Your highlight film should tell an effective story about you as a player, and shouldn’t waste any time in doing so. Furthermore your reel is not an M. Knight Shamalan thriller, and therefore should not “save the best for last”. After reviewing the playtime analytics across a wide variety of player’s films, some of which are the very best in their recruiting classes, I can say confidently only a VERY small percentage of viewers watch highlight films all the way to the end. So tell your story quickly and efficiently.

Get their attention. Period. That’s the point of the film, so get it done immediately. Assume you only have 10 clips to get a coaches attention and use that time wisely.

Your first 10 clips must be your absolute best plays, but must also showcase your full set of skills relative to the position you play. For example, If you are an offensive player, you need to have clips where you are ball handling, dodging, feeding, shooting, scoring, preferably doing this with both your right hand/foot and your left. Defensive players should be showing effective play stoppage, takeaways, use of body and quality footwork, relative to your sport and position

For your actual lineup of your clips, your first clip should be your very best play, followed by your next best play and so on. While still achieving the required variety ouitlined above. Once you have told a complete and compelling story about yourself in the first 10 clips, the remaining clips can reinforce what you have already shown by displaying more of the same type fo plays, perhaps from a different angle or game situation.

Avoid repetition. If you are a basketball three point shooter, show this a few times, from different spots on the floor or different game scenarios, but do not just show shot after shot for 5 minutes straight. Similarly, lacrosse players should not just show step down shots over and over. You need to prove that your highlight was not a fluke, while also avoiding showing the same thing over and over again.

In summary, focus on the first 10 clips, showcase your full skillset, and put your best clips first.