What We Look For (Ability)
by Brian Lo
I break this down into two categories: Ability and Attitude. There will be areas where these categories blur, and that's fine. Today, let's look at things through the Ability lens.
Athleticism: This probably sounds obvious, but I'm constantly shocked when young players show up to tryouts and don't highlight their athleticism. Even if it's a drill without defense, you should be going full tilt. The impression you want to leave on the selection committee is, "Whoa, she's pretty fast!" Not, "Hmmm... I'm not sure about her top speed. Let's remember to watch her in the scrimmage."
Defense: The easiest path to making a team is to demonstrate that you can play defense. Getting blocks is great, but that is not the only measure of good defense. Do you mark aggressively and intelligently? Do you re-position with awareness? I like the defensive mantra, "Nothing Easy." The conversations about tryouts when we are selecting the team are usually along the lines of, "She hustles. She definitely made me work to get open." Or "I had a tough time getting my backhand off against her in the breakmark drill." Strive to make life difficult for whomever you're marking up on.
Throwing: While it's important to keep turnovers down we also want to see if you have throws. If you were a big hucker on your last team or have an unstoppable around backhand, then show us you have the throws. If you have a more limited arsenal of throws, show us you can make quick, smart decisions with the disc and play high possession offense.
Multidimensionality: Definitely strive to show off not only what you're great at, but also what you're good at. We want to see you're not a one-trick pony. Do you have great throws? Wonderful! Can you also make good handler cuts? If you've been doing well picking up the disc in the scrimmage then take a few points where you line up as the primary reset. Or if you've scored deep a few times then show us you can come in and make good continuation/dump throws.
Ultimately, tryouts are your chance to put your best foot forward and highlight what you can do. Seize that opportunity.
I break this down into two categories: Ability and Attitude. There will be areas where these categories blur, and that's fine. Today, let's look at things through the Ability lens.
Athleticism: This probably sounds obvious, but I'm constantly shocked when young players show up to tryouts and don't highlight their athleticism. Even if it's a drill without defense, you should be going full tilt. The impression you want to leave on the selection committee is, "Whoa, she's pretty fast!" Not, "Hmmm... I'm not sure about her top speed. Let's remember to watch her in the scrimmage."
Defense: The easiest path to making a team is to demonstrate that you can play defense. Getting blocks is great, but that is not the only measure of good defense. Do you mark aggressively and intelligently? Do you re-position with awareness? I like the defensive mantra, "Nothing Easy." The conversations about tryouts when we are selecting the team are usually along the lines of, "She hustles. She definitely made me work to get open." Or "I had a tough time getting my backhand off against her in the breakmark drill." Strive to make life difficult for whomever you're marking up on.
Throwing: While it's important to keep turnovers down we also want to see if you have throws. If you were a big hucker on your last team or have an unstoppable around backhand, then show us you have the throws. If you have a more limited arsenal of throws, show us you can make quick, smart decisions with the disc and play high possession offense.
Multidimensionality: Definitely strive to show off not only what you're great at, but also what you're good at. We want to see you're not a one-trick pony. Do you have great throws? Wonderful! Can you also make good handler cuts? If you've been doing well picking up the disc in the scrimmage then take a few points where you line up as the primary reset. Or if you've scored deep a few times then show us you can come in and make good continuation/dump throws.
Ultimately, tryouts are your chance to put your best foot forward and highlight what you can do. Seize that opportunity.