Tully Beatty
Do young players have any chance of making the team as an offensive player?
What about as a handler? As a hucker? What would they have to show you to
prove their worth?
Sure they do and it depends on their skill set. It’s more than likely easier
for one to make it as a hucker first; pretty much everyone can huck it. Making
it as a primary handler (a “1”) is somewhat tougher.
Is calm, conservative play better? Or do you want to see highlight reel
moves, throws, and catches?
I prefer a combination of the two which is possible, but most players can’t
pull off the balancing act.
Say you are a young player with a specialty throw (something out of the normal
repetoire). You are confident in that throw, but it doesn’t really fit easily
into a team’s offense (rather, they could change how they play to take
advantage of this talent). Should you show this in tryout scrimmages?
I think so but obviously not all the time and on those turns your defense has
to be prettier than your offense was ugly.
What is most important: practices or tournaments?
That’s not quite a quick answer like the others; but I’ll go with practice.
Tournaments are the luxury.
How should tryouts behave and carry themselves? Some captains and coaches
love people that ask a ton of questions, and others want people that want a
lot of feedback. Or give their opinions. Or are silent, strong teammates. What
are you looking for? Does the personality of a player figure large into
whether they can make the team? What about an obnoxious player with tremendous
talent?
Tryouts should be determined, with a feel of confidence about them. They
should be putting out there what they think the last 10% of 100% is. That
measure has never failed me in the past when critiquing others/tryouts. It’s
probably a collective thinking among those tryouts, in their drive to the
site: “I’m gonna give these guys 100% today.” Okay, great; but what’s that
last 10% mean to you? What am I looking for? I’m looking for the casual
approach or an approach that’s mostly callow.
If personality mattered, or mattered greatly, there’d be a great many savage
seven squads out there. Aren’t most tremendously talented players obnoxious?
For those that fit that description as a tryout, I think that’s part of their
talent and it’s something they can work on over the long haul of the season if
they survive the cut. And of course this comes down to personnel management
and is one of the reason why being a captain can be so damned thankless.
For your team, does everyone try out, or are returning players safe? How
long are your tryouts? Is this optimal? Is there anything about the tryout
process that you think teams should do more often?
Up until a few season ago, returning players were safe on the team that I
competed for. It may have been 2006 when returners had to actually make the
team. Funny how some decide to play coed when the word gets out. Tryouts
usually run once a week for three weeks; but there’s also a weekly pickup or
competitive scrimmage during this time as well. Also, there’s an early
tournament, such as terminus where interested tryouts are invited.
It’s difficult because of the tourney calendar, but good club teams should
make themselves available to college teams early in the semester: provide
clinics to teams within their section. 2 or 3 times early in the semester to
accommodate all the teams is what I’m thinking. I know it’d be tough because
of all the tournaments, but at least some of the second tier teams could
attend, they have ballers too.
Chris Talarico
The most important things I want to see from a tryout are, in no particular
order:
- Athleticism/speed
- Field sense
- Confidence with the disc
- Ability & willingness to take direction
The first point speaks for itself. If a player can’t run fast, jump, layout,
and exhibit a reasonable level of body control, they don’t stand much of a
chance.
For field sense, I want to see that a player knows where the next pass is
likely to go. A couple examples:
- While on defense, if his man gets a swing pass, does he get upfield and take away the continue pass before getting tight on the mark?
- Does he keep himself in a position to see both his man and the thrower?
- On offense, does he clear space if he’s not cutting?
- Does he set up a deep strike when he sees a handler make an open up-line cut?
- Is he in position to receive a continue pass after a break-side dump?
Of course these could go on and on, but what a tryout needs to show is that
he’s aware of what’s happening on the field, and knows where he needs to be.
I guess confidence with the disc speaks for itself as well. No matter what
position someone may want to play, they need to be able to complete passes
when faced with a tough, aggressive mark. Shaky forehands and rushed dump
passes aren’t going to cut it.
