High school tryouts- how long?

[Thesoftballmom17]

How many days/ hours does your daughter’s HS team do tryouts? Ours does 6 days (M-Sa), 3 hours a day. (Fielding 3 teams)

 

[Stedman00]

believe my DD's HS was 3 days (tues - wed - thurs) with announcement made at conclusion on Thursday. I believe 3 hrs per day. first practice was the next day for both JV and Var. Indoors because they are held in February.

 

[yocoach]

Tryouts...what are those? The team I coach had 12 sign up this year.

 

[Thesoftballmom17]

Tryouts...what are those? The team I coach had 12 sign up this year.

Wow! We have a huge school and will have over 50 try out. It’s very competitive (I guess that’s why it’s 6 days long!)

 

[DanMaz]

HIGH SCHOOL TRY OUTS... 3-5 minutes.

1) All travelball players on one side of the gym...
2) all others on the other side of the gym....
there is your varsity and JV teams... who needs tryouts? lol jk...
(plz dont ever take my comments serious; it might hurt your feelings and I am just playing around....)

 

[Thesoftballmom17]

Ha we could fill 2 full teams w travel players!

 

[coachtomv]

We are limited by gym time. We have 29 players signed up currently. I am doing 2-3hrs a day mon-thursday, announcing any outright cuts Thursday if any, and then a 2 hour team scrimmage Friday at an indoor facility nearby. During the scrimmage I'll call players to the side for one on one explanation of whethere they made Varsity or JV or float. I really want them to understand that we are "1" team and that any JV player could be brought up to sit or participate on Varsity and visa versa.

I am planning on a travel ball style tryout, so hope to get alot in, in a short amount of time. Lots of base running timings, overhand throw speeds, catcher pop time, hitting(filming), pitcher/catchers, etc. Even if you kind of know quickly on many players, I want them to get into a mindset of being ready to compete for their playing time and be professional and respectful in how we carry ourselves. I think that starts with me and how I organize things with the coaches.

So, how long tryouts are depend on how thorough they are, especially if you have 50 players or only 12, and only a few coaches, etc.

 

[coachtomv]

Ha we could fill 2 full teams w travel players!

We have about 9 or so players that have played some form of "travel" ball. A couple real deal players and some eager ones as well. We should be competitive and fun.

 

[yocoach]

I am planning on a travel ball style tryout, so hope to get alot in, in a short amount of time. Lots of base running timings, overhand throw speeds, catcher pop time, hitting(filming), pitcher/catchers, etc. Even if you kind of know quickly on many players, I want them to get into a mindset of being ready to compete for their playing time and be professional and respectful in how we carry ourselves. I think that starts with me and how I organize things with the coaches.

Not to hijack the thread, which I'm about to do anyway, why measure catcher pop times? In a game, even the best catchers playing D1 P5 college ball average pop times of 1.9-2.0 seconds. What everyone measures in a controlled, non-game situation is meaningless.

 

[daboss]

Not to hijack the thread, which I'm about to do anyway, why measure catcher pop times? In a game, even the best catchers playing D1 P5 college ball average pop times of 1.9-2.0 seconds. What everyone measures in a controlled, non-game situation is meaningless.

As a coach, I believe it is helpful to establish a baseline for the players you are testing. While guidelines are established for many of the mentioned drills there will always be some discrepancy and a variance factor needs to be considered. I can't speak for coachtomv but I think we can all agree that the numbers will only be relative to each tryout situation. In the case of a school ball tryout your core players are already known and in attendance. This is unlike a travel ball scenario where multiple tryouts on different dates with fresh faces walking in and out of the picture.

My point is; as long as the tryout is fair and each player is tested in the same manner, you get a sense of their ability in comparison to their peers. That's all that really matters. The numbers only help in the decision process used by staff for that team.

Getting back to the original topic, 3 hours a day might be too much for a school with only 12-14 girls but 3 hours a day for 50 isn't enough time. If you run the tryouts with some organization and skill, the time will fly by quickly for everyone. An entire week of tryouts wouldn't be out of the question. Repeating the same skills challenge might actually help a staff decide on what players to keep. Just like any tryout a girl might be having an off day. A chance to be tested a few days later might help you decide for some of those girls that are on the fence.

I do have 1 more point I'd like to share. Again I'm touching on something mentioned by coachtomv. The need for the girls to understand the true purpose of the "one team" concept. I always encourage coaches to use the system much like the MLB. Send players down to get field time and work on things while calling players up to help with the overall good of the varsity performance. If the girls buy into the concept of the system, younger players may get a chance to participate at the varsity level. They could get enough credits towards a varsity letter that they may not normally have a chance to earn.

