Some cheerleading squads are limited in terms of how many athletes can be accepted.  This can lead to frustration and heartache for those who don’t make the team.  But – don’t give up!!  Consider that there are many factors that go into a coach’s decision to create a team.  Your job is to figure out what you need to do to get accepted this time! 

To be a great athlete you have to think and act like one and this means being objective in your self assessment and being committed to working on those areas that need improvement. 

One way to think about this is to consider three areas: technical, situational, and mental, and determine what you need to work on in order to improve your chances. 

• 1. List all of the technical reasons you did not succeed at tryouts before (such as poor motions, lack of tumbling skills, not the right tumbling skills, etc.). 
• 2. List all of the situational reasons why you did not make a team (such as not a good fit for squad, they needed a base not a flyer, you didn’t prepare adequately, etc.) 
• 3. List all of the mental reasons why you didn’t make a team (such as too much anxiety, freezing or forgetting a routine, any mental blocks, etc.) 
• 4. Now list the top 3 problems you had for each category and include a solution for each problem. (See example.)

 Example:

Technical Problem # 1: Could not execute a clean handspring.

Solution: I will get help from an instructor and practice 3 times a week until I nail my handspring.

Situational Problem # 1: I didn’t have enough time to prepare.

Solution: I will plan way in advance to make sure I have enough time to prepare well.

Mental Problem #1: I was so nervous I forgot some of the steps and loused up the routine.

Solution: I will learn and use some self-calming strategies so I can focus better. 

Now it’s your turn to come up with several more technical, situational, and mental problems you may have had and – most importantly – the solutions for each! 

Want more detailed information about how to succeed at Tryouts?  Check out my special program – The Mental Game of Cheerleading: Tryouts!  It’s a 2-CD audio package with a 50 page workbook!  Invest in the digital version (immediate download) for less!

Tags: cheerleader, cheerleaders, Cheerleading, cheerleading tryouts, Tryouts

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 6th, 2010 at 7:57 pm by Dr. Pam and is filed under Championship Mind-set, Tryouts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.