The last point about taking direction is part personality/attitude, part on-
field ability. The on-field part involves being able to adjust your style of
play. Too often I’ve encountered the problem where a particular defense is
called on the line, but is not executed during the point. I want to see a
player that doesn’t get beat deep when the call is to force your man
underneath. I want to see a player be able to change their mark to take away
an I-O, if that’s what has been called, or to instead stop the ‘around.’ A
player needs to be able to holster a huck - even if it’s wide open - if the
call is to play conservatively. The longer I’ve played, the more important
I’ve found this last point to be. It’s incredibly difficult to win if everyone
on the field is not on the same page.
Those are the main things I look for at tryouts.
As for the player with the fancy throws… as far as I’m concerned, tryouts
are not a venue to display “trick” throws, or to take chances with any kind of
throw. Disc possession is more important in elite ultimate than at any other
level. You’re far less likely to get the disc back if you turn it over, so
you’ve got to prove that you have the ability to complete passes before you
show off your newfangled whatchamacallit. I like forehands and backhands…
call me crotchety and conservative, but I’m far more inclined to take a player
on my team who can complete a safe pass 100% of the time vs. a player who will
attempt more difficult throws and turn it over occasionally.
Admittedly, that makes for a bit of a stifling situation for a new player who
regards himself as a thrower. But really, anyone can take chances - I think a
tryout needs to first show that they’re capable of playing turnover-free
ultimate before opening it up.
Ryan Morgan
Trying out for a club team is like interviewing for any job. There are some
things that are in your control and some things that aren’t. It’s important to
focus on the things you can control and understand that the other things
aren’t worth worrying about. Even if you are a great thrower, if the team
already has great throwers then the 6’9" guy that can’t throw may get selected
over you. Here, I’d like to focus on three things that I would like to see
from all of my tryouts, regardless of my team’s needs: commitment, willingness
to adapt, and decision making.
First, for a tryout to have any chance of making the team he must show his
commitment. Elite club ultimate requires a significant time and money
commitment. Additionally, a newcomer to the team will require more time during
the season to gel with his new teammates. A tryout should show that he is
prepared to make the requisite commitment by attending all preseason tryout
events. This may require missing family events, having less time to study for
a test, or delaying that vacation but an elite club player must make the team
a priority. A tryout who misses preseason events severely disadvantages
himself.
Second, a tryout must show a willingness to adapt to the team’s style. Just
because you had the green light to send it in your former team’s huck-n-hope
offense doesn’t mean you will have the same luxury with this team. Get a feel
for what kind of offense or defense the team is accustomed to running and show
you can be an asset in that system. A good rule of thumb is not to try
anything unusual unless an established player does it first. Generally
speaking, don’t be the first tryout to attempt a 40-yard hammer or a blade to
the break side. If you are comfortable with a special throw, show it off
during warm-ups and not in-game. Perhaps over the season improvements can be
made to the system to take advantage of your skills. But for the tryout period
you should adapt your play to the team. The team should not adapt to you. Of
course, if you find out that this team plays huck-n-hope too, then huck away!
Third, every tryout must demonstrate good decision-making. At the elite level
every possession matters. Every turnover matters. So, good decision-making
that will reduce turnovers is a much more important factor than at lower
levels. Sometimes knowing how to play smart is a more important quality that
being talented. On my team, a talented player that makes poor decisions will
get cut while a less talented player that makes good decisions has a much
better shot at making the team. Some examples of good decision-making include:
- Seeing poaches
- Recognizing mismatches
- Throwing high percentage passes but knowing when to take calculated risks
- Appropriately choosing to initiate or not initiate a fast break after a turnover
- Remaining calm even as the stall count gets high
Ultimately, both sides are trying to find the perfect fit for them. As a
tryout, as long as you focus on those things you can control including
commitment, a willingness to adapt, and good decision making, then you can
feel good about your effort. Good luck!
Greg Husak
I think the first thing that a player should evaluate is their own talents and
strengths. During the tryout you should be focusing on accentuating those
strengths when given the chance. If you’re a tall deep threat, don’t waste
time in a scrimmage squirelling around the disc, and in any huck drill make
sure you are going up strong to show that you can climb. If you’re a squirrely
quick guy, make sure you are getting open on all short cuts, and that if there
are any sprints to be done that you are winning them all. And with these
points in mind, here are a few general tips:
Stay focused. A few lazy turnovers in a seemingly meaningless drill might
cause the powers-that-be to write you off or at least notice and inconsistency
or lack of focus to detail. That’s probably not going to be appreciated on a
successful team.
