10-Step Checklist for Conducting Youth Sports Tryouts

How can I improve athlete flow during tryouts? How do I ensure my tryouts lead to accurate team placement decisions? What types of drills should I run, and how many?

These are just some of the questions coaches ask themselves as tryout season approaches. But without proper planning, tryouts aren't guaranteed to be fair, efficient, or transparent.

That's why we've curated a 10-step youth sports tryout checklist covering every stage of the process, from drill selection and organizing players to team selection tips and more. Best of all, it's built to work with the staff and materials you already have, so you'll be running effective, well-organized tryouts in no time.

BEFORE TRYOUTS:

• Set the location (and confirm venue availability for your chosen dates)

• Determine how many days the tryouts will run

• Choose a date and time

• Determine the duration of tryouts

• Estimate the number of participants

• Confirm staff and evaluator availability for the chosen dates

• If tryouts are outdoors, prepare a backup plan for bad weather

 2. Select Drills

A)    Determine how many drills you will conduct:

• Short tryout (under 60 minutes): 3-4 drills

• Mid-length tryout (60–90 minutes): 5-7 drills

• Long tryout (90+ minutes): 7-10 drills

B)    Choose the type of drills you'd like to run. Here are a few practical tips to follow when selecting the right drills:

1. Evaluate one primary skill per drill. For example, a basketball coach will want to select a separate drill for each skill: dribbling, passing, shooting, defense, etc.. to avoid testing too much at once and ensure accurate scores.

2. Adjust drills for different ages and levels. Testing baseball players on catching? The same drill can work for both your 6U and 12U athletes—just adjust the throw type and spacing between players accordingly.

3. Avoid overly complex drills. Choose drills with 3–4 easy-to-follow steps. This is not only easier to explain during the drill briefing, but the simplicity also helps reduce confusion and nerves.

 3. Create Evaluation Template

If using pen-and-paper forms, create a centralized evaluation template that all evaluators can use for consistent scoring.

How to set it up:

• List each skill along the Y-axis (rows).

• Leave blank columns along the X-axis for players, so evaluators can write in names as they score.

• Include a scoring rubric at the top (e.g., 1 = Poor, 5 = Excellent) as a quick reference guide.

Find your sports evaluation form here!

4. Select Evaluators

Now that you know how many drills you'll be running, you can accurately determine how many evaluators you need. It's recommended to have one evaluator per drill station.

Evaluators can be coaches, assistant coaches, or volunteers. No matter who's evaluating, make sure each person understands what constitutes a "perