As the Ultimate season gets set for another exciting year the first step toward nationals for most teams is just begging, tryouts.
Tryouts are an equally important part of Ultimate as they are in many other sports. It is not uncommon for some of the best teams in the country the previous year to hold completely open tryouts as situations with players change and spots become available or just to revitalize a team with an influx of fresh blood.
These tryout periods can be equally stressful to players and the teams. Players want to be at their prime at tryouts in hopes to impress and earn a spot on the roster. This requires players to go in with a particular mindset. They must play at their best, but not overburden themselves with pressure.
Every season brings in a new wave of younger players and this can place just as much stress on returning players as they are also another year older. In some situations it can become an issue of keeping up with a much younger more energetic group.
Quite possibly the most import part of tryouts is choosing a team which best identifies with a player. Finding a team where individuals mesh on multiple levels can be key in creating a dominate team. Ultimate is a dominantly offensive sport and having confidence in every player on the field is important to having a strong team.
Another critical factor for each player is going in knowing and understanding your strengths and weaknesses. There is a limit to how far a person can stretch themselves and showcasing the best parts is much better then taking a gamble in a weaker area.
