how to do this).

Searching Topics – On the Twitter site, you can easily search any topic you want (hint, hint: Long Snapper) and find out any time someone has mentioned that particular subject. This can be huge for finding articles about topics that interest you (hint, hint: Long Snapping).
Example of my Twitter page. Notice search option on bottom right corner    

Information – You can follow anyone that has a Twitter account and see the stuff they want you to see. This is a great for a Long Snapper that wants to know about a certain school, conference, coach, player. Most, if not all, of them will have a Twitter account and will post inside info about news, camps, pictures, etc.   For instance, I follow @JeremyCrabtree (ESPN), @BrandonHuffman (Scout.com) for breaking news on recruits (by breaking, I mean the instant it happens…with Twitter, if set up correctly, yet again, refer to my step-by-step sheet, you will know the second it gets posted without having to check Google). Personalities – This is a great advantage of Twitter for me. I get to follow certain people (hint, hint: Rubio Long Snappers….there are many with an account), see what they are like in the real world and even have met some interesting cats. Coaches will want a Long Snapper that has a personality. As one D1 Coach told me, “Rubio, I’m going to have to spend a lot of time with this guy, so he better not just be a robot.” Two people that I would reference would be The Purdue Long Snappers. @FinchMachine and @Ballinger.

@FinchMachine Twitter Bio: I can’t dance but I can longsnap. Who am I kidding? Of course I can dance.
@Ballinger (great stache) Twitter Bio: just your average joe who also happens to long snap trying to make it and stuff

These are two guys that I never would have known without Twitter.  Here is how our relationship started….a Twitter fairytale if you will…..

  • They had heard of me through long time Chris Sailer Kicking student Carson Wiggs (he is Purdue’s kicker and, let’s be honest, basically only does well because his snappers are so solid and because he knows Sailer).
  • They started following me on Twitter to see what I would say next. Word is they were a tad shocked at some of my spray. Embrace.
  • Sprayed me a message or two (easily done on Twitter)
  • I checked them out on Twitter and found out they were very funny (please note: they are in college so their stuff does toe the line a bit but it shows their personality and I embrace)
  • Done

Bottom line, as a Rubio Long Snapping parent told me, everyone should have a Twitter account and follow @RubioSnapping for these reasons: 1.       Keeps me informed as a parent what is going on with all things related to long snapping…your camps, current events, recruiting, etc. 2.       Fun to track what you are doing and what is going on with my sons’ peers. 3.       Good educational information on long snapping…

Looking forward to receiving an email from Twitter letting me know you are following me:)

 

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Rubio Long Snapping is, by far, the biggest and best resource for Long Snappers in the country. Rubio has been featured in the Washington Post, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the USA Today, Deadspin and countless other publications.

Offering the best instruction and most exposure in the world, Rubio Long Snapping can help you to become the best snapper you can be!

In just 14 years, Chris Rubio, President and Owner of Rubio Long Snapping, has become the #1 Long Snapping instructor in the country and the go-to man when a college coach needs a Long Snapper. Colleges from across the country rely on “Rubio’s” word day in and day out on who the best Long Snappers are in the country. Rubio Long Snapping has assisted in over 1,000 Long Snappers earning full scholarships and preferred walk-on opportunities to major colleges and universities just for Long Snapping and many into the NFL as well.

 

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Filed Under: Article Archives, Deep Snapper, Exposure, Long Snapper, Maturity, Recruiting, Twitter Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,