Why leave a race horse base runner on the JV squad if an upcoming varsity game presents a chance for her to pinch run? Many schools due to budget cuts don't have JV squads so your JV team may not have a game on the schedule. Load those players on the bus! Perhaps it's a league game and you are playing a team with a predominate riseball pitcher. You have a JV girl that shows a real talent for hitting against pitchers like that but she can't catch a cold. That's why she's on the JV squad. Why not have her on the bench just in case.

There's a host of scenarios to consider but if you handle the entire team concept and get the girls to buy into it, everyone wins-----------and your record and popularity will too.

 

[DanMaz]

We are limited by gym time. We have 29 players signed up currently. I am doing 2-3hrs a day mon-thursday, announcing any outright cuts Thursday if any, and then a 2 hour team scrimmage Friday at an indoor facility nearby. During the scrimmage I'll call players to the side for one on one explanation of whethere they made Varsity or JV or float. I really want them to understand that we are "1" team and that any JV player could be brought up to sit or participate on Varsity and visa versa.

I am planning on a travel ball style tryout, so hope to get alot in, in a short amount of time. Lots of base running timings, overhand throw speeds, catcher pop time, hitting(filming), pitcher/catchers, etc. Even if you kind of know quickly on many players, I want them to get into a mindset of being ready to compete for their playing time and be professional and respectful in how we carry ourselves. I think that starts with me and how I organize things with the coaches.

So, how long tryouts are depend on how thorough they are, especially if you have 50 players or only 12, and only a few coaches, etc.

I see no problem in a 4 day period to tryout 50+ players if your organized and busy and have eyes at all stations or drills. It really doesn't take long to see who is good, who has potential, and who doesn't belong. Its not rocket science. Any coach that has been coaching for years can see most of these things in the first 30 minutes of warm ups and practice pretty easily. Tom has been doing this for along time and experience like his in critical in these short tryouts. heck we had tryouts with 50 plus and we only had a 3 hour time period 1 day to make decisions. Doing it 3 hours a day mon - thursday will be easy! You will know after the 1st or 2nd day who belongs where. This is still "tryouts" which means you make it or you dont make it.... it isnt everyone gets a trophy school ball. If you know most the girls are from travel ball squads and your not... you might have a long road ahead of you.

 

[coachtomv]

HIGH SCHOOL TRY OUTS... 3-5 minutes.

1) All travelball players on one side of the gym...
2) all others on the other side of the gym....
there is your varsity and JV teams... who needs tryouts? lol jk...
(plz dont ever take my comments serious; it might hurt your feelings and I am just playing around....) [/QUOT

Not to hijack the thread, which I'm about to do anyway, why measure catcher pop times? In a game, even the best catchers playing D1 P5 college ball average pop times of 1.9-2.0 seconds. What everyone measures in a controlled, non-game situation is meaningless.

I just want to get a baseline on talent, Its analytics I guess. Even how fast a player is to a base is subjective and not indicative of a smart aggressive base running threat, etc.

 

[coachtomv]

As a coach, I believe it is helpful to establish a baseline for the players you are testing. While guidelines are established for many of the mentioned drills there will always be some discrepancy and a variance factor needs to be considered. I can't speak for coachtomv but I think we can all agree that the numbers will only be relative to each tryout situation. In the case of a school ball tryout your core players are already known and in attendance. This is unlike a travel ball scenario where multiple tryouts on different dates with fresh faces walking in and out of the picture.

My point is; as long as the tryout is fair and each player is tested in the same manner, you get a sense of their ability in comparison to their peers. That's all that really matters. The numbers only help in the decision process used by staff for that team.

Getting back to the original topic, 3 hours a day might be too much for a school with only 12-14 girls but 3 hours a day for 50 isn't enough time. If you run the tryouts with some organization and skill, the time will fly by quickly for everyone. An entire week of tryouts wouldn't be out of the question. Repeating the same skills challenge might actually help a staff decide on what players to keep. Just like any tryout a girl might be having an off day. A chance to be tested a few days later might help you decide for some of those girls that are on the fence.

I do have 1 more point I'd like to share. Again I'm touching on something mentioned by coachtomv. The need for the girls to understand the true purpose of the "one team" concept. I always encourage coaches to use the system much like the MLB. Send players down to get field time and work on things while calling players up to help with the overall good of the varsity performance. If the girls buy into the concept of the system, younger players may get a chance to participate at the varsity level. They could get enough credits towards a varsity letter that they may not normally have a chance to earn.

Why leave a race horse base runner on the JV squad if an upcoming varsity game presents a chance for her to pinch run? Many schools due to budget cuts don't have JV squads so your JV team may not have a game on the schedule. Load those players on the bus! Perhaps it's a league game and you are playing a team with a predominate riseball pitcher. You have a JV girl that shows a real talent for hitting against pitchers like that but she can't catch a cold. That's why she's on the JV squad. Why not have her on the bench just in case.

