This
month's Coaching and Sports Section features the considerable effort
and expertise of graduate student and soccer coach Jen Cilz. Thanks
Jen!
Many sport seasons are starting up again and one of the challenges
facing coaches is picking their teams. This issue of Coaching and
Sports focuses on this challenge, and many of the decisions that
go into team selection.
Martin W. Short and Jen Cilz
University of North Dakota
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At the beginning
of each season, the first task to be done is the selection of your
team. This is a huge responsibility, regardless of the age or level
of sport.
Tryouts are used as a way to assess the ability and character of
prospective athletes. Tryouts may be one of the most anticipated
and stressful times for, not only the athlete, but also the coach.
The selection period is usually a relatively short period of time,
making it that much more important to be organized from the beginning.
An established criterion is of utmost importance, defining what
variables you want to measure, or what qualities you are looking
for in the athletes. Remember, you want to select the best TEAM,
which doesn’t always include the best players.
Some factors you must prepare for, before you can even begin team
selection, include the number of individuals interested in being
on the team, the amount of time that you have to evaluate prospective
team members, how many people you plan on having on your team, and
what things you are going to evaluate. Maintaining a sense of fairness
is critical, and having guidelines will help do that.
Designing Tryouts
The tryout is a good opportunity to observe skills pre-season,
which can tell both you and the athlete where work may be needed.
The tryout should be as well thought out, and organized, as other
parts of your program.
Good planning will make the process easier, so below are some guidelines
for planning that first tryout.
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Inform Players/Parents about details and requirements of the
tryout (times, equipment). |
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Ensure
that necessary resources are available (space, equipment). |
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Arrive
early to answer any questions, and to make sure everything is
in place. |
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Prepare the
players (what player qualities you are looking for, explanation
of the drills to be run and their purposes, objectives of scrimmage
sessions, target timeline for team selection). |
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| If you have
ideas, comments, letters to share, or questions about particular
topics, please email one of the following Coaching Section Editors:
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| As stated in the Coaching section for August, "Many sport seasons are starting up again and one of the challenges facing coaches is picking their teams." How do you pick your teams? What methods are used? How do you avoid causing an athlete to become discouraged and quit sports when they aren't selected? I believe team picking plays an important role in whether a student learns to love or hate sports/PE, and whether the athlete 'sticks with it.' Please share in the forum.
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There are four
basic components of ability that should be evaluated in each athlete
including:
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Technical
ability |
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Tactical
ability |
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Physical
ability |
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Psychological
ability/ Character aspects |
Technical ability includes the individual basic
skills of the sport, such as dribbling and shooting in soccer.
Tactical ability is the athlete's game sense,
or understanding of the game.
Physical ability includes such things as fitness,
agility, and speed. This aspect is the athleticism of the athlete.
Psychological ability/Character aspects are the
intangible skills such as confidence, attitude, work ethic, and
the ability to control emotion. |
| How to Evaluate These Aspects |
The
tryout period is the time to evaluate the different abilities of
the athletes. Evaluating all these skills in such a short period
of time can be difficult, especially since some abilities, such
as confidence, are quite subjective. Some coaches may create a check
list, or point system, to make the process more objective.
There are four types of "drills" that should be included
in the tryout process to best assess all four of the ability components.
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Specific
skill drills to assess technical ability. For example, a basketball
coach may use a shooting drill, keeping track of shots made
during an allotted time. |
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Physical
testing to test physical ability or athleticism. Tests could
include a timed 40 meter dash, vertical jump, or a 2 mile run. |
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Competitive
drills to assess a number of the aspects including psychological
ability. Does the athlete rise to the challenge? |
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Scrimmages
to assess all of the aspects, including game sense. This will
give you a full picture of each athlete in a game situation. |
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Below
you will find links that provide more specific guidelines regarding
team selection.
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TRYOUTS
- Everything coaches should know about running player selection
sessions.
This article was originally provided to the Soccer-Coach-L list
by Coach Perrone Ford. It consists of Perrone's compilations of
his and other coaches' submissions to the Soccer-Coach-L e-mail
list about tryouts. Ken
Gamble
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The coach's responsibility is to see that the tryout process
is fair for all athletes, and that the tryout gives each athlete
an equal opportunity to show their skills.
State your expectations and/or philosophy before you make your
selections. All the athletes need to be 'on the same page' early
in order to avoid surprises after selections have already been
made.
The coach acting in a way that is perceived as 'confident' by
the athletes is also important, because this will in turn have
an effect on the athlete's confidence, and thus their performance. |
| Avoid the Self-Fulfilling Prophecy |
What
is the self-fulfilling prophecy? This refers to the effect of
one person's expectation on another's behavior.
In sport, the coach's expectations of an athlete may affect
the athlete's behavior. Coaches develop expectations about athletes
from a number of factors, such as age, physical appearance, and
ability. These expectations are communicated to the athlete through
verbal and nonverbal methods. If the athlete perceives these expectations
correctly, he/she may perform or behave according to the expectations.
The coach's behavior affects the athlete's performance by communicating
to the athlete his/her perceived level of competence. The conforming
behavior only reinforces the coach's expectations.
Be careful not to form these judgments or stereotypes that may
lead to the dismissal of an athlete. Also, coaches may need to
look past the obvious; players may lack self-esteem hindering
their true potential.
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When you have to make cuts you are
often faced with some tough decisions. When it comes down to those
final choices commitment should be a primary consideration, since
team chemistry is built around commitment. It may be hard to cut
an individual with good physical ability, but coaches that have
been around a while get quite familiar with the uncommitted "star"
that misses practices, won't work at conditioning, and causes
problems with the team. If the player isn't willing to change,
it won't work out.
You also have to be prepared to justify your decisions to the
athletes and their parents. Keep these conversations short and
to the point. Do not make comparisons with other individuals,
and do not add to your team roster just to appease a parent. Show
that your selection was based on a fair evaluation, and let them
know what they can work on to better their chances next time.
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Cape
Coache's Report - Articles written by the staff at Cape Cod Rehabilitation
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