In today's college athletics, sustainable success depends on your ability to recruit the best and brightest student-athletes year in and year out. Recruiting those athletes has become more complex than ever before. Recruits and their parents want more than a tour of the dorms, dining halls, academic and athletic facilities. They now want to know exactly what is happening in each area and how it will impact their ability to succeed. We see this everyday in our area. Questions once asked by only the most savvy football recruits/parents are now being asked by recruits from all sports. How many days a week do you train in-season? What is the coach to athlete ratio in the weight room? Is nutrition and recovery incorporated into the training? These types of questions are being asked and can't be answered by a mere walkthrough of a facility.

UCLA's athletic performance training facility (weight room) is on par with many schools in size and equipment. That being said, there are several other schools with more elaborate training facilities. This makes the philosophical overview of what our department does vital on the recruiting tour. This overview delivered by our staff is intended to answer the questions/concerns that parents and recruits have regarding training as well as educate them on the importance of the program rather than the facility. When discussing our philosophy, we hone in on three areas of distinction-

Coaching-

• We put a greater emphasis on coaching the athletes than most programs do. How is this done? We run our training sessions like practices - manageable coach to athlete ratio (12:1), fast pace and attention to detail. Why is this important to recruits? A more hands on approach allows coaches to constantly refine athlete's movement and technique leading to improved performance in the weight room and on the field/court. Why is it important to parents? Safety, greater emphasis on technique leads to a safer environment to train in.

• We train our athletes with a clear purpose in mind: strength and power that can be utilized for specific sports/position needs. This is done through a holistic approach which encompasses nutrition, strength, conditioning, speed, agility, and recovery training. All of these areas are adjusted to specific sports demands to make up the athletes' training program. A well rounded curriculum of training invokes confidence in both the recruit and their parents.

• Depending on the sport, many athletes will spend more time with their athletic performance coach than any other person on campus. Many teams will train 4-5 days a week exclusively with their performance coach during the off-season and 2-3 times a week during the in-season. Athlete's development is complex and takes time. Our number one goal is for the athletes' development to take place in a steady consistent manner. Athletes need to leave school markably improved in all areas of athletism for us to have done our job. Both structure and consistency are important to all parents when sending their sons or daughters away to school.

When talking to recruits and their parents, it is important to remember that they all hear something different. Parents have a tendency to focus on the steps that are taken to care for their children and keep them safe and injury free. Athletes are apt to focus on what is going to be done to a make them even better at their sport. Regardless of the audience, a well delivered philosophical overview helps to answer the questions/concerns, educate them on the importance of the program rather than the facility and ultimately build confidence in their choice to become a Bruin.

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