1)  Play to your Strengths

A balanced lacrosse team is full of athletes who have different skill sets. There are players who excel at shooting, passing, defense or other fundamental parts of the game. Whatever your specialty is, let it shine in lacrosse tryouts.

For example, if you excel at recovering ground balls, play to that strength. Grab every ground ball you can. Your coaching staff may then remember you as that player who really has a nose for the ball.

2)  Hustle, Hustle, Hustle!

The easiest way into a coach’s heart is to hustle all tryout long. It can be a real difference-maker for players who are on the verge of being cut.

Every player can and should do these simple things right:

• Run hard through every drill

• Chase after fast breaks

• Sprint to the end line after missed shots

• Chase after ground balls

By hustling hard every minute, you will make yourself standout from the crowd.

3) Be a Team Player

No matter your skill level, it’s important to be known as someone who puts the team first. In other words, leave ball hogging for pick-up games.

Lacrosse coaches are looking for players who can elevate their teammates’ play. Whether you have the ability to thread the needle or communicate on defense, unselfish moves can help you get noticed.

4)  Maintain a Positive Attitude

Even though lacrosse tryouts can be grueling, it’s important to remain positive. You can score points by keeping your chin up even when the ball doesn’t bounce your way.

You can display a positive attitude by doing these things well:

• Show up early

• Display good sportsmanship

• Listen

• Follow directions

In sports, a positive attitude is contagious. If you are the type of player that is able to raise your team’s morale, you will have a better shot at winning a spot on the squad.

5)  Be Confident

At any age, lacrosse tryouts can be stressful. You only have a few days to show the coaches that you deserve a spot on the field.

But, there’s no need to panic. You have prepared all off-season to make the team. Be confident in your skills. Try your best and let the rest fall into place.

Here’s some advice for your tryouts:

The TWO most important tasks that you have to accomplish for your upcoming tryouts that would greatly increase the chances that you will perform the best that you can are: Stay calm and stay focused!  

If you make yourself too nervous for tryouts there is absolutely no way that you will perform to your capabilities! Staying relaxed is the key to a successful tryout. This has to be your number one priority.

In order to stay relaxed going into and during your tryouts, then you also need to learn to control your focus of concentration. The biggest mistake that athletes make in these pressured situations is that they consistently focus on all of the wrong things right before and during the tryouts.

What are the wrong things? How important the tryouts are! Impressing the coaches! How good your competition is! The “WHAT IF’s” (i.e. what if I don’t make the team, etc.) and, of course, the biggest one: “I WANT TO MAKE THE TEAM!” 

I know you want to make the team. You know you want to make the team. Your parents know you want to make the team and even the coaches know that! However, you can’t focus on making the team when you go to tryouts if you really want to have a successful tryouts  

Instead, you must try to keep your focus of concentration on all of the things that you can directly control. Believe it or not, while you are taking part in tryouts, you CAN’T directly control how the tryouts will turn out. Focus only on what you are doing, your play, your job in that moment, one moment at a time! Also, and just as important, keep your focus of concentration on YOU and not on your teammates. If you waste mental energy comparing yourself to everyone else who is there and how good they are, then you will gradually undermine your self-confidence and make yourself too uptight to play well. In the very same way, you want to keep your concentration on YOU and not the coaches or what they might think of you. You have no control over the coaches and their reactions or thoughts during tryouts and if you think you have, you’ll be sadly mistaken!

Remember, forget making the team! Forget impressing the coaches! Instead try to keep yourself as relaxed as possible, focusing on what’s important in the NOW, one play at a time. Stay away from the future and what’s at stake. You have to be relaxed and focused in order to perform to your potential. And while you’re at it, here’s one more RADICAL concept! Try to have FUN at tryouts. If you’re having fun you’ll stay loose and relaxed. Good luck!