How to Run a Try Out

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Member

• Aug 17, 2008

• #1

I am looking for some guidance from my fellow travelball coaches. This year our 14U team will hold full-blown tryouts. In the past, we have added players to out roster via word of mouth, or we held individual tryouts. However this year we are doing things differently.

I have a plan on how I want to run the tryouts but I was looking to see how other teams conduct their tryouts. Hopefully, I can learn something. Anyone's help will be appreciated.

 

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Member

• Aug 18, 2008

• #2

Magic---tips on what not to do...

1- Have them all line up at third and hit 4 balls (wouldn't you ask all the girls what primary positions they played and secondary ones too, perhaps try some infield situations like double plays and outfield cuts/throws)

2- Have them all go to the centerfield and hit 4 balls

3- Have them run on bases that aren't installed properly. Your job first and foremost as a coach in any kids sport is keep them safe #1 Primo rule!!

4- Have returning players badmouthing girls that used to be on the team during the whole tryout.

DD got into the car yesterday and said "dad, that was the worst tryout I have gone to. There was more drama out there that would make anyone sick, if they call there's no way I am playing for them"

The Stingrays and Buckeye Heat ran quality tryouts that kept large numbers of ladies busy....

 

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Member

• Aug 18, 2008

• #3

Just a suggestion...
why not run it just like a practice, to see if the girls will like the team's routine? Also, I am a big fan of cross fire for ground balls, lots of reps. You don't need to see every girl through the ball a million times, takes up to much time. Hitting stations, all around, and then a machine, and just keep them moving. Not a good tryout when girls are standing around everywhere!

 

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Member

• Aug 19, 2008

• #4

My dd attended five tryouts this year and the difference between the top programs and the others was huge.

Two tryouts had the pitchers that were trying out actually pitch to the hitters during the hitting evaluation. I almost stepped in and stopped this after my dd threw her fiftieth pitch. Pitchers may have more than one tryout and this practice just isn't fair to them. I like the idea of hitting against live pitching but the coach should have brought in someone not involved in the tryout.

For infileding, the best practice I've seen and been involved with is the cross fire method of hitting to short and second with two alternating coaches (hitters) on either side of the plate. The second base person throws to a girl on third and the shortstop throws to a girl on first. This method evaluates every player as an infielder and as a baseman.

Every team times base running but only one my dd tried out for had the runners slide into second at the end of the run. I cannot believe how many teams do not ask to see the slide at the 14 and lower age groups.

While I was evaluating the coaches, my dd was evaluating the girls. One team's existing players made one snotty remark to the new girls -- my dd absolutely refused to consider that team based on that one remark. The existing players can make or break it with the new kids. I knew a coach that warned the existing girls about this and gave them some guidance on how to act and treat the new tryouts. I'm sure this paid off for his team over time. Coaches need to understand their program is being evaluated while they are evaluating players.

 

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Member

• Aug 19, 2008

• #5

I would love to see some input from coaches as to why they don't have the girls slide during tryouts. Gotta be able to do it right?!
And great idea for the coaches to curb statements/comments by their returning players. I know of one girl too who, among other reasons, chose not to go with a team due to the lack of respect she got from a returning player. Sad way to lose out on a prospect!

 

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Member

• Aug 20, 2008

• #6

Coaches, thanks for the input you have given.

 

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Member

• Aug 20, 2008

• #7

I think that returning players are very important as well. If they are solid players and decent kids then it helps attract other like minded players.

With regards to the sliding topic, we do not have players do that because honestly it is a skill that can be taght rather easy if they do not know it already. I have seen over the years that too many teams are looking for the player that can do it all right now. They are out there and they are also being begged by 4 or 5 other teams to come play for them. I tend to look at the player not only for what they can do right now, but what they will be able to do when they are done. This type of player tends to stick around a while, and they also tend to fit in with other players who are working just as hard. It may not be perfect but it has worked for me.

 

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Member

• Aug 20, 2008

• #8

Regarding the sliding, we talked about it and decided against it due to injury potential. Would love to be selfish and demand everything that I would like to see, but also know that kids are going to several try-outs, and if they are aggressivly sliding at everyone there are going to be some sprained ankles, broken fingers.

Probably sounds wimpy, just don't want to drive a girl to the emergency room, or force them to be overly aggressive when there is such a mix of skill level under pressure to impress people they don't know. Some are totally unprepared for sliding also (gear?) and with marginal skills, ... and "we" know that we can see the make-up of a kid without the need to necessarily see everything, some of which (sliding) we can teach to the right types of aggressive kids (hmm, is that even coherent??).

LOL, will say though that there was one girl that showed up with a massive strawberry and it was noted (in a POSITIVE way).

 

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Member

• Aug 20, 2008

• #9

boone said:

I would love to see some input from coaches as to why they don't have the girls slide during tryouts. Gotta be able to do it right?!

