Are You Ready for Tryouts?

There are a variety of sports for all age groups and skill levels out there. Every sport follows its own seasonal schedule and preparing for tryouts can be a great experience with these easy-to-follow planning questions. Also, think about how you can get noticed!

1. What do you need? Do you have all necessary, well- maintained equipment and attire for the tryout?

 

2. What are your goals? Figure out what competition, time, and financial commitment level is right for you. How far are you willing to travel for practice and games? What are your athletic goals and will making the team help with those? When moving from recreational sports to select opportunities, you’ll find that expectations may be higher in every regard: time, money, training, skill level, coaching expertise, etc. When it’s school or your local recreational league, there may be only one evaluation or tryout, cuts, call-backs etc. When it’s a select sport, you may have a variety of clubs and try-out opportunities to pick from.

 

3. Are you using the internet, social media, and sport specific message boards to search for tryout information? Take care to note if tryouts are open tryouts, invite only/private, and position or skill level specific. You don’t want to show up to a tryout as an outfielder when the baseball team is only looking for a pitcher.

 

4. How can you take advantage of multiple tryouts when trying out for a select team? If you want to make it onto a particular team, are you willing to show your commitment to attending all of their tryouts?

 
5. Are you going to multiple tryouts for multiple teams? It can be busy but it’s important to see the differences in tryouts, coaching styles, and possibly getting more than one offer. Wouldn’t you like to have choices as to where to play?

 

6. Are you practicing? Can you find out what type of skills and drills you will be expected to perform at tryouts and practice them until you feel confident and relaxed doing them, even at full game speed? It is common in older age groups for tryouts to include scrimmaging to see how athletes physically and mentally cope with the stress and speed of game situations.

7. Are you staying active and enjoying multiple sports? Using a variety of muscle groups can enhance any sport that you choose to pursue and help guard against injuries.

 
8. Are you making sure that you don’t overwork? Be efficient and realistic with the preparation time that you have.

9. How do you like to relax? Give your body time to recover and your mind time to unwind after practice.

 
10. Do you have healthy eating habits? Ask any serious athlete and they may admit that eating for their sport takes discipline but the rewards are worth it.

 
11. Are you getting enough rest? Get enough sleep to prepare for the energy levels you will need for maximum performance at tryouts.

 
12. What are you going to do to have fun? You are at a tryout that is basically a free or low-cost clinic put on by experienced coaches who can give you valuable feedback to help you continue moving forward with your athletic goals. What makes this sport fun for you? What will keep it being fun? Healthy competition and hard work can be enjoyable, motivating, and give you a sense of accomplishment.

 
13. Can you have a healthy perspective on your journey? When the tryout is over, can you think about a skill you did well and a skill that you would like to work on? Take what you’ve learned from one tryout and use it to your advantage at the next tryout and in the future.

 

The Day Before Tryouts

 
1. Have you checked and organized any equipment and clothing necessary for the tryout? Bring extra safety pins to pin tryout number to your shirt.

 
2. Do you have all tryout registrations completed online or on paper including any medical waivers and fees? Is your physical up to date? Have you checked with your physician and any specialists before starting a new sports activity?

 
3. Have you double-checked tryout location, start times, and traffic getting there? Are you prepared for the weather conditions if try-out is outside? Always plan to arrive early enough at the tryout to register and warm-up correctly.

 
4. How are you going to relax today and decide what you would like to specifically accomplish at the tryout? Making the team is not specific enough.

How Do You Know That You Are At A Great Tryout?

 
1. The event is well-organized, there is a well-identified registration area, a time table of events, and enough staff to handle registrations and an efficient try-out.

 
2. Participants are constantly in motion completing drills that test their physical skills, coachability, situational knowledge, teamwork, and sportsmanship. They are moving from station to station, and not standing around too long waiting for their turn.

 
3. The tryout might simulate a real practice so players and parents get a good picture of what to expect in the future.

 
4. The team coaches and club administrators introduce themselves. They may be running the drills or focusing on writing down observations. They have a defined coaching philosophy and communicate effectively. The vibe on the field or court is positive and energetic.

 
5. There is opportunity for frequently asked questions and answers or an information packet available. Directions are straight forward on how tryout results will be communicated.

 
6. Parent coaching is not usually desired but does happen. Interaction between all staff and players is professional and the role of coach on the field vs. parent off the field is defined and healthy. It’s a good sign if you can’t tell which player is the coach’s kid.

Tips for Standing Out at Tryouts

 
Whether there are 15 kids or 80 trying out for one team, how do you make yourself memorable?

 
1. Be prepared and be early. If coaches are, so are you.  Remember, if you’re early you’re on time, if you’re on time you’re late, and if you’re late without a good excuse the coach may not let you join.

 
2. Go dressed ready to play a real game or match. Got belt loops in those uniform pants? Then you wear a belt. A well put together player shows you’re organized and that you care about how you represent yourself. Leave the bling at home but wearing a brightly neon-colored shirt never hurts.

 
3. Be coachable and humble. There’s plenty of room for confidence but not egos at tryouts. Do you know the difference? Many coaches teach something new at a tryout to see how players handle being coached. Even the most experienced players listen.  They absorb information every day and utilize it because they know it will help them attain their athletic goals.

 
4. Be self-confident. If you don’t understand how to do a drill, ask. There are probably a dozen other kids with the same question, and the coach will notice that you care about doing things the right way and are brave enough to ask.

 
5. Act like you already made the team and cheer on others at the tryout. It sounds strange since you are competing with others for a spot, but showing that you can be a confident teammate with a positive attitude is just as important and having excellent skills. Building a team of players who respect the game, the journey, and other athletes with their own unique skill sets can be an amazing start to building a solid team foundation.

 
6. Be respectful to everyone: coaches, players, the guy dragging the field or sweeping the court (it could be the club president). This includes introducing yourself confidently, a firm handshake when necessary, and answering the coach with a yes and no coach or sir or ma’am. Foul language, inappropriate remarks, or tantrums and you’ve just terminated your own tryout.

 
7. Hustle and give everything you’ve got at the tryout. Show the coaches that you have a deep desire to play and the drive to get through the grind. Literally run to meet the coaches, run to each station, run to get water and back to the tryout. Don’t waste your or the coach’s time walking anywhere. Hustle, hustle, hustle! Put every ounce of energy into the highest quality reps you can.

 
8. Get out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself. Dive for those balls you never tried for before! Coaches may intentionally challenge players to the point of making mistakes and observe how those mistakes are handled and overcome. This is an important skill that will build a mentally strong foundation for any successful athlete.

 

9. Realize there are only two things that you can control: Your Attitude and Effort.