For the
purposes of this blog I will deal most specifically with high school tryouts
today. There are different parameters to
high school tryouts that may seem similar to other tryouts but which are unique
to high school sports. The disappointment
may be greater because if you don’t make a travel or club team, there are many
other teams available to try out for.
But high school is special. High
school is unique. You can’t just keep
trying out for different high school teams until you make a team, even though
some parents seemingly try to do that.
When I first started coaching high school softball here in southern
California, I heard the comment that “high school softball is a joke.” Yes, if you want to play at the college level
you almost have to play travel ball. I
say almost because it is not an absolute.
I say almost because there are some very good high school teams. There are some schools where the team is as
good as a travel team. But consider
again that to many students, wearing your school colors is a different pride
that is rarely seen in travel or club ball.
To me, high school softball or any other sport is not a joke.
The first
thing to remember is that it is the coach’s team. This is true in high school, college, travel
and club ball, or any other “competitive” team sports. Unlike rec ball where every player will get
to play, at the higher levels every player is subject to the opinions, whims,
and directions of the coach or coaches.
The head coach is going to select the players who they think will help
make their team the most competitive.
Each coach has different criteria for picking the players at
tryouts. It may change due to the
different number of players needed based on returning talent. Some coaches are very demanding while others
are more laid back. Some like to carry
larger rosters, others want the minimum number of players they feel they can
get through the season with. Some demand
that you play travel or club ball, others are simply glad if you do. Some coaches may even have a silent
requirement that you play on THEIR travel or club team, or one specified by
them.
The bottom line under any coach is that their perception of
your son or daughter is THEIR PERCEPTION.
It is their opinion. If you lined
up ten different coaches in any given sport, and each had to pick fifteen
players out of a pool of say, fifty players, you are likely to not have any two
teams be identical. I would say, and
this is a guess, that the ten coaches might agree on the top five to eight
players. They might even agree on the
top ten players. But I can almost guarantee
that the next five players would be different on each team, depending of course
on the overall makeup of the pool of fifty.
Coaches will probably agree on the top players but there are always
players that each coach will see something in them that the coach thinks he can
take a given player and with the “proper coaching” will make them a quality
player. Sometimes these are even called
“projects.” I will discuss projects in a
different blog. But the bottom line is
that just because your son or daughter doesn’t make the team doesn’t mean they
are a bad player or that they are not a good person. Remember, teens are often sensitive on the
self-esteem issue, as are some parents.
It’s easy to forget that, especially with high school sports, your son
or daughter is graded on a sliding scale.
This year they might not make the team but if they try out again next
year they might make the team.
Next week I
will discuss the associated comments that are often heard from parents when
their child doesn’t make the team. There
are many different comments, some are legitimate and some are rumor. How do you separate one from another? Or do you listen to the comments at all?
You can discuss this subject here or at www.yourkidsandsports.com.
Teach first, win later.
Coach Mike
Get custom lineup cards for your baseball or softball team at www.customlineupcards.com.
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