DD is afraid to try-out

[Eric F]

My DD was very scared to go to her first TB tryout, too (second year 10U). This is pretty typical. She was nervous that she wouldn't know what to do, and wouldn't be able to keep up with the other players. As soon as she got out on the field, she realized that it's not any different than any other softball. The warm-up drills and exercises are the same. You still throw, catch, field, and hit the same. The rules of the game are the same. Some players are better, some players aren't.

As a 12U TB coach, I see kids getting their first TB experience fairly frequently. Being nervous and unsure how they will compare is typical. This past weekend, we had a fill-in player join our team (a cousin of one of our players). She was a first-year 12U rec ball all-star, but not one of the top players, and has never played at the TB level before. During warm-ups, I pulled her aside and explained that this is the same game she has always played. No different at all. It's just softball. I asked her to just relax and play the way she plays, and she would do fine. Over the course of that day's games, she did do just fine. At bat, she struck out a couple of times, and put the ball in play a couple of times. Each at bat was an improvement. She also made a couple of good catches in RF. If she decides to make the move to TB, she will have no trouble finding teams that would take her.

 

[Eric F]

Keep this in mind...

Some of the players already on the TB team you're trying out with might be be more skilled, but they weren't always at that level. They started at the same place as your DD, and improved by getting better coaching, and playing at a higher level of competition. I watched my DD go through that process when she first started, and was pretty shocked at how quickly her skills improved. I see this happen with every player who has come from rec all-stars and joined our team. Expecting to be as good as everyone else when you haven't had the same training and experience is unrealistic. In a new player, I look for someone who is athletic, coachable, and has a great attitude. Skills will be taught.

 

[WARRIORMIKE]

Yoda Says-Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose.


Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.




Fear is good. Its natural. Take her to a lot of tryouts. Different age groups too. Start from 16U and work your way back down to 12U. Now you will probably tell me that your dd is way to young to tryout at 16. If she is a gamer she will be fine. Remember, its a tryout not a commitment, yet. She will learn a lot at the older groups too. Have fun and be positive.

 

[nixxy311]

Can someone explain kind of the try-out process? DD is also afraid of people watching her (this seems so silly to me since she does SB evals every season and everyone watches her and she had to try-out for MS ball and does fine - also she pitched a few seasons so she's always been "watched" while playing - catcher gets watched a lot as well).

What's the diff between an Open Workout and a private vs a normal try-out?
For rec and MS, they basically just had them field some balls, catch some pop-ups, base-running (1 base, 2 bases and then all-around), and then hitting a few.
Thanks!

 

[_MIA_]

Can someone explain kind of the try-out process? DD is also afraid of people watching her (this seems so silly to me since she does SB evals every season and everyone watches her and she had to try-out for MS ball and does fine - also she pitched a few seasons so she's always been "watched" while playing - catcher gets watched a lot as well).

What's the diff between an Open Workout and a private vs a normal try-out?
For rec and MS, they basically just had them field some balls, catch some pop-ups, base-running (1 base, 2 bases and then all-around), and then hitting a few.
Thanks!

Some private tryouts may just be your DD with a coach/coaches. Some may be you go to a practice which may be the same as an Open Workout??? Not sure. I think standard
Organizational/team tryouts would be a bunch of girls not on the team who are put through various drills/skills to evaluate them.

 

[JAD]

Can someone explain kind of the try-out process? DD is also afraid of people watching her (this seems so silly to me since she does SB evals every season and everyone watches her and she had to try-out for MS ball and does fine - also she pitched a few seasons so she's always been "watched" while playing - catcher gets watched a lot as well).

What's the diff between an Open Workout and a private vs a normal try-out?
For rec and MS, they basically just had them field some balls, catch some pop-ups, base-running (1 base, 2 bases and then all-around), and then hitting a few.
Thanks!

Tryouts vary based on the coaches running them, but I would expect to run home-to-first, home-to-home, throw balls around the infield, field fungo, field fly balls in the outfield, throw balls from outfield, hit off a machine and/or off live pitching. Pitchers and catchers usually stay longer.

 

[Eric F]

As JAD commented, it varies. Generally, we just go through our normal field practice routine, and include some hitting. With this, we get a pretty good idea for a player's abilities. Some teams are much more regimented with recording throwing speeds, running times, etc.

EDIT: As for "being watched"...She is always being watched, every time she is on the field - parents, coaches, other coaches, etc. Nothing new in a tryout. I suspect this is not so much about being watched, but more about being judged, and the fear of being judged harshly. Control the things that can be controlled - effort and attitude.

 

[JAD]

Softball if very popular in some areas of GA and you should be able to find a team that matches your DD's ability.

 

[canyonjoe]

I personally think you get the best selection from open workouts. You can see them over a few practices versus 10 swings and few ground balls. I know from experience
you can't make them go but only encourage. Try and find a few to go to. From your description of DD is sounds like she should have little trouble finding a team. There may
be some that are just loaded, others might only have a handful of good players. If she wants to play thought it's better to play sooner rather than later. That doesn't mean it can't
wait a year if that's what happens. I would talk to parents while at tryouts and get an idea. Let them talk they will give you an idea on the coaches.

 

[joe720]

Another option is take your DD to a tryout where she is not trying out. That way she can get a feel for what is expected. Its tryout season so grabbing a couple of drinks and snacks, and sit on the bleachers and watch.