Top 10 tips for making the high school team

Posted in Sports
by Lorain County Moms

By Jack Perconte, McClatchy-Tribune

Competition for making the high school team can be very intense, especially at large schools. The obvious answer to the question of “How to make the high school team?” is to have better skills than the other players. There is no substitute for players working at their skills from a young age.

Many parents, though, get a rude awakening when their kids do not make the team because of reasons that have nothing to do with their skills. Often, many players show similar skills in a tryout and it is some intangible that makes a coach choose one player over another.

Here are tips that parents should pass on to players to “cover all their bases,” so they do not “dribble” away their opportunity to make the team.

Ten tips for making the high school team:

1. Get in the best physical shape possible — size and strength are crucial when players reach the high school level, so better conditioned and stronger players will usually standout. Players who have not reached their growth spurt are at an initial disadvantage, but can overcome that with strength and conditioning work.
2. Play travel sports — athletes should play travel when an option, at least a year or two before entering high school. The advanced competitions, which travel offers, give them an edge. Coaches usually look favorably on travel players because it shows coaches that players are serious about the sport and have added experience.
3. Attend pre-high school camps, if offered. This gives players a familiarity with the coaches and the coaches with the players, as well as give you an idea of what player skills will be needed at eventual tryouts.
4. Study — athletes may think that grades are not important, but nothing is further from the truth. Coaches prefer players that maintain good grades because coaches believe that those who work hard off the field will work hard on it. Additionally, when two players have equal ability, the player with better grades may get the nod.
5. Be coachable — nothing turns a coach off more than players who give the attitude that they know everything, or players who do not seem to be interested in what the coach suggests.
6. Learn the strategy of the sport — advanced game knowledge can make a difference. Coaches prefer players who know the finer details of sport because of the often large size of teams and their limited time to coach.
7. Be on time, make eye contact with coaches and display good posture. Players who come late to tryouts and/or do not take tryouts seriously, can be in for a rude awakening. Additionally, little things like making eye contact, nodding the head in agreement and displaying good posture can make the difference between making the team or not.
8. Be a team player — coaches like players who are sociable with other players and who want to be part of the group. They are leery of kids who appear to be loners or players who only seem interested in themselves.
9. Be helpful — players who pick up gear and perform other tasks that help, will enhance their chances of making the team.
10. Hustle and work hard (this is an obvious tip) — players should not give coaches an excuse for cutting them. Fooling around at tryouts or goofing off in the classroom gives coaches a reason for cutting them.

Of course, these tips can also make the difference for which players get to play, especially in non-cut high school sports.

Finally, high school coaches often coach more than one sport and talk with other coaches, so it is important that athletes work hard and have a coachable attitude in every sport they play and, especially, during gym class. The impression athletes make playing other sports and during gym class can be the edge they need at tryout decision time.

Jack Perconte played 12 years of professional baseball. After retiring from professional baseball in 1987, Perconte opened a baseball training academy in Naperville, Ill. The hitting drills, mental training and coaching tips found in “The Making of a Hitter” (www.themakingofahitter.com) were culled from the 60,000 hitting lessons Perconte estimates he gave while operating the academy. He has also written “Raising an Athlete,” and writes for the blog http://positiveparentinginsports.com.