Very Important - leave her alone! If I see a parent trying to coach their DD during a tryout it is an immediate red flag. Parents need to sit in their chairs and stay quiet during tryouts.
Tips for Tryout Season?
- Thread starter Catchersmom
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Oh, we forgot to say "if the mom is really good looking, have her take her." (old joke)
- Jul 26, 2010
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Also make sure the T-shirt isn't one from a rival travel team
Tournament t-shirts are good choices.-W
Excellent advise so far. I agree that hustling, listening, interacting and giving your physical all are a given. Make sure your DD does not overlook the mental aspect as well. At every TB tryout I have held I take time with the players to ask several questions. When I have several players that are physically very close the answers to the questions are often the tie breaker:
Q: Why do you want to join this team?
Answers that don't help get you on the team:
A: My dad says it is the closest practice to our house
A: I don't know, I heard you needed a (insert position here) so I thought I would tryout
A: I am trying out for a bunch of teams, just covering all my bases.
Answers that help get you on the team (these fall under the previous comment that kiss a$$ helps)
A: I am looking for a competitive team that can use my talents and skills
A: I saw/played against your team and want to be part of this organization
A: Remember I pitched that no hitter against your team in XYZ tournament championship game (Yeah I remember and it still burns).
Q: Why do you want to join this team?
Answers that don't help get you on the team:
A: My dad says it is the closest practice to our house
A: I don't know, I heard you needed a (insert position here) so I thought I would tryout
A: I am trying out for a bunch of teams, just covering all my bases.
Answers that help get you on the team (these fall under the previous comment that kiss a$$ helps)
A: I am looking for a competitive team that can use my talents and skills
A: I saw/played against your team and want to be part of this organization
A: Remember I pitched that no hitter against your team in XYZ tournament championship game (Yeah I remember and it still burns).
- Oct 25, 2009
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An answer that will definitely put you at the head of the line: I'm your daughter, remember?
Added thought: Assuming your wife already knows that.
Also make sure the T-shirt isn't one from a rival travel team
-W
If she is trying out for the same org. she was with the previous year, what about wearing their jersey? How about all-star jersy from her rec. league? Should she wear pants in this heat, or will shorts be fine?
I am advising to wear her pants. They are not hotter than those socks that go with shorts. My DD had to convince me of the necessity of pants, because I wore shorts, all of my playing career.
I prefer the pants, but I'm not the one trying out. Should shirt be tucked in? What about all-ster uniform?
- Jul 26, 2010
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Pants and knee pads are advisable. I'd stay away from wearing their jersey, but an org t-shirt is fine. I'd stay away from all-star jersey's too, as a coach, I find them to be a bit of a turn-off, as the kids that are really proud of them are usually lesser players and the kids that take a "ho-hum" approach to their all star jersey's usually prove to have more ability. Just my experience though, and I'm threading a needle. Obviously if your kid can hit and hustle, she'll have no problem.
Can't stress hitting. If she can hit they'll find a place to hide her. Running is the next skill I look at. Speed wins.
-W
It is the hitting that makes me nervous. She did extremely well at coach pitch(she is 8) and took hitting lessons until summer, while she played rec. ball(where pitching was horrible, even by rec ball standards). Unfortunately she will go back to hitting lessons after 2 of the 3 tryouts. She will have to hit off a machine at tryouts set on 35mph. She has had very limited experience with a machine( twice, the first time not so good, second very well). All the commercial batting cages around her only have slow pitch softball and baseball. Thought about taking her to baseball cage to see the speed, but worried the arm action will have her looking in the wrong place.
She will be playing up in fall ball to get use to kid pitch, but that doesn't help for tryouts.
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