Give a good effort. It might not be how the ‘cool’ guys play, or even very
efficient, but if you’re going hard the people will notice, and that’s always
a welcome vibe to bring to a team. Never give up on a disc that’s in the air,
make every cut as hard as possible, make the guy you’re guarding in the drill
work a little harder…it’s a positive.
Recognize your strengths and make sure they are exposed in scrimmages. if
you’re going to make the team you’re going to have to be pretty good at
something. know what that is, and make sure you’re doing it better than
others.
Guard the returners who do your thing as often as possible. If you can do
their thing better than them, that’s going to be apparent if you are guarding
them. If you’re making them work harder than usual, that will get filtered up
to decision-makers. If you’re getting schooled, you’ll at least know why you
didn’t make the team and will have hopefully learned something from a better
player than you.
Finally, be supportive and enthusiastic. All players love to get high-
fives from teammates, they love when people get excited about their defense,
when people recognize their accomplishments…don’t be sparing with those
comments. Also, talk while your team is on defense, even if it’s just to one
returner.
I think it’s important to recognize that there most likely is some hierarchy,
even a subtle one, and that returners are likely above new tryouts. Some teams
may have a flatter structure than others, but if you want to get on the team
you’re likely going to have to displace somebody, so do all the things you can
better than some of those above you and hope that the effort and skill are
recognized.
Miranda Roth
At tryouts, I am looking for someone who will fit into the TOP HALF of our
roster if they are a new player. I prefer having all-team tryouts so that each
member, even if they have played on the team previously, brings great
intensity to tryouts — this is the best way to start a season (and the most
fair way to choose a team).
In terms of skills, this means you need to have all the basics without flaw.
For example, you can be the best thrower in the world, but if you refuse to
play defense, ta-ta. As a teammate, I’m looking for someone who will support
the team, make the (huge) commitment to being at everything possible and be
low-maintenance. It’s good to ask questions; it’s bad to ask questions every
day of the same person. It’s also good to have a compatible personality —
someone that people will enjoy being around has a much greater chance of
making the team because we spend so much time together.
As far as age, I’m more looking at someone who will either contribute to the
team immediately, and hopefully for more than one year OR someone who will
learn quickly and has a lot of potential (these are usually the hyper athletes
with weaker throws). In my mind, it’s great to be young and want to learn — if
this is you, make sure you show the appropriate amount of respect for team
captains/coaches/returning players. Young players can make the team as whoever
they are, age doesn’t matter that much to me — we have had very experienced,
calm young players play great in big games on Riot.
As far as what type of play is better — I believe the base should be to be
100% on offense and never let your woman touch the disc on defense. Beyond
that, if you can break the mark, throw hucks, sky people, get blocks — show
that! But if one of those things isn’t you (they are almost certainly not ALL
you), tryouts is NOT the time to start trying. If you are particularly good at
something that the team you’re trying out for does not have, make sure you
show that at some point during the tryout process.
I would say the #1 thing I’m looking for in a tryout is someone who works
hard. If you work hard every moment of your tryout that will stand out to
anyone. Whether you’re at tournaments, practices or track workouts, you better
be giving it your all at all times. This includes traits like being on
time/early to everything, busting your ass at track (and also having been at
the track/weight room prior to tryouts), being healthy for the tryout whenever
possible, jogging to water, making eye contact with people explaining
drills/offense/etc, and talking from the sideline at tournaments and
practices.
Ben Wiggins
A couple of thoughts that I always have when tryouts roll around:
Any young player that wants to improve should be trying out for any team
possible. Tryout ultimate is typically intense, cheap, and with players that
you don’t normally play with. This can be an amazing opportunity to
improve…especially with experienced players available that are motivated (or
at least ready) to give constructive feedback. This can be a great opportunity
for developing players, regardless of your own chances of making the team.
If you are invested in making the team, you should know the answer to this
question: What is the point of the entire tryout process? It isn’t to be fair,
and it isn’t to give everyone an equal chance. It darn sure is not to find the
best 24 players. The point of tryouts is to WIN GAMES.
