Level Up: Ultimate Frisbee Tryouts

Tryouts for a new Ultimate Frisbee team can be a stressful and challenging experience. If you’re looking to stand out from the crowd during tryouts, you’re in the right place! It’s time to level up for Ultimate Frisbee tryouts.

There are two different things you can do to stand out in tryouts for a new Ultimate Frisbee team.

You can introduce yourself.

You can find out what you’re best at – and showcase it.

Let’s look at each of these in detail.

Introduce Yourself

Tryouts are hectic events, especially for captains, coaches, and other team leaders. From someone who has captained a few teams before, here is a secret – you can’t make the team if no one knows who you are.

Get to the tryouts a little early. Introduce yourself to the captains, coaches, and other team leaders.

When you warm up your throws (bring a disc of your own), ask to throw with someone who was on the team before (and someone from the opposite gender, if you are trying out for a mixed team).

When you begin your warmup activities, try to warm up next to a returning player.

Give high fives, cheers, or other accolades to everyone – after all, these are your potential teammates.

However you do it, make sure people know your name and face.

Find What You’re Best At

Here’s another secret from the coach and captains – most teams love to develop talent, and all teams love adding a player with unique skills.

So what does this mean?

If you can stand out in any way from your peers, be sure to showcase that talent. For example, maybe you have a unique skill in:

Forehand hucks
High release backhands
Skying people
Handblocks

However, not everyone is playing at their best yet. Many of us are improving, and still leveling up. If you’re not sure what your unique skill is, consider showcasing any of these often overlooked (by players) skills:

On field communication when cutting
Sideline communication, especially to help out the defense
Positive encouragement for the team
Hustle, especially on pulls, or when a huck goes up
Workouts, like sprints after the tryout

Everyone has the opportunity to stand out at a tryout, no matter what skill level you are at.

I’ll leave one last piece of advice.

After you get word about whether or not you make the team – no matter what – ask for feedback on what to improve on. Captains and coaches like players who want to improve.

Your willingness to improve – even if you don’t make the team – will give you a better shot at making the team next year, and will help you continue to level up.