what do coaches look for in tryouts?

Eric F said:

I've encountered those girls, too - soccer players, especially - lol.

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Put them at second base and tell them they don't even have to field the ball. Just kick it toward first.

Hey, that is unacceptable . My DD'S position.

No picking on 2nd base.

What about soccer players. Can I pick on them?

CoachJD said:

What about soccer players. Can I pick on them?

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Sure, I do not care about them.

quincy said:

Hey, that is unacceptable . My DD'S position.

No picking on 2nd base.

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Mine as well. Although she has played everywhere on the field, except First.

Eric F said:

In a flock of new and newer players, I'd be looking for athletes - smooth running, good general body coordination ,etc. I can teach skills. Natural athleticism, not so much. Kids with experience in other sports will often make the transition to softball pretty easily, too.

Parents are a crapshoot. Unless you already know there's someone who will be a cancer on your team, you're generally better off just focusing on the players.

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Some kids you can just look at them going through tryouts, even just running and the way they move and they are just "natural athletes" Awful hard to teach that. One girl always comes to mind for me when these threads pop up. A girl that played with DD from 10u through 12u was like that. Just a natural, easy, effortless looking swing. Nobody had ever taught her to swing. She just did it. Played the field well. Very fast. Just an athlete without having to put much effort into it. Girl's family moved to Texas when she was about 14 or 15, so I have no idea how far she went.
I have also seen some girls that are not all that athletic at younger ages turn out to be pretty good ball players as they age.

Lightning said:

DD's best coaches have looked for enthusiasm. All the speed and athleticism in the world won't compensate for a kid who doesn't want to be there.

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This. You also want to see how coachable they are. If you tell them to adjust something on their swing or throwing, do they try to do it or do they ignore it, that sort of thing. As others have said, also look for overall athleticism rather than softball ability. But I will take a lesser athlete who seems to have a better attitude.

I coach rec, and my goals for the players are first to have fun, and second to get better. My experience is that is easier to accomplish with a group of enthusiastic, coachable girls than a group of better athletes who aren't all that interested.

my first few years of rec were awesome. If 8u , get a fast athletic girl in the circle, get the biggest girl that can catch and put her on first. I like telling the parents of the bigger slower girls, learn to pitch. Even though I didn't start off with a great hitting team, my infield was awesome. I'd win games with a great D. 10U , if you have anyone that can pitch or is taking lessons, that is your key. Then go for the most athletic and fast kids that you can get. Can't teach speed.

Get a kid that has a great organized Mom. TEAM MOMS that are great is a game changer! DO NOT pick the kids with the best looking MOMS, their kids, more likely are snobs and could be drama queens. j/k

rebeldesign said:

We have our rec league evaluations(tryouts) coming up soon. Was wondering at the rec level what do coaches look for other than the obvious softball skills? For example, the girls that haven't played at all or very little, what would you look for that may point to a successful, coachable softball player? And how much do you take into consideration the parents of players at the rec level? The age groups that will be at the evaluations will range from 8u to 12u. I will be coaching my oldest DD's 12u team and my wife and I will be helping with my youngest DD's 8u team. A lot I know, but we are short coaches so we help out when and where we can.

thank you for any insight...

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Sorry to come late to the party but it's been awhile since I've been on. What do I look for? Whether it's TB or Rec, I look for athleticism first. I can teach them the skills. Barring athleticism, I look for heart (love of the game), determination and work ethic. If they have those three, you'll find that hard work, with proper instruction, will beat out athleticism 9 out of 10 times by 14U.