With less than a week until our first tryouts take place, I wanted to share some specifics on what coaches will be doing while observing you during our six tryout sessions. I created a rubric with 16 categories that players are going to be evaluated on, and we will be doing activities that specifically target different categories. Each day, my goal is to have each player have at least 10 of the 16 categories scored. This provides some overlap between days, which then gives us more data to look at when making decisions. In the event that a player is scored more than once in a category, their overall score would be the average of the number of data points.
When a group of players is playing on the field, at least one of the coaches will be scoring them while the other helps lead the activity. The coach that leads the activity may need to support both groups of players (physical fitness testing as well as soccer playing testing), so this person will not be directly involved in scoring the entire time. During the six sessions, the coaches will all be rotating roles and responsibilities, which gives the players a different set of eyes watching them each session. Again, a player’s total score will be averaged out for each category to get their rating.
There are four areas that we are evaluating – physical skills, technical skills, tactical skills, and mental skills. This is what we are looking at in each of these areas:
| Physical Skills | Technical Skills | Tactical Skills | Mental Skills |
| Speed | First Touch | Defensive IQ | Mental Toughness / Composure |
| Strength/Physical Presence | Passing | Offensive IQ | Teamwork |
| Endurance | Shooting | Tactical Understanding | |
| Agility | Dribbling | Versatility | |
| Aerial Ability | |||
| Weak Foot Ability |
A player’s placement on the rosters is not just dependent on their scores in these categories, but also with what position they will play compared to the formation and team tactics. For example, if all squads are playing with a single striker in the formation, the third best striker in the program would likely be on JV so that they can get additional playing time. However, that player’s scores could put them on varsity if they play in a different position. This is why it will be important for players to play in a different role and position as requested during game play. We have weighed the value of all 16 categories for a number of formations and tactics for each position. Example: A goalkeeper playing as a sweeper keeper in a possession-based tactic will have a higher passing weight, but if the team is playing a counter-attack and just wants a shot-stopping keeper, their passing is not as critical to the team’s success.
The rubric for each of these areas is a scale of 1 to 5, and several of the scores are dependent on that player’s ability compared to those of other players trying out. For example, the speed rubric is
| Speed: |
| 1. Significantly slower than peers, struggles to keep up in play |
| 2. Below average speed, often outpaced by opponents |
| 3. Average speed, keeps up with play most of the time |
| 4. Above average speed, often outruns opponents |
| 5. Exceptional speed, consistently fastest player on the field |
Other rubrics are dependent on a player’s performance in drills and games. For example, the tactical awareness rubric is
| Tactical Understanding: |
| 1. Doesn’t understand basic positioning or team shape |
| 2. Understands basic positioning but struggles to adapt to game situations |
| 3. Grasps team tactics and can usually position themselves correctly |
| 4. Good understanding of tactics, adapts well to different game situations |
| 5. Excellent tactical awareness, reads the game well, and positions themselves and teammates effectively |
Here are all of the rubrics being used for tryouts:
| Speed: | Strength/Physical Presence: |
| 1. Significantly slower than peers, struggles to keep up in play | 1. Easily outmuscled, struggles in physical confrontations |
| 2. Below average speed, often outpaced by opponents | 2. Below average strength, sometimes holds own in physical play |
| 3. Average speed, keeps up with play most of the time | 3. Average strength for age group, holds own in most physical confrontations |
| 4. Above average speed, often outruns opponents | 4. Above average strength, often wins physical battles |
| 5. Exceptional speed, consistently fastest player on the field | 5. Dominates physical aspects of the game with strength and control |
| Endurance: | Agility: |
| 1. Tires quickly, performance drops significantly after short periods | 1. Slow to change direction, struggles with quick movements |
| 2. Below average stamina, struggles in latter parts of each half | 2. Below average agility, takes time to adjust body position |
| 3. Average stamina, maintains performance for most of the game | 3. Average agility, able to change direction at moderate speeds |
| 4. Good stamina, performs consistently throughout the game | 4. Good agility, quick changes of direction in most situations |
| 5. Exceptional endurance, maintains high performance even in extra time | 5. Exceptional agility, rapid direction changes even at high speeds |
