15 Ways Athletes, Parents, Coaches and Organizations Can Navigate the Tryout Process for The Best Possible Outcome.
Agree with it or not, the tryout process is a staple in today's youth sports. Like a job interview, the tryout can be prepared for in order to accomplish the best possible outcome.
My memories as a young athlete around tryouts shaped my experiences as a coach and parent.
The recollection of finding out if made the team via a sheet posted on a door is still clear all these years later. I remember tryouts as being a stressful time. I think I led the league in being “last cut”!
As coaches we are torn. We want all kids to get the opportunity to play and benefit from being part of a team. We understand that the realities are such that this is not possible. The process of telling a youngster his/her ambition has hit a roadblock is not a good one. In fact, it is because this is so uncomfortable that I think a lot coaches do a poor job of communicating cuts.
As parents, we want the best for our kids. We want validation that they are above average and good enough for the team. This has prompted many parents to go to the neighboring community if little Johnny gets cut by the local team rather than looking at core reasons why the tryout was not successful.
As an organizational administrator we get complaints and hear the concerns, accusations and feel the anger when things don’t go well. Often, more athletes get told they are not good enough to make the team, than those who make it. That means no matter what happens, many will be disappointed. Some will not take it lightly.
Photo by Alora Griffiths on Unsplash
How the tryout process is executed can shape a life of participation or inactivity. It can turn a youngster from a budding romance with a sport and frustrate many a family.
Although controversial, youth sports continue to go down the road of the competition model. That is the model where competition is valued as the most important development tool. As opposed to a recreational model, where play is encouraged and no one is turned away, the competition model goes through a tryout process. The “tryouts” are intended to classify young athletes on teams of equal abilities. The intention is to provide the best opportunities to learn and enjoy the game with others of similar skill levels.
Intentions don’t always meet reality.
From a developmental perspective, the recreational model should be the priority up to 14 years of age. Not at the expense of competition, but the priority. By introducing the competition model at 14, there is a foundational opportunity for basic skill development before the win at all costs mentality kicks in.
Nevertheless, the competition model dominates and starts as young as 6 and 7 years old.
The purpose of this article is to map out some best practices in navigating the tryout process as an athlete, parent, coach and organization for the best possible outcome.
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If tryouts are part of the process, then so are athletes being told they can not play.
In fact, most young athletes get cut at some point. Very few young athletes escape that fate.
I would argue that we expose young children to the selection process way too early.
The selection process at an early age triggers the age of youth sport specialization. It becomes a round about of focus on making the team, rather than the play itself.
The recreational model does not have tryouts. They may categorize players based on abilities for grouping purposes, but the focus is on skill development, play and fun.
Our world has enough disappointment built into it already. Do we want more for our 8 year olds around sport?
On the other hand, resiliency is a quality that serves young people well. Dealing with the disappointment of not making the team will result in 2 things: find something else to do or work harder for next time. (oh yes, there is another option, go play in the neighboring community!)
Young Athletes and Parents:
Bottom line, for young athletes and parents, be ready for the tryout process if your son/daughter wants to play sports.
Discuss the process and what will be required if he/she makes the team and what options there are if the selection process does not go the way planned.
Either way, there is lots that can be learned from the process.
Here are 8 ways your son/daughter can be at their best for tryouts:
1. Mindset. In sports, every opportunity should be considered a tryout. This should be a mindset year round, all the time. Whether the tryout is to make a spot on the team, or for playing time or to play his/her favorite position, there is always evaluation. The mindset to not only do your best, but do something to stand out and contribute goes a long way.
2. Actions speak louder than words. I have never met a coach or evaluator who did not remember a young person who came up to them and introduced themselves. While that may be tricky when 72 kids are trying out for 12 spots, many tryouts are not held with that ratio. Introducing yourself, even at the sign in table is a sign of leadership and initiative. Parents, you should not be signing your son/daughter in for the tryout.
Action, part 2: Have your son/daughter bring their own equipment. Don’t carry it for them. Again, this is a telltale sign that you are over involved and trust me, coaches notice. In the case of hockey and young children, if they can’t carry their own bag, then get one with wheels for them to pull.
A good rule of thumb is that if they are too small to carry their own gear, then they are too young for tryouts.
3. Practice the drills that you expect to see at tryout. Simple, but surprising how many do not. If skating backwards is part of the expected skills in hockey tryout, guess what? Yep, time to practice. Play to your strengths while working on the skills the coaches need to see.
If hitting batting practice is part of the expectation, guess what? They need to practice.
FYI, that is on the player not the parent.
Parents, our role is to explain what to expect at the tryout so our young athletes can be calm and at their best.