From the tryout perspective, this means that you should be trying to win
scrimmages and win tournament games, first and foremost. Win. Play tough D,
hustle to the ball, listen and talk…do those things that win games. This
should trump any advice on how to try out. Assuming that the people picking
the team are thinking objectively (which is a big assumption, obviously) they
will see those things. If your scrimmage team’s best chance of winning is not
with you on the field…well, you probably aren’t going to make the team this
year (which is fine…you may as well ignore this assumption for the time
being, get onto the field, and improve…just be realistic about your chances
this year). Why should you cheer your scrimmage teammates from the sideline?
Because this wins games. Why should you run down on the pull hard? You get the
point.
If you ever come to a point in a tryout practice where you aren’t sure whether
you should give full effort or not…win. Returning players have a history of
success on the team, and will be excused for their inability to get up for
practices to some extent. You, however, do not have this history. Win drills,
win games.
The team is trying to pick a team that will win games. If you show yourself to
be a player that will give them their best chance of winning, they should take
you. This is very different than trying to be their 23rd best player. If you
don’t make the team, and spend your time thinking about how you are, in fact,
better than player #24…you missed the point. Do you give your team a better
chance against Regional Rival X? Would Sectional team Y be dismayed to see you
on the roster, or happy?
The folks that run tryouts for professional teams get paid of a lot of money,
and they make mistakes all the time. These mistakes are both in their process
mistakes (how many tryouts, how much intensity, what drills do we run, etc)
and in their decision mistakes (which player should we pick). And those are
the pros. Non-pro Ultimate players are often running tryouts with no
experience or training, and they are doing the best they can with the main
goal (Win Games) in mind. Which means they are going to make mistakes of all
kinds. Winners deal with these mistakes and give their best, and the rest tend
to whine about how they didn’t get a fair, open, balanced chance to show they
“deserved” a spot. If you are trying out for a team, understand that the
process will be imperfect and be ready for something weird. Maybe you get less
time on the field than optimal. Maybe you do drills that aren’t geared to your
strengths. Maybe you are forced to play in an offense that you don’t know
well. Deal with it…when the big games come in September and October, you are
going to be out of your comfort zone then, too. Everyone will. Heck, this
almost makes the insane tryout process a better process of analysis.
On Sockeye, we have what I think is a pretty solid tryout process, but only
after years of making mistakes and then making adjustments in the next year
(I’m not captaining now, but have been involved for the past several years).
We have an initial open tryout, where about 100 players come out. Our tryout
process is merged with Voodoo, the other open team in town. At least for the
past 4 years, everyone has to try out every year: obviously there are people
that are at very, very low risk for being cut (Nord is probably going to have
to lose 2-3 limbs in order to NOT make the team this year) but everyone else
has to perform and show up to camp in shape. After the initial tryout, we cut
down to about 35. We make cuts by email or phone, and we give players a chance
to tell us which method they would rather receive the news by. We set pretty
hard deadlines about when people will hear back from us. After first cuts, we
practice with this 35 for 3-4 weeks, then go to a tryout tournament. Tryouts
are told that the tournament is the big deal, and we try to teach everything
the player needs to know (O, D, positions) before that tournament. If someone
blows up at the tournament against good competition then they have a good
chance of making the team. I might repeat, I think this is a solid process,
but we make mistakes with it every year and every year it improves, hopefully.
I think team captains need to understand what they are selecting for. I had
trouble trying out for a couple of teams as a thrower/handler…these teams
wanted all their new players to simply dump the disc to their veterans. You
find out after tryouts that, sweet, you now have 8 new handlers…none of whom
will throw (or can throw) a 30-yard throw. Maybe THAT is why our offense keeps
grinding to a halt. Teams need to trust their own teaching and, often, look
for the players with character and potential. If the player is a winner and
unselfish then they can learn discipline, in my opinion.
When one of my team’s takes on a new player, we need to realize that our team
is now 1/24th based on the new players skills and mindset. We picked up two
vert-stack players? This doesn’t mean they need to hurry up and learn
horizontal stack like we run…maybe it is time to incorporate more vert-stack
principles into our offense so we can really use those skills. Such are
offenses changed to become more effective. We picked up a guy with a crazy I/O
flick? Well, 23/24ths are him learning to use that throw within our O, and
1/24th is us learning to adapt how we play to this throw. Same with team
motivation, learning style, etc…you take on the character of your new
players. They don’t just become robotic clones of last year’s retirees.