| Technical Skills | |
| First Touch: | Passing: |
| 1. Poor first touch, frequently loses control of the ball | 1. Inaccurate passes, rarely finds teammates |
| 2. Inconsistent first touch, sometimes controls well but often struggles | 2. Inconsistent passing, accurate only with simple, short passes |
| 3. Average first touch, usually maintains control in low-pressure situations | 3. Average passing, generally accurate with short and medium passes |
| 4. Good first touch, controls well even under some pressure | 4. Makes accurate passes with some vision, occasionally finding teammates with through balls or diagonal passes |
| 5. Excellent first touch, consistently controls difficult passes under pressure | 5. Consistently demonstrates excellent passing vision, anticipating teammate movement and creating scoring opportunities with creative passes |
| Shooting: | Dribbling: |
| 1. Poor shot accuracy and power, rarely threatens goal | 1. Struggles to maintain control while moving, frequently loses possession |
| 2. Inconsistent shooting, occasionally on target but lacks power or placement | 2. Can dribble in a straight line but struggles with changes in direction |
| 3. Average shooting, can score from good positions | 3. Maintains control at moderate speeds, can change direction but may slow down significantly |
| 4. Good shooting, threatens goal regularly with power and accuracy | 4. Effectively uses dribbling to move past defenders and create space for themselves or teammates |
| 5. Excellent shooting, scores consistently from various distances and angles | 5. Dribbles with creativity and flair, using advanced moves to beat defenders and create high-quality scoring opportunities |
| Aerial Ability: | Weak Foot Ability: |
| 1. Poor in the air, rarely wins headers | 1. Extremely one-footed, avoids using weak foot |
| 2. Below average aerial ability, occasionally wins uncontested headers | 2. Poor weak foot, can make simple passes but avoids in pressure situations |
| 3. Average in the air, wins fair share of headers | 3. Average weak foot, can use for basic control and passing |
| 4. Good aerial ability, wins most headers and poses threat on set pieces | 4. Good weak foot, comfortable using for most actions |
| 5. Excellent in the air, dominates aerial duels and scores headed goals | 5. Excellent weak foot, nearly as proficient as strong foot |
| Tactical Skills | |
| Defensive IQ: | Offensive IQ: |
| 1. Poor positioning, rarely makes successful tackles or interceptions | 1. Rarely makes good attacking decisions, often loses possession |
| 2. Sometimes positions correctly, occasional successful tackles or interceptions | 2. Occasionally makes good decisions in attack, sometimes creates opportunities |
| 3. Generally good positioning, makes successful tackles and interceptions | 3. Generally makes good decisions, creates some chances for self or teammates |
| 4. Consistently well-positioned, regularly wins tackles and makes interceptions | 4. Consistently makes good decisions, regularly creates scoring opportunities |
| 5. Excellent positioning, anticipates play, frequently wins possession through tackles or interceptions | 5. Excellent decision-making, frequently creates high-quality chances, reads defense well |
| Versatility: | Tactical Understanding: |
| 1. Can only play one position adequately | 1. Doesn’t understand basic positioning or team shape |
| 2. Can play two related positions (e.g., center back and fullback) | 2. Understands basic positioning but struggles to adapt to game situations |
| 3. Can play multiple positions in one area of the field (e.g., all defensive positions) | 3. Grasps team tactics and can usually position themselves correctly |
| 4. Can play multiple positions within different formations, adapting to the team’s tactical needs | 4. Good understanding of tactics, adapts well to different game situations |
| 5. Quickly adapts to different positions and playing styles within a game, maximizing their effectiveness in various situations | 5. Excellent tactical awareness, reads the game well, and positions themselves and teammates effectively |
| Mental Skills | |
| Mental Toughness/Composure: | Teamwork: |
| 1. Easily rattled, performance suffers under any pressure | 1. Rarely communicates, doesn’t pass, often makes selfish decisions |
| 2. Struggles with pressure, occasionally maintains composure | 2. Occasionally communicates, passes when obvious, sometimes makes team-oriented decisions |
| 3. Average composure, generally handles pressure but may falter in high-stakes moments | 3. Communicates adequately, looks for passing options, generally makes team-oriented decisions |
| 4. Good composure, performs well under pressure most of the time | 4. Provides positive encouragement and instructions to teammates, sometimes taking initiative to organize them |
| 5. Excellent composure, thrives under pressure and in big moments | 5. Leads by example, consistently motivates and organizes teammates, taking initiative to improve team performance |
Questions? Reach out to Coach Tom at TSzewczyk@isd271.org