There's a host of scenarios to consider but if you handle the entire team concept and get the girls to buy into it, everyone wins-----------and your record and popularity will too.

You hit it on the head, this is exactly what I am attempting to bring to our program. Thank you.

 

[coachtomv]

I see no problem in a 4 day period to tryout 50+ players if your organized and busy and have eyes at all stations or drills. It really doesn't take long to see who is good, who has potential, and who doesn't belong. Its not rocket science. Any coach that has been coaching for years can see most of these things in the first 30 minutes of warm ups and practice pretty easily. Tom has been doing this for along time and experience like his in critical in these short tryouts. heck we had tryouts with 50 plus and we only had a 3 hour time period 1 day to make decisions. Doing it 3 hours a day mon - thursday will be easy! You will know after the 1st or 2nd day who belongs where. This is still "tryouts" which means you make it or you dont make it.... it isnt everyone gets a trophy school ball. If you know most the girls are from travel ball squads and your not... you might have a long road ahead of you.

Absolutely. What I plan on is a sheet for every coach at each station to make comments on each player and review them to see if I want to take a 2nd or 3rd look at a player. Also, using a GoPro to film the cage for front toss, again just as a baseline hitting/bunting look.

I am trying to instill is a sense of "process" and team accountability. To let them know we are taking it seriously and work hard at what we do, even if I kinda know quickly where the players fall. I need them to buy in, to get the most out of them and If I am inconsistent or not prepared I'll lose them early.

 

[yocoach]

So, what y'all are saying is that you want a set of metrics to measure each player's skills against each other. I can understand that. However, isn't our job as coaches to teach and improve the skill level of our players whether it be HS or TB ball? Sorry but I don't agree with the metrics approach although it will prove beneficial in the short run. I'm looking for, as an example, the best athletic catcher that wants to catch, is willing to accept a better way of doing things and a work ethic that won't quit. So pop times, again as an example, while may prove beneficial at the beginning of the season, but may very well become detrimental when the girl that was relegated to JV and the HC never sees her play or practice becomes a true stud behind the plate. This most assuredly becomes true at the larger/very large school programs.

Why do you think so many P5 D1 catchers are terrible at "framing" behind the plate? Because they have a strong arm, are very athletic and are actually former SS's on their former TB team...not catchers for the most part. Quite honestly, they are costing their pitchers roughly 15-20 strike calls a game. That's pretty much an inning worth of pitches. Personally I cringe most times I watch many of those catchers.

The same is true for many of my other players. I'm looking for the best athlete for a given position. I can teach them the proper way to play it but I still need an athlete to be at the position to teach. Maybe it's just the fact that I'm trying to rebuild a once proud HS softball program that's fallen on hard times and thus, the participation isn't what it used to be. However, I personally think that there is far more to a player than observable metrics. What about the intangibles? Attitude, athleticism, hustle, coachability, work ethic and most importantly, HEART are far more important than other aspects that are measurable. Especially when these will carry through the program, win more games and show that every player has the opportunity to prove themselves and possibly make/start varsity eventually, if not that year. Hard work pays off. This is what successful programs are made of; whether HS or TB programs. JMHO.

 

[CARDS]

Depends on the school...

Some programs are softball schools that get good turn outs... As a whole try outs could go 3 days at the top programs but most schools struggle to get ladies out and do one day 4 hours or so tryouts.

As far as tryouts goes all coaches are looking for athletes to fill spots however, in reality toughness does play a part in the selection process especially at the corners and behind the plate.

Pitching is another step up in commitment regardless of level/division of play. Many ladies want to pitch but most do not want to put in the work at most schools...

 

[08DDF2]

You guys are debating tryouts, we just try to get girls to come out for the team at our HS. Metrics are great especially if they show improvements over the year and they see the results. Hard to develop players in the limited time you get and limited amount of participation. We see that TB player come to the off season stuff because they have a desire or drive the other girls just play for fun. Two different concepts of playing, both ok, just different.

 

[DanMaz]

You guys are debating tryouts, we just try to get girls to come out for the team at our HS. Metrics are great especially if they show improvements over the year and they see the results. Hard to develop players in the limited time you get and limited amount of participation. We see that TB player come to the off season stuff because they have a desire or drive the other girls just play for fun. Two different concepts of playing, both ok, just different.

are there any summer camps put on by the head coaches to try and get more players involved? or maybe the coaches can go to local rec programs during the summer and to try and "sell" their program a little better at the younger ages. Maybe get more involved at the middle school level. There are a lot of things that you can do to try and help get players interested and involved. I agree there are definitely different type of players and levels of commitment. Even fearful players.... players that are not travelball players might be afraid to even go out for the team for fear of being rejected. anyhow... good luck!