MV Vipers had all age groups participate in a sliding drill to make sure the fundamentals were there!

Click to expand...

 

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Member

• Aug 20, 2008

• #10

Vipers - I am not a coach, but I can see liability as an issue. Doesn't take much to have someone file a lawsuit these days.

 

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Member

• Aug 20, 2008

• #11

JabberJaw416 said:

Vipers - I am not a coach, but I can see liability as an issue. Doesn't take much to have someone file a lawsuit these days.

Click to expand...

Most (if not all) orgs have an injury waiver written into the tryout form. Having said that, I agree with others above in that these girls usually have other tryouts to attend and this is a very coachable skill.

 

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Member

• Aug 20, 2008

• #12

JabberJaw911. Liability is not an issue. Like cshilt said ( ALL) orgs have the form. At all age groups, girls should know how to slide. Exception for the wee younger ones. If you have played for a select Program in the past you already know how to do it. Yes it is a an easy thing to teach, but for the team looking to see what they will have to work on in practice it might be the deciding factor of the girl that might be on the (bubble). With daughters going into the select world you should always expect to slide at every tyrout. Remember the training starts at home not on the field!!!!

 

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Member

• Aug 20, 2008

• #13

For what its worth....If I can't tell by the way they hit, field, throw, or run, as to how good they are....I just can't see how sliding would really change my opinion.

 

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Member

• Aug 20, 2008

• #14

Thats why there are many tryouts :yahoo:

 

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Member

• Aug 21, 2008

• #15

We have never really looked at this as a liability issue at all. It really comes down to what we want to accomplish in the time that we have the player at our tryout. In the grand scheme of things we do not spend time on it secifically because it is well down the list. If a player slides during some of the action (and slides well) then it could reflect well on her. Nothing beats good solid hustle.

Weather a player has played before or not we always review sliding techniques in our practices. Head first, hook slide traditional slide all of them have to be taught and some come to you knowing how to do it and some do not. It is not a difficult skill to learn so we do not emphasis it during tryouts. Simply too many other thinsg to cover.

 

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Member

• Aug 22, 2008

• #16

We have the pitchers and catchers tryout ahead of all other players so they are fresh. Pitchers and catchers must do both tryouts. Main tryouts consist of 5 stations; hitting, bunting&slapping, Infielding, Outfielding, and baserunning. Wedivide up the girls in 5 groups and rotate fields. It has been very effective for us.

 

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Member

• Aug 24, 2008

• #17

Thanks to everyone for their comments.

We had our tryouts today and yesterday and they went very well. We had 15 girls show up (in addition to the 5 returning players). I ran things just like a normal practice, as suggested earlier. Luckily, I had plenty of coaches there to assist and we were able to get a lot done with twenty girls in just a short time.

We started off with some light running then stretching. After that we had the girls play catch to warm up. We then went into an around-the-horn throwing drill. During this we worked on proper foorwork and to get rid of the ball quickly. We then hit infield in a cross-fire manner. This allowed for lots of grounders and lots of throws.

We then worked on hitting. We set up four different stations. At one station we had a Juggs Lite Flite machine that we used for bunting. The second station was a group of three different hitting tees, each one worked on a different part of the swing. The third station was a Juggs Jr. machine that we set up on the field and the girls hit off of. The last station was a sliding station. I used a Schutt sliding mat that was set up in foul territory, down the rightfield line, in the grass. We had the girls take their off their spikes and run in their socks. They absolutely loved it. We were able to see how well the girls slid and with a few of them we were able to show how to do a hook slide and a backdoor slide.

We closed the practice with some baserunning. After all of this, the pitchers stayed and threw for a half hour. We did the same thing at today's tryouts but we eliminated the sliding station and substituted a station where we worked on outfield play.

Both tryout sessions took two hours (an additional 30 minutes for pitchers and catchers) and I was very pleased with the effort from the girls.

Once again, thanks to all for your input and advice. Your suggestions were great!

 

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Member

• Aug 25, 2008

• #18

Lady Knights read my mind. Fielding,throwing,hitting,running is enough to evaluate girls. I would never not take a girl because she couldn't slide at a tryout so why do it. Good fundamentals in fielding and throwing and hitting are what I'm evaluating.

 

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Member

• Sep 1, 2008

• #19

How about a Sliding Pad ? Just to look at Technical approach... Only have to see them once ....You can tell who goes after it and who is scared and unsure. I had a Kid this year who would probably Slid on Gravel if you asked her... ha ha ha...

 

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Member

• Sep 1, 2008

• #20

I think that it is pretty easy to see who is after it and who is a little scared without seeing them slide. Besides all of the fluff, a good coach can tell within 5 minutes if a player is a "player" or has the potential to be a "player". Everything that needs to be taught can easily be taught. Athletes are athletes, don't over complicate the thing.