ALL-STAR TRYOUTS 

INTANGIBLES

PLAYERS SHOULD:

1 - Check their gear before they leave the house. Not a quick peek. Say the words out loud..."got my running shoes/cleats, got my glove, got my bat, got my hat, got my helmet, got my cup/jill..."). Make sure they wear footwear that is suitable for the environment. Are the try-outs indoors or outdoors? 

2 - Use the washroom before they go!

3 - Be on time!

4 - Be calm. Take deep breaths before every skill. Think of the try-out as a practice, not a try-out. Accept that you WILL normally make mistakes and that a good coach will see beyond the mistakes and identify potential.  For example, if a player is running to catch a ball, coaches should consider how they got to where they were going, not simply whether they caught the ball.

5 - Dress like a baseball player. DO NOT go to an all-star try-out without a baseball hat. Baseball players wear hats! Don't wear a gimmicky t-shirt or pajama bottoms, or anything that's plain silly - you will get lost in the crowd!

6 - Generally, do not wear shorts without approval. Gym pants or baseball pants are fine.

7 - Do not hang with friends. Have a chat with your friends before you go. If you know you are in the same group, have an "I'll see you after try-outs" conversation. At DRILLZ Athletics we emphasize the word "focus."  Focus is key at try-outs.

8 - If you have new gear, bring last year's gear too if you still have something around. If you have a new glove that is not broken in, the ball will pop out of it! Not a good thing when being graded on fielding.

9 - When a coach speaks, listen. They will quickly identify who is delaying the process.

10 - Jog between stations - try-outs operate on a tight schedule and you don’t want to be identified as a player who wasted time.

PERFORMANCE

PLAYERS SHOULD

1 - Hustle, but not rush. Nothing good comes out of panic in baseball.

2 - Focus on body control...

i) Control the glove when receiving

ii) Control the body when throwing(glove, hand, shoulder, foot for those of you who have trained that concept with DRILLZ Athletics)

iii) Don't over-swing when hitting.

iv) When catching fly balls, try not to run with the glove up. Run to the spot where the ball is going  to land and raise the glove when you get there.

v) If you drop a ball, that's normal. Quickly pick it up and return it. Don't think about what it will do to your score!

3 - Control what you can, while hitting...

i) If the pitcher is throwing too slow, it can throw off your timing. So, ask them to throw harder(don't ask them to slow down).

ii) If the pitcher is throwing too quickly between pitches and you don't have time to get ready, step away from the plate, just as if you are requesting time from an umpire.  They will ask you to step back in if you take too much time.

iii) Swing at strikes! If the pitcher struggles throwing strikes, that is normal. However, you have to show that you have a trained eye at the plate. 

4 - Never sulk and never throw equipment! Quick emotional recovery is really important in sport, because we all make mistakes! Players who can't move on from mistakes are more likely to make more of them. Just think about a major league pitcher who gives up a home-run - they still have to throw the next pitch. So....never quit!

uFinally, good luck, have fun and remember…. if you don't make the Major Leagues, you can still make millions doing something else you love! Baseball and Softball are fun things you do, they do not define who you are.

PLAYER MOTIVATION

General Player Motivation

Many years ago, I was assisting Newfoundland Hall of Famer, Dennis Byrd, with a Midget all-star practice. At one stage, he divided the players into groups and we hit them ground-balls. However, after a few run-throughs, Dennis told the players that if they dropped the ball, they were out. Last person standing wins. You could immediately see the difference in their approach and demeanors. No prizes, just the will to win. It meant something to them! After we finished the drill, I remember Dennis turning to me and saying “I try to turn every drill into a game if I can.” It stuck with me forever. As we all know, intrinsic motivation works best. It was a great lesson for me to carry forward.

The Legacy of the Rubber Chicken

Several years back, I was offering a camp and mini-game play was one of the components of instruction. Before I left the house prior to the first camp, I looked at my wife and told her that I should have picked up a gag prize of some sort for the game. About an hour into the camp, my wife pulled into the parking lot of the field and called me over. She passed me a bag with two toy rubber chickens on the inside. Perfect! I immediately called the players over and explained that the winning team would get one of the rubber chickens and their team would do a victory lap around the field. It was hilarious to watch from beginning to end - this was their World Series and they wanted to win that rubber chicken! 

Mr/Mrs Big

I love Mr. Big chocolate bars, so they are hard for me to give away. None-the-less, I wanted a Player of the Game Award for our Junior High team at Macdonald Drive Junior High School, for the Annual tournament sponsored by St. John's Minor. Since all the players were male, I decided that I would buy Mr. Big bars as awards. The players seemed to like it. I was pretty pleased since I wasn’t sure if it would just be perceived as just another weird adult idea. Fast forward one year and two games into the event, one of the players asks about the bars. I had forgotten, but made it up to them by buying a bunch of bars and presenting them at the next game for the first three games of the tournament. The kids were really excited and I felt entirely reassured about the Mr. Big idea...until I realized it was somewhat sexist...

The following year a girls tournament was added to the event and two of them actually made the boys/mixed team as well. Solution...a black, felt tipped magic marker and an "s" after "Mr." Case closed. A fun after - game ceremony for Mr. or Mrs. Big!

Anyway coaches, the moral of these stories, is that we sometimes get so caught up in practice that we forget to have fun. We have to keep in mind that increasing player motivation and team building are huge keys in developing a successful team. We don't need huge prizes to make that happen.