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.
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