TRYOUTS SO FAR ( GOOD OR BAD)?

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I'm so glad I don't have to worry about taking my DD to any tryouts. She will be moving up to the 14U MOV Flamin Fury with all the others girls that move from the 12U including the coach. This will be her 6th year for the same team. We have had good parents & bad parents, but I have to say last year as 12U all the parents were great. This year should be the same. The MOV Flamin Fury has never turned away a girl who wanted to play the game. I quess in our area it's not as demanding as it is in central Ohio.

 

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I do have to say though that one of the questions I am asking is where does she go next year? I would love for her to stay with the same organization every year. Team hopping is not at all what I want.

 

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9295...next year you will simply decide whether she needs a 14U team that is mainly 13U's or is ready for 14U adn whether you can ride the same team at that point. Don't get so hung up on the team moving issue - there are just as many legitimate reasons for these changes as not. The fact that you experienced this year and all the down side only prepares you for better decision making in the future. Sounds like your DD has a good deal - parents that can help make these decisions and guide her to a successful career in softball.

There is a juncture when you have to decide in advance if her skills and desire will take her to the college level and then the teams you pick will have that as a factor and thus another potential reason for team change.

All of us can count on just a couple fingers the teams and years that everything just seemed to fall into place...and then there are others that on one finger can tell you that that magic lasted year over year over year with the same team....for that they are very very fortunate, but the exception not that rule.

 

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JoeA, ?honesty . ?.

Quote: ?from SBFAMILY on Today at 2:20pm:
. ?. Joe . ?. be honest . ?.

You have to love it when a guy with as much earned ?street cred? as JoeA gets commended for espousing the virtues of honesty and being forthright!
It?s even more amazing that this translates into talking about an ?honest lawyer? !!!

Seriously, many thanks to JoeA for his tremendous dedication to the game and the athletes, and for emphasizing the important virtues in life.

 

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The 18U Vipers tryout was very good. I felt that I got a chance to show what I can do, and I think that the coaches also got to see what I don't do so well. The Express tryout was even better with the chance to scrimage and hit off of live pitching. I went to one other tryout that was very poor. I'm an outfielder, and I didn't get to catch one flyball ! I was hit 2 bouncers in the outfield and was told to throw to 2nd. What 18U outfielder can't throw to 2nd ? One of my best strengths as an outfielder is my arm, and I got no chance to show it.

 

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Try-outs or mini-camps? - do you expect to get instruction at try-outs? I have noticed a big difference regarding this over the years at various try-outs.

Some try-outs are quite simply looking for the raw fundamental basics - running times, hitting mechanics & hand eye coordination, pop times, arm strength, fielding ability & desire, etc. They seem to want to assess raw skill and future development potential, ability to fill needs. It's like, "okay, let's get down to business and see if you are what we are looking for."

Others, work with kids on technique a little. Is this to see you at your best potentially with a little coaching, and also the desire to see how you react to their coaching & style, and/or "react on the fly" personally under try-out pressure? Seems like it is to test coachability a little, responsiveness, and to inegrate on a personal level a little more assessing mental make up?

I have seen this be VERY positive at times with minor tips & tweaks, but when handled in some other ways not so good. Just wondering what is expected by players/parents, and what some coaches prefer?

 

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We stopped having tryouts. We never really found any good new players by having them.

 

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pickledad,....Your post is almost to the word my question, and I was debating adding it to this post.
My gut says, A player should bring their best game to tryouts, and that includes being dressed properly. I have always insisted that players come to practice for me dressed in game condition. Sliding pads, under armor, mouthguards, blah blah. This is the way you should attend a tryout.
Some posts and a couple of parents I've spoken with, seem to like the coaching approach. Here is a possible pitfall. If I work with one or two girls and they respond properly, great. If a parent sees that and then starts asking themself, "well why isn't that coach helping my daughter"?, "she could do that if he showed her".
I really like the idea of interaction, I'm just not sure about the coaching part. I'm also curious to what parents prefer.

 

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Personally as a coach I prefer the show me the basics approach more. Having said that, let me also add that while I'm watching the girls, I also walk around and talk to them, and while doing so I will generally try to add a coaching tip here and there to see how they respond.

 

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I have seen good tryouts and bad tryouts where the players are standing around bored most of the time. I like to see the Coaches walk around and talking, teaching a bit, er... coaching, but interacting with the kids. Like to know if they are screamers or level headed coaches. Can't always get that info at the tryouts.

The worst rapp you can give a coach, in my opinion, is the dishonest recruiting promises and face to face lies. To my dismay, I have seen that too. It is supposed to be about the kids and too many coaches, in my opinion, make it about themselves and developing their daughter. Saw that this past summer.

Shame on those Coaches, and you know who you are!!

 

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My 12U & 14U daughters went to the Xpress tryouts. I thought it was well organized and we received a call back within a couple days for 12U. I liked the enthusiasm of the 14u coaches but no call back. :'(

 

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My DD went to the Classics try-outs David Backham spoke of - definitely will agree the small group in a practice setting approach is very effective, for both the players and I expect the coaches. My only knock on it is length of time it takes to complete the process, which I guess the player does not have to wait for if they do not want to. I think this approach would be ideal if it could be compressed into a shorted calendar time possibly by doing it in a single week rather than spread over multiple weeks.

I've seen other try-outs where the girls just go from station to station and frankly I do not think that gives either the coach or the player the best perspective - it is too much like a "try-out mill". Certainly you can see if the girl has raw athletic ability but you will not see if the situational smarts of knowing what to do with the ball or themselves on a play is developed. This type of try-out is fine for a less competive team where they are more develomental but for the more competitive teams you need to know the player already comes with some experience to build on.

 

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outathome - (I pm'd you)

If your daughter is still waiting it means she is still a top 6 candidate for the team, the others I have notified. Sadly I only have 3 spots and 18 more kids to look at Saturday. I encourage everyone, to continue going to additional tryouts.

Everyone that tried out for 16u Classics should know by Sunday.

 

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Another weekend of tryouts behind us. How are things looking after the first couple weekends?

 

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The Ohio Heat tryout went well, other than taking awhile getting through hitting with all the kids that showed up, I think that was a bit of a drag for the parents having to wait so long but do not know if there is any other way to do it. Everything ran well till hitting. Alot of good talent and speed. I think we have alot of choices that are going to be hard to make, which is a good thing.

Thanks to all,
Paul

 

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Miami Valley Vipers had a great tryout ;D

 

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Rain really hampered us today at Valley Extreme but we a good turnout last sunday. Hopefully we have another good turnout on wednesday also.

 

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I like to see coaches interacting with the players, either by coaching or speaking with them, during tryouts. It helps the players feel relaxed. I remember my oldest daughter's first tryout for a travel team. The head of the organization, who was also selecting the players for the team, walked out in the outfield and spoke to all the girls. It made a big impression on my daughter.

I have also seen coaches sending players already on the team to talk to perspective players, especially if they would like to have the player on their team. It is sometimes difficult to feel accepted on a team of girls who have been together for a while. Having the players talk to them can help the players feel more comfortable about joining the team.

 

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Had a great turn-out of girls for try-outs on Saturday but today wasn't as good due to the weather. ?
Hopefully the weather will be better for the next try-out.

 

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Tri-County Hurricanes had a great turnout for Saturday, about 96 girls. ?And thank goodness for our ?7000sq ft Indoor Training Center, we were able to still hold tryout dispite the rain. ?We had a great showing of around 40 girls come out to the center. ?Tons of great talent came out both days, making the dicisions tougher than ever this year