Tryout Advice

[buck43055]

As a parent of a 03 daughter that is new to travel softball and going through tryouts for the first time, what questions should I ask the coaches at tryouts?

I have read in some of the threads that I should ask:

1. What positions do the coaches? daughters play?
2. What is the schedule for the next year for both practices and tournaments?
3. What are the costs? What do you receive for this cost?
4. Can the girls play other sports?
5. Are the girls the same birth year?

What are some signs that I should avoid the team?

Any advice would be appreciated! I love this website. It has helped me very much.

Thank you!

 

[coachjwb]

You might also want to catch the last 30 minutes of the last 3 weekly radio shows ... there has been a lot of advice shared around this topic, and we will be discussing again this evening.

 

[CARDS]

I would also suggest looking at the surrounding talent on the team you are considering. Ask how many are they looking for and positions.

You want to try to get your DD on a team where she will be pushed. so, where the coaches kid plays may not be that of a factor unless she is one of the weaker players.

If your dd is above the rest of the teams players in talent sometimes the ladies go backwards. If the team has half or more equal to better talent wise than your dd that seems to be the best.

Not all, but some non parent coached teams do not have a long relationship with the team. A lot of these coaches will change teams/org every few years or decide to go another direction (sometimes in mid season) so, asking what their goals are as well as the team goals are can help.If it is a parent coached team how long have they been coaching and goals as well.

 

[Irish196]

We were in the same boat last year. It was very stressful IMO.
The first thing we did was make a list of all the teams we could find within an hour's drive. We knew of one team due to clinics we went to and found other teams by going to an old tryout list on this site. We found other teams by just asking old timers. People on this site are extremely nice and generous with their time and knowledge! Then we went to two tournaments in the area and watched teams in our general vicinity play. That way we got somewhat of a good idea as to their talent vs our daughter's talent. If we didn't see a team we might be interested in, I tried to look for a tournament they were in and see how they played against teams we had seen or had been told about. Then I just asked people about teams. From all of that I was able to get a pretty good idea of what tournaments the different teams played, how competitive they were, what the general impression people have about the team and their coaches and parents, etc. From all of that we made a list of about 7 teams to try out for- some that we thought she could definitely make, some we were pretty sure and then some that she would have to have a great tryout to make.
At the tryouts we honestly did not ask the coaches any questions unless they did not mention anything at all about what positions might be open (they usually gave the standard "all positions are potentially open" in their talk to the parents though). I knew pretty much everything else I needed to know about the teams going in to the tryout so I didn't want to waste the coaches' time by asking questions about things I could have researched on my own (especially if my kid was on his/her bubble list so I wasn't viewed as a PITA parent).
Then we just prepared for the tryouts and went.
So my advice would be to use these next few days to find out as much as you can about teams and honestly evaluate where your daughter would have the best chance to play what she wants to play (without shooting too low or too far out of reach). Then prepare her for the tryouts and have her give it her best.
None of it is an exact science but you can do a lot to try to maximize the odds that you will find a decent fit for your daughter. I was also told not to be too dejected if you come out of tryouts without an offer because many teams come out without a full slate and they will still be looking to add players through the fall and then even again in the spring if someone leaves the team.
Best of luck!

 

[buck43055]

You might also want to catch the last 30 minutes of the last 3 weekly radio shows ... there has been a lot of advice shared around this topic, and we will be discussing again this evening.

Thanks. The radio show did provide some good points. It was a little hard to find how to get to it. I was also new to internet radio as well. I was glad that the recorded shows were available. Here is the link: http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/talkCast.jsp?masterId=35639&cmd=tc

 

[coachjwb]

Buck ... sorry, I should have provided the link initially! I know Ricky is working on something to make the radio show a little more accessible to folks. I'm admittely biased, but I like to think we're providing a public service with a lot of the topics we discuss there. I was where you are now about 11 years ago and this website was a big help to me as well ... one of my goals with the program is to share some of the things I've learned over the years along with some other co-hosts and occasional guests who are much more knowledgable than me, and I think tryouts is one of the areas that families new to the sport probably need the most help with.

 

[Admin]

Here a updated Link that inside the forum, you can just click here The Softball Zone Radio Show and it will take you to a page inside the forum were you can join the show when were on Air, or Listen to Podcast 24/7 when your suffer The Softball Zone web site.

