What to expect at a 10u tryout

[Coachmorgan]

Greetings,

My daughter is about to enter into the world of travel softball. She is going to be trying out for 3 different teams in the next few weeks. As someone that has never tried out before, what can she expect to see at a 10u tryout? Thanks for your input.

 

[BulldawgsDirector]

I think it varies depending on the host. IMO what you should be looking for is a well organized process designed to showcase each individual players skills. As a parent, evaluate the other girls to get an idea of the caliber of players (athleticism, skills, attitude etc) that would be selected. Coaches should be able to communicate what they want the players to do at every station, get an idea of their communication skills. I would also take the time to look around and notice the parents on the sidelines. This age group can be interesting. Ask yourself "Could we spend an entire year with these coaches, players, and parents?" You have choices too. Good luck!

 

[wow]

Great post above. 10U is all about development. In addition to the above try and find out how many years the kids trying out have. Big difference between a 1st year and 3rd year 10U. The coaches make all the difference so I will second that. Look for coaches who teach fundamentals. How to throw, bat, and base run. Look for athletes first, you can teach the game to a athlete, hard to teach a kid to be a athlete. Most importantly look for kids who want to be there and not ones where their parents are making them. 10U is about fun and learning. Look out for the parent who yells at their kid from the sideline during the tryout.. That's the one you have to watch out for. Come prepared with questions. Cost, winter practice locations, turneys, amount of travel etc.. As far as the tryout it should be about base running times, hitting, throwing, and some general fielding drills to access talent. Coaches should be engaged and talking with the girls to make them comfortable. It should be as relaxed as can be. There will be a time later for pressure....

 

[skamom]

There will most likely be a hitting machine throwing at least 40mph, depending on the competitive level of the team. Some 10u tryouts I've seen have also had a coach throwing to the girls so they can test inside & outside. The worst are where that's all there is and either the coach can't throw consistently (or gets tired) so some girls are gifted with easy to hit pitches while others have nothing to hit. Or the funniest was a team who had a mom, who used to pitch in college, throwing 45-50mph (we radar'd it) at the 10u girls. None of the girls that had been on the team that season and were "trying out" as 2nd year 10u's could hit off her, yet they expected new 10u's coming from 8u Coach Pitch to hit off her. Best my 8yo could do was foul a couple down 1st baseline!
So what I'm trying to suggest is get your dd to the cages and at least hit well against the "slow baseball" machines that usually throw pretty straight at ~45mph.

They will also test fielding - usually with the basic lines at 3rd/short and 2nd, coach hitting hard grounders. Always get in front of the ball and at least knock it down; glove touching the ground - never let the ball roll under and thru the legs. This drill also helps coaches assess throwing skills. Tell your dd to make sure she sets her feet, makes a good throw to wherever they say (1st or home) and help her practice throwing hard and fast bullets, especially if a coach or adult is being the catcher. Weak throws or rainbows are negative points.

The tryout might also include a station for fly balls. Since a coach is probably throwing the ball up, success depends on their skill, so don't worry so much if she misses a few at 10u - they'll want to see her effort and technique - no "basket catching"! (Unless necessary because the ball is way out in front.)

A lot of teams do time the girls running from home to first and then home thru first to 2nd. She should run as fast as she can and thru the bases!

Then there will be a separate station or times for girls that want to be pitchers or catchers, usually the catchers will be asked to catch for the pitchers trying out, but there might be a coach testing them separately.

The other advice above about how to pick a team is priceless. Wish we'd known all that the first year we got into travel. Don't settle. It will be exciting when she gets an offer, but make sure the team is a good fit for her and your family. Also don't accept right away, ask how long they can give you to decide. It's pretty much like job hunting - do your homework on the team and coaches, if possible.

 

[frenchy101010]

All I can say is my daughter's first 10u tryout she went to, they had a pitching machine set up at about 48 or so, and no one hit it. My daughter had never hit off a machine coming from coach pitch, we figured moving to girl pitch, girl pitch was what we would see.

Send messages to prospective coaches, some will use machines, some girl pitchers, some will just do front toss. Most coaches will let you know what drills and stations they will have.

 

[FastBat]

Or the funniest was a team who had a mom, who used to pitch in college, throwing 45-50mph (we radar'd it) at the 10u girls. None of the girls that had been on the team that season and were "trying out" as 2nd year 10u's could hit off her, yet they expected new 10u's coming from 8u Coach Pitch to hit off her.

LOL...that's funny!