4. Athletes: step up and be visible during the tryout. (Parents disappear!) Athletes: do not shy away from the drills in the tryout. When time to step up, do so. Move with pace at every opportunity, play to your strengths and communicate in competitive situations. Many young athletes are shy in a tryout. By communicating and taking initiative, you already stand out from most.
5. Preparation and control the intangibles: Conditioning and quickness. Lead up to the tryout with the proper rest and hydration. In 2020, there is no more practice without water as in my day, thank goodness. In sports like basketball, soccer and hockey conditioning will allow you to spring ahead and show effort and energy. That get’s noticed.
In baseball/softball and football the great equalizer is quickness. If your son/daughter is not fleet of foot, they need to find some other way to stand out. This is also something for which to prepare. Quickness can be learned and practiced to get better.
There is a massive life lesson to preparing for a tryout. Even if does not go your way, the preparation and practice serves young athletes well in their development.
6. Accountability. Lost in 2020, is the concept that sometimes things don’t go well and that is the way it goes. By participating in the tryout, everyone is agreeing that some will not be chosen for the team. Put your best foot forward athletes. If it does not work out, find out why and work to fix it for next time.
7. Be polite and behave like a guest at the party. Nothing worse at a tryout than a sense of entitlement. You would be surprised how many returning players do not get chosen from one year to the next due to the sense of entitlement. Parents, your contribution is to re-read section 2 above, on actions.
Coaches today are sensitive to the over involved parent, please be conscious that your good intentions may hurt Billy or Sue’s chances.
This is also a great opportunity to show your leadership in drills. It gets noticed.
8. Understand getting cut is not the end of the world. In fact, it can serve as motivation to get better.
Many athletes do just that in their journey to the highest levels of competition. While most wont play pro sports, they can use getting cut as a character builder.
Coaches & Organizations:
Make a tryout plan and share with all stakeholders.
Just like in business, not having a process can lead to some big bumps in the road. The process should be mapped so everyone is clear of the approved checkpoints on the way to the destination.
Here are 7 ways organizations can support the tryout process for the best possible outcome:
1. Have a process on tryout structure, expectations and non-negotiable criteria communicated to the coaches, parents and athletes. Coaches are the ambassadors for this process. It should not be their responsibility to make it up, or even worse not have a process communicated.
2. Communicate the requirements of being on the team prior to tryout. This can vary from sport to sport and age group of course. Make sure everyone knows what they are signing up for!!!
3. Communicate parental behavior policies and expectations around tryout. Outline what young athletes and parents can expect and the process for voicing concerns. If we fail to plan, then plan to fail!
There will be disappointed families. How do we want to handle that? Set the standard and communicate it.
4. Have as many opportunities as possible to see the young athletes with multiple evaluators. Evaluators should be other coaches, and even former players who have gone through the system if need be.
5. Have an evaluation criteria communicated for all. Maybe this should be #1 on the list, it is that important. Not just for evaluators but those trying out should know these as well. What are you looking for? What determines if a player makes the team? How is that communicated?
6. Have part of the tryout focused on more than just physical skills. If leadership, effort, attitude, communication skills, cooperation, confidence, persistence, competitiveness are all valued skills, how can you evaluate that? Dribbling around cones will not tell you that, neither will how fast they run, but how they respond to coaching instructions and body language in challenging situations goes a long way.
Some of the best tryouts I was part of, included an interview with the players. This is an important step especially as the list get more and more narrow in getting to know if the young person will be a good fit.
7. Plan tryouts as close to the season ending as possible. Tryouts after a long layoff or off season was the way it was done years ago.
More elite teams can also ask for some video of the young athlete in action. Since most parents are putting plays on video anyway.
Tryouts are part of youth sports in 2020.
Making the best of them is treating them like a job interview.
Preparation and practice combined with some research and strategy can provide the best possible outcome for most.
Tryouts can be a great learning tool for the young athletes, regardless of outcome. Everyone else involved in youth supports should have a clear role in supporting the tryout.
PLAY. LEAD. BE STRONG.
Additional supporting material on tryouts
https://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/2010/09/24/being_cut_leaves_a_mark_on_most_athletes.html
https://www.folio.ca/opinion-getting-cut-from-teams-can-end-kids-participation-in-sports/
https://www.wikihow.com/Handle-Being-Dropped-from-Your-Sports-Team
http://www.askcoachwolff.com/2017/11/12/getting-cut-team-parents-coaches-need-know/
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2208503-big-time-athletes-who-got-cut-from-teams
An example of recreational/educational model in youth sports from Guelph, Ontario:
https://www.guelphtoday.com/spotlight/spotlight-how-parents-are-making-hockey-fun-again-878131