 

[daboss]

You guys are debating tryouts, we just try to get girls to come out for the team at our HS. Metrics are great especially if they show improvements over the year and they see the results. Hard to develop players in the limited time you get and limited amount of participation. We see that TB player come to the off season stuff because they have a desire or drive the other girls just play for fun. Two different concepts of playing, both ok, just different.

You are spot on for many school situation o8DDF2. A couple of points in your post I'd like to touch on for no other reason but possibly enlighten others that haven't experienced the school ball scenario you share.

Much of the state of Ohio is rural. Rural families don't have the same resources as many city settings. The overall enthusiasm for fastpitch is mainly the product of REC team participation both rural and city. Some get exposed to travel ball and it becomes name descriptive-------they travel to play. Many need to travel long distances to simply be on a team. Many with desire don't always have the opportunity due to simple logistics. Whether it's money, time restraints, parents work scheduling, or as simple as the family only owning 1 car, girls with superior athletic ability don't get opportunity to develop their skills to the highest degree. The one thing they may have going for them is the desire and the ability to learn fast. We need to be aware as coaches. That's why a JV team can be beneficial---------if you can get the community to buy into a "1-team" concept and give it a chance.

So how can this transpire? It takes a lot of support from the families in the community to volunteer their time to see to it the REC experience is a good one. Remember; you are probably competing with other sports venues to get the numbers needed to keep a REC program functional. A lot of this comes from local leadership. They need to be knowledgeable and organized. They need to see to it that the volunteer coaches are teaching. They need to teach the correct methods and mechanics. They need to make the experience enjoyable. This in turn will help the girls decide what is their favorite outlet for fun. Put all these elements together and the success of the sport will be rewarded by the school programs having a better chance to do well in competition.

The more effective school programs, especially in rural areas are reliant of that "good ole country" talent. This takes a commitment from school coaching staffs to hone the feeder programs that are teaching the game and eventually be those core players that they will inherit. This is why school coaching staffs are constantly at odds with travel programs. School staffs normally can't break the code and have any influence on travel programs. Until a few years ago, the OHSAA were dominating the involvement of school coaches in such programs that was inherently defeating their own mindset. They believed their program to be superior to any travel ball format so in their ultimate wisdom there was a banning of sorts to keep, what they considered to be, the better instructors of the game from instructing. What the heck?!?!? Thankfully, that has changed.

Anyway; school coaches are extremely limited on time to teach. Once the school season starts, it becomes 5-6 days a week with game after game. There's no real time to teach. Why do travel ball players have an advantage? Games and more games. Off season training. But again, most schools will not see 50 travel ball girls show up at a tryout. If they do, you may find many quit if not immediately selected for varsity. They are not going to be regimented to JV since after all, they play year-round travel ball. The mentioned "heart and desire" comes to mind and all this mindset comes from the parents attitude at home.

A couple things to remember; just because a family has money and the time, it doesn't mean their daughter has the talent to play in the spring with their school team. A school team is only going to be as good as the talent that shows up after spending their formidable years learning how to play the game. Core programs teach the game. Coaches need to take the job of a mentor seriously whether they are getting paid to do it or volunteering. Lastly; coaches should always be teaching but it takes time.

Put all the above elements together in the right sequence and the girls will enjoy playing the game. If they like playing, the numbers will be there to support the program. Take the fun out of it and the numbers will be small. Note to school coaches; if your attendance is low at tryouts it may not be you. It could be something that happened before they ever got to you--------------or it could be you. lol

 

[DanMaz]

You guys are debating tryouts, we just try to get girls to come out for the team at our HS. Metrics are great especially if they show improvements over the year and they see the results. Hard to develop players in the limited time you get and limited amount of participation. We see that TB player come to the off season stuff because they have a desire or drive the other girls just play for fun. Two different concepts of playing, both ok, just different.

If your coaches don't have time to help recruit, then I would talk to your current players and ask for their help. They can even help train some of the younger players and teach them how to play at a higher level. Leaders are very valuable and it would help the younger less experienced ones feel at ease when their teammates offer help. Also, go to the school for help. You can post stuff on school boards, word of mouth..... get involved in fund raisers. The community as a whole can chip in, start a facebook page, do a community fund raiser, go to the other local events like youth football, baseball soccer and try to recruit from there. Get the softball team involved and ask / make current players go out to these other local events and post flyers, work concession stands with softball tshirts on. Put on summer camps for 8 years old - 18 yrs old... Get the word out! If you sit and wait........ your basically doing nothing proactive to solve the problem.