 

[fmr_sparty]

At 10u, look for a coach who instructs during the tryout. A good coach will explain a drill or technique and show the girls how to do it. While all coaches look for athleticism and skill, if your daughter is a good listener, pays attention, and really tries to execute what is taught, that will be a good sign to a good coach

 

[24GahannaLadyLions7]

Note to Parents
1. Please have your daughter wear a facemask... nothing worse than a coach trying to hit a fly ball and praying the girl doesn't take one in the face
2. Wear pants and teach your daughter how to slide
3. There are no TEAM helmets, BRING ONE WITH A FACEMASK
4. They need to have the correct size glove.. no $5.99 tee-ball bat/mit combo deal from walmart

someone please add to my list

 

[skamom]

5. Girls need to wear cleats. Sad to see them slipping around the field.

 

[MadT]

Water bottle

 

[#4mom]

Have hair up, and be ready to go when you get there

 

[CARDS]

As IMPACT 18 stated, it will vary between teams and organizations. Teams are much better now at 10U than when we went through the process.

The experience of the coaches is one of the areas new families should be looking for. Parents should watch to see how the coaches handle themselves in front of large crowds as they address the players and parents. This can give you a little clue on what it may be like in season. If the coach struggles demonstrating fielding, hitting, throwing, and communicating or seems like a used car sales man you may want to pass.

We had no idea what to expect at 10U tryouts. My DD was 8 but had been playing slow pitch for two years and tee ball at 4 and 5 so she had no fear of the ball and was a strong kid.
13 years ago there was not a lot of 10u teams so we went to the three closest to us two in Dayton OH and the other in Mason OH. All three had first year coaches and two were part of larger organizations. All offered her spots after the tryouts.

The first tryout was the best. It was run by two college players that were going to coach the team. They were about 20 years old. and they related well to the girls (not so much with the parents). The talent at the tryout was very weak. Most struggled throwing the ball 20 feet. My wife had reservations with the coaches age and commitment so we passed.

The second tryout only had about 6 players attend and two of them belonged to the parent coaching one 8 the other 9.. The others trying out were also pretty week so we passed.

The last tryout was with one of the larger organizations at that time in Mason.
This coach too had never coached softball before but he had a little over 20 9 and 10 year olds at his tryout with several very good pitchers.

It was hot and the coach had the ladies do too much running before he did any infield so most were gassed as he started crushing balls in their direction.
I could tell this was an accident waiting to happen so I stepped in and asked if he wanted me to hit infield and he evaluate since he had to hit a half dozen balls to get one close enough for them to field.
In the end he asked me what did I think of the tryout. I was honest with him that was not run as good as the other two but he had the most talent at his tryout.
He then asked if I would help him coach and he would manage everything so we accepted helped him build a team. It turned out to be a good move.

So go in asking the right questions including schedule, have all needed equipment, water and watch the talent the team is evaluating and how the talent is worked out. Last thing you want to do is spend money for a rec travel team...

 

[dawgpound19]

I've coached quite a few years at 10U and I've read through all of the comments and there is definitely some good advice. I heard one person say don't let the ball go through your legs, don't do this or try and do that. I'll say this, when I coached I never really worried too much about if they hit 8 out of 15 balls off of the pitching machine or if they fielded every single ball, etc. What I looked at in a 9 or 10 year old and anyone that has been around the game can tell within an hour or two tryouts are a few things. The first is does she listen and take instruction and hustle from station to station, swinging the bat, or going after a groundball/flyball? If yes then she can be coached and wants to be there and will be committed to a travel ball season because she likes to play the game. Second, is she a good athlete? A good coach can tell within 15 minutes of watching a girl throw, catch, and run if they are a good athlete. If the young girl is a good athlete then I can coach her to be a good softball player. Third, does she have a good attitude or is she screwing around and doesn't appear to be interested. It doesn't matter if a girl is 5'5" at 10 years old and can hit the snot out of the ball if she has a poor attitude and is lazy then I don't want her. If the girl hustles, listens, is a good athlete, and has a good attitude at the tryout then I'd offer her a spot knowing that she is going to work hard, listen to my coaching, and I'll be able to help her become a better softball player. The thing you have to question at this age group is who was her former parks and rec coaches, was it somebody that didn't know anything about the game and didn't teach her how to bunt, slide, field the ball the right way, etc. so while her tryout might not be the best you have to look at what she will be in the spring not in August.

Good luck and enjoy the ride! Oh and as a newbie 10U parent understand that your daughter is going to struggle, she might have been the all-star SS in parks and rec but every team has 9 or 10 all-star parks and rec SS on their team so just keep encouraging her and support her and she'll get it. Some girls "get it" faster than others so just be patient with her and support her because you'll blink and she'll be playing 16U and looking at colleges.

 

[ificanbelikeu]

Advice for 10U parents, STAY out of the process. Watch from a distance, let your DD's go through the process themselves. They don't need the added pressure of you sitting near by and having them look at you for instructions during the process. You can get a pretty good idea from afar on how the coaches interact with the kids, let them instruct.