Lastly, as a tryout, try to focus on things that you can control. If your goal
is “make the team” then you are always going to be at the mercy of the people
picking the team. These people may or may not be objective, logical, or fair.
Making a goal like “play well enough to help my team in every scrimmage or
tournament game and give focused effort in every drill” is better; it helps
you to focus on the things you can control. At the end of the day, you can
meet your goal and still not make the team, which is a darn sight better than
being crushed that you were cut and then giving up. Make controllable goals.
Lou Burruss
You have to ask yourself, “What do I do that is great?” This is your ticket
onto a team. For most young players, this is blue-collar Ultimate: tough D,
swing passes and safe choices. If what you have to offer is something
different (big throws, great recievership), then showcase those skills.
The two quickest ways to get yourself cut are poor atheleticism (nothing much
to be done about that) and poor choices with the disc. A lot of tryouts get in
trouble by failing to recognize that the definition of a good choice has
changed. A good choice for Eastern Wyoming State (Go Fighting Pronghorns!) is
a piss-poor choice for Bravo. Aim for zero turns. I mean zero.
Nancy Sun
Tryouts are such a weird time for me. It’s exciting the season is starting and
so many people want to tryout for our team, but at the same time the decisions
can be stressful and as much pressure as one might feel when trying out, the
team is also some amount of pressure on the team being tried out to find a
good fit. Since there are a few different options in Boston, it is very
important for our team to put our best foot forward and we try to do it as
accurately as possible. We try to have a complementary mix of teaching and
evaluating so that people can get a good sense of what the team is like
(values, personality, strategic sets, etc) and the team can get a feel for
what the tryouts can bring to the table. While there do exist specific skill
sets that we look for each season (more on this in a bit), at the core, Brute
has always had a strong emphasis on athleticism and strong fundamentals:
catching, throwing, good decisions, and man defense. It is also important for
us to see that people are coachable and able to adapt to different/new
situations. All of these characteristics together paint a pretty accurate
picture, albeit an overwhelmingly general one, of the type of player we look
for taking on our team.
Attitude and personality fit, while both are very important intangibles that
are taken into consideration, have never been deal breakers for us. One of the
reasons for this is because we already have such a diverse range of
personality on the team - we have teammates who like to ask questions,
teammates who are outspoken, teammates who are silent, teammates who are
emotional, teammates who view the glass as half full/half empty, etc - and
this is something we embrace and have never had a problem with.
At the beginning of every season, we take inventory of the team and evaluate
the roles we need to have filled, based both on evaluations of previous
seasons and on personnel losses. Every year without fail, one of the hardest
roles for us to fill is the dynamic handler (big throws, big target, touch the
disc a lot types) and inevitably, we never have enough of them. Some of the
other past specific needs have included: deep defenders, stopped disc cutters,
possession handlers, and big marks. This isn’t to say that we only look for
people with certain skill sets, but rather we do tailor practices to focus on
teaching and identifying these skills. The general philosophy is to increase
the quantity of people on our team that are good at a certain skill, so
sometimes we have tryouts who already fit one or more of our needs, but the
tryout process is also a lot about teaching and in that case, it is just as
important for us to see improvement from weekend to weekend.
So I guess this has all been more about the tryout process from a team
organizational perspective, but if I had to give anyone advice about trying
out for our team, I’d just encourage them to be themselves and have fun out
there. We try to maintain an atmosphere of openness and transparency, so if
anyone has thoughts/ideas/questions, just tell/ask someone. Don’t be scared of
asking questions or for feedback and don’t worry too much about “fitting into
a system”. Work hard, have fun, and play ultimate, because that’s what we are
all together to do.
Jeff Graham
Here are my six recommendations to anyone who is trying out for a team of any
level:
1. Be on time and have all of the appropriate equipment for the tryout.
2. Relax — tryouts are a high stress process for everyone involved, but as
a captain/coach I’m looking to see how players handle themselves throughout
the process. Tryouts are a decent representation of how players will handle
high-stress situations during tournaments.
