Calming DD down before tryouts

[NoVA Softball]

Since you're already in contact w/ the HC, ask if they do any "open" practices before tryouts, and if not, ask if DD can come to a regular practice or two w/ his existing team. Assuming the girls on the current team will be coming to the tryout, that will give a few familiar faces come tryout day, plus DD will have some time around the coach and other AC's. It'll also give you a chance to get a feel for the team dynamics to see if it's really a good fit for DD. HC may say "no" for a variety of good reasons (e.g. if they're in a final push to an end-of-season tourney or he doesn't want to appear to be playing favorites before the tryout, or doesn't want to freak out the parents/kids on his current team who might be nervous about the tryouts themselves) but it doesn't hurt to ask.

Personally, I really like the "open practice" concept from both sides (as coach and parent/player) since it gives everyone a chance to feel things out in a situation that's not as high-stress as a "real" tryout.

 

[quandofloo]

We tried to arrange a practice time but our all star schedule ran right up until this week and tryouts are Thursday. I think she is going to be fine and I am trying to arrange for a few of her all star teammates to be at tryouts too. I'll be running a station so I can be isolated from her a little to try to help ease some of the pressure and I'll try to remind her that there are no tricks with any of this. Nobody is going to ask her to do anything that she hasn't done a thousand times before.

 

[Mom_Coach_Fan]

I echo the comments shared here so far, and would add only a few things from my limited experience.

- even if a coaching spot is open for the team, resist the temptation to coach or correct during the tryout itself. (My DD shared that only added even more pressure on her when I did that ) One of the hardest things for me to learn, is knowing when to just be silent.

- remind her no matter what, you just love to watch her play.

Good luck to your DD - and of course to you too!

 

[Strike2]

I think that tryouts, and learning how to handle them, are one of the best "life lessons" there are. It will prepare them well for that job interview in a few years. My kid has tried out for numerous things, including ball teams and honor bands. Even when she wasn't successful, she learned something useful. Like anything else, you get better with practice and experience. Try out for several teams, including ones where you aren't worried about making it. You might be surprised at what happens.

 

[nicelag]

As a coach at that level you can tell who has certain skill sets or not based on footwork, mechanics etc. They don't necessarily need to make all of the plays. If they have good fundamentals and ability you can teach most of them to make the plays.

 

[grcsftbll]

I think it's about how you frame it. For us, tryouts are us trying THEM out. We want to see if we like the coaches, do we like the other girls, do we like their philosophies. And that's not just about easing nerves, it's true.

 

[Cannonball]

I don't know if this will help or not. I have always told my dd, "Nervous is for people that don't practice." You could see her standing in the line during stressful games saying to herself that quote and then adding, "I practice," It helps occupy their mind.

The other piece of advice is to be that player who is always complimenting others and being active vocally. While I know that isn't the make up of all, again, it gives the player something to do that takes their mind off of the tryout itself.

 

[Little Angels Softball]

Attend a practice or two if possible. Also, invite the coach to one of her games so he can watch her play.

Both of these things give me as a coach a much better way to evaluate a potential player. They also give the player a much better way to showcase her skills and (in the case of attending a practice or two) allow her to mix with the team and really see if it is the team she'd like to be on.

If you can swing these things, the tryout "nervousness factor" goes down to almost nil, as it really would be just a formality at that point.

 

[OutInLeft]

Check your local softball forums and have her tryout with other teams first. Get those jitters out of the way. I have my daughter tryout for an additional team or two every year. 1. It's good experience for her and the more tryouts you do then you start to know what to expect. 2. Never put all your eggs in one basket and it's good to network. Tryouts are a great place to do that.

 

[quandofloo]

We went to a local facility Tuesday afternoon to work on hitting off of a Jugs machine. I always throw front toss or full motion live pitching to her so she has never gotten to hit off of one before and that was making her nervous. There were coaches from other travel teams there working with a few of their girls and they were really complimentary of her and made her feel very comfortable. We got invited to two more tryouts over the next few weeks and she got to get a couple of buckets in on the machine. When we left she was beaming and I could tell that a lot of the nerves were gone. I asked her last night if she wanted to do anything or take a night to rest and she chose to rest (she knew I had a migraine so I think she was trying to take care of dad even though she knows I would have gone anyway). I think she is going to do fine today.