 

[H-BOMB]

My question is when do coaches get back with you? I am assuming coaches will get back to you regardless if you made the team or didn't. Am I right? How long do they give you to accept an offer? If I have 7 tryouts lined up and someone calls me tomorrow for a spot on a team, is there some type of "common courtesy" period for tryouts to be completed?

 

[311road]

I know some coaches will only get back to you if they plan on offering a spot. I don't think most want to deal with "why didn't my dd make it?" questions.

 

[H-BOMB]

Thank you.. Stressful times

 

[Admin]

I know some coaches will only get back to you if they plan on offering a spot. I don't think most want to deal with "why didn't my dd make it?" questions.

That will be a major topic on tonight show.

 

[freddieball]

Thank you I will be listening

 

[freddieball]

My question is when do coaches get back with you? I am assuming coaches will get back to you regardless if you made the team or didn't. Am I right? How long do they give you to accept an offer? If I have 7 tryouts lined up and someone calls me tomorrow for a spot on a team, is there some type of "common courtesy" period for tryouts to be completed?

Some coaches will get back to you either way, but some will only contact you if she is given a offer. Some do not like to give bad news which is understandable. I would say 1 week is probably the most a coach would want to wait for a answer. I would not recommend setting up a private tryout 3 weeks before your scheduled tryouts you wanted to attend.

 

[megsmom]

I really wish I had know 2 years ago that coaches often don't let you know if news is not good. MY then 11 yr old dd (dollar destroyer) and I were both pretty green in the ways of travel ball life. Just coming out of rec ball I naively assumed we would be told either way...figured it was only fair. WELL I was wrong. For almost two weeks she jumped every time the phone rang waiting for an answer. Out of the 5 teams she tried out for the first year only one called to tell her she didn't make the cut. And yes while she cried after speaking to the coach my dd did say "at least she( coach) was man enough to call and tell me". I understand nobody wants to be the bearer of bad news but as a parent I can say it was stressful for us and really not fair to the girls. On the bright side she kept working and has been on a team for the past two years and is growing and doing well. BUT as we can"t change people just know that the "no call" happens. Good luck in your journey and have fun. These years fly by fast so slow down, go for ice cream after a game and ENJOY them. Best wishes.

 

[coachjwb]

On the last part of the radio show last night, Ricky and I talked about this subject and both expressed very strong feelings that we believe all families should be called, and I know the vast majority of those listening in and commenting in the chat room agreed with us. Please understand that this is an extremely difficult process for the coach as well, especially if they have to talk to a young lady who cries or a parent who yells and gets defensive, but nonetheless, we believe it's something a coach owes all those who tried out. And if asked, they should be ready to explain what the player needs to work on to improve their skills and perhaps even increase their chances of making the team next year.

 

[lakesoftballfan]

I called them all when I coached. It is a brutal task sometimes but I was willing to offer feedback if they wanted it and I didn't want them not taking other offers if they had them on the table. But my younger went through tryouts last year (5 of them) and only got call backs from the offers (2). Most parents are understanding and want the feedback, some of them want to set you on fire, but at the end of the day I felt it was the right thing to do.

 

[Passion4theGame]

A call either way is always good. As a coach I have found out you get more respect. If I know I'm not taking a girl from tryouts I will sit down with the parents and their dd and explain why right after the tryouts. If its a situation where we need to see them again we have them come back. When its a final cut situation a phone call is always good. I like to let them know why we didn't pick them but also let them know their dd is always welcome to come practice with us. My feelings are pretty much it comes down to how coachable the girls are. I would rather have a coachable player than a absolute stud who don't listen. Its a group of girls, parents, & coaches that make a successful team.

 

[megsmom]

Thank you. I agree with everything you stated. The coach who did call my dd two years ago was wonderful. She did speak to her about her strengths as well as what she needed to work on. I am sure it wasn't a fun call for her BUT I have never forgotten that nor has my daughter. Thankfully she didn't burst into tears until after she spoke with the coach.

 

[mom33]

I have much more respect for a coach or even an assistant coach to call either way. We've been the position of being with a team for a year only to not make it the following year and that coach couldn't even call us to let us know. It really affected my DD as well changed the way I viewed the coaches and the organization as a whole.