3. Know what you can and can’t do — Before you even get to the tryout
think about your game, what throws you are confident in, how you have been
taught to mark, what assets you think you can bring to the table. Also, remind
yourself what you aren’t so great at. At the tryout put yourself in situations
in which you are likely to succeed. Show off what you can do. Conversely,
don’t try to do too much. If you don’t have a deep flick, don’t try it. Throw
a good fake if someone is open deep for your flick and make a smart throw
underneath.
4. Go for it! Again, this is your chance to show what you can do, if a
play you can make presents itself go do it, and do it with confidence!
5. Hustle! A coach will always find a spot for someone that is willing to
work hard.
6. Show you are coachable — If a coach suggests something to you, listen,
and try to apply the suggestion in the scrimmage.
Chris Ashbrook
Do young players have any chance of making the team as an offensive
player?
Absolutely. There are a number of college players that have now played on club
teams while still in college (Watson, Heijman, Cahill, Gibson, etc), some
while in high school. These players are usually the best offensive players on
their teams and have been to college nationals, at least once, if not multiple
times. Although they may have inexperience on the club seen, they have crunch
time experience and are able to eventually translate that to the club scene.
What about as a handler? As a hucker? What would they have to show you to
prove their worth?
If you are a handler, you must be composed and make the right throw. This
means understanding what the offense is trying to accomplish and what your
role is in accomplishing this goal. Upon understanding the goal, the second
part is to actually make the decision to make the throw that completes the
goal of your offense. Finally, the handler should know the throws in their
repertoire.
Understanding what the offense is trying to accomplish and your role to me is
key. By understanding the offense, you are able to position yourself for the
dump cut (or any cut) that will allow the thrower to make an easy completion
and retain the disc. After receiving the disc, this means that you know where
other people will be cutting so that you can keep the disc moving to your big
throwers.
When watching handlers, I am ok with turnovers during tryouts when the handler
made the the throw easy for the person with the disc and subsequently made the
right decision in where to throw the disc. Sometimes the throw isn’t complete,
it happens to everyone. However, if the throw is habitually not completed,
catching the disc and making the right decision will take you only so far in
the tryout process.
What I am not ok with is:
- When the handler looks off a throw that should have been made within the frame of the receiver; or
- Tries a throw that is not in their repertoire (even if completed). This shows to me a lack of confidence in their throwing ability, not understanding the offense, and/or lack of decision-making abilities.
For a hucker, this is usually a down field player. They need to have the
ability to gain yards and time their cuts. More importantly, they must be able
to make a consistently good choice and throw.
Note, not every huck is a good huck. This should be made known to the hucker
and if they continue to make hucks that are low percentage as they fall out of
the framework of your offense, they may not make the team.
Is calm, conservative play better? Or do you want to see highlight reel
moves, throws, and catches?
I want to see the player play to the best of his skills, abilities, and within
the framework of the offense. The highlight reel plays will be a byproduct of
doing so.
Say you are a young player with a specialty throw (something out of
thenormal repertoire). You are confident in that throw, but it doesn’t really
fit easily into a team’s offense (rather, they could change how they play to
take advantage of this talent). Should you show this in tryout scrimmages?
I would recommend throwing it only when the situation dictates. To throw it in
any other circumstance, most likely will be a very low percentage throw and
probably be looked down upon. However, if you are able to identify the
situations in which the throw is highly effective and has a high completion
percentage I would be looking for a way to implement it only in certain
circumstances (such as a stopped disc).
What is most important; practices or tournaments?
Practices are more important. Here the captains are able to explain and work
on the skills that are important to their offensive and defensive and
philosophies. This gives the captains the opportunity to view which players
can and will fit into their style of play. It also gives them the opportunity
to identify the weaknesses of the tryouts within their structure.
The tournament should be more of a confirmation that the player either is
capable, or is incapable of performing their role on the team.
How should tryouts behave and carry themselves? Some captains and coaches
love people that ask a ton of questions, and others want people that want a
lot of feedback. Or give their opinions. Or are silent, strong teammates. What
are you looking for? Does the personality of a player figure large into
whether they can make the team? What about an obnoxious player with tremendous
talent?
Always ask questions, always ask for feedback. Most of the captains I know are
more than willing to provide that feedback.
In ultimate, I have found that personalities always figure into whether or not
the player makes the team. Two players of equal talent, the one who fits in
personality wise with the team will most likely make it over someone that does
not fit in well personality wise.
Does everyone try out, or are returning players safe?
On every team, you know pretty much that the top 10 (or possibly more) will be
returning. So it is then up to the captains to let those players who are on
the bubble know and tell them what they need to do to make the team.
In general, when evaluating the bottom half of the roster, the question I ask
is whether or not the tryout would significantly improve the team over a
returning player. If the answer is no, then the returner will most likely
retain his spot. The reason for this is that the returner has history with the
team, understands the offense, defense, and his role on the team. There are a
number of intangibles the returner could possibly bring back. But there is
always the flip side, so you can never take your position on the team as a
returner for granted.
How long are your tryouts? Is this optimal?
6 - 8 practices and includes a tournament so that you can confirm your
thoughts on the player.
Is there anything about the tryout process that you think teams should do
more often?
During the tryout process I would like to see teams work on the basic skillset
of their tryouts (and their current players included). Then work the skillset
into their offensive and defensive philosophies. This allows you to identify
areas in which the players excel and where they are lacking.
For instance, you might run a hucking drill to see who can actually huck with
consistency. You would then explain how the huck drill fits into your
offensive philosophy and the types of looks you want to take. This allows you
to identify those who can huck, then actually huck in the framework of your
offense during scrimmages and tournaments (confirmation) successfully.
Ben Van Heuvelen
My thoughts on this topic are at the front of my mind today!
Advice to tryouts:
1. Distinguish yourself on defense, even if you consider yourself an
offensive player. Even if you don’t know the offensive system of the new team,
you can always make an impression on D. In particular, focus on marks and
shut-down defense.
Be the defender who uses intelligence, positioning, and quickness to prevent
his guy from getting open for uncontested passes. Be the defender who visibly
hassles/ flusters the thrower with unpredictable movement and energy on the
mark. Do not go for poach Ds; do not go for handblocks at the expense of
letting off breakmark throws; do not bait layout Ds. Handblocks and layout Ds
are flashy, but good captains/coaches will appreciate the flawless
fundamentals that make for excellent team defense. (Also, flawless fundamental
defense should create plenty of opportunities for flashy big plays.)
2. Get in shape early. Returning players who feel more assured of their
roster spots might not be in great shape yet. You can get an extra few blocks
per game, catch an extra few goals per scrimmage, if you’re in mid-season
shape when everyone else is in early-season shape.
3. Ask the captains/coaches what they’re looking for. Good leaders will
articulate, or will be able to articulate, the general qualities they’re
looking for in players. After a day or so of tryouts, they’ll also be able to
tell you the type of specific role they envision for you, and what they need
to see from you in order to give you a spot on the team.
4. Play your game and show your skills, but within the structure and the
expectations that the team captains set. One way to achieve this balance is to
focus on being a player who makes everyone else better. Make throwers look
good by catching their swill. Make cutters look good by placing perfect passes
to space in front of them (and holstering throws that will not result in
perfect passes). Make teammates look good by clearing space. In the course of
doing all of these things, you will probably be doing flashy things – making
plays as a receiver, breaking the mark, making long throws. The trick is to
keep your focus on doing what makes the team look good, rather than what makes
you look good. (Ultimately, they are one and the same.)
5. Cheer your fellow tryouts as if they’re your teammates. One mental pitfall
of tryouts is that you focus relentlessly on yourself. You are constantly
evaluating how well you’re doing. This is dangerous psychological territory.
(As Joe Montana said, “As soon as you know you’re in The Zone, you’re not in
The Zone.”) Take your focus off yourself – get out of your own head – by
encouraging your fellow tryouts. Talk to them when they’re marking,
congratulate them when they do good things, etc. (And, as a side-note, do not
try to coach or instruct them.) Not only will you have an easier time getting
out of your own head and play better, but you’ll show the team leaders that
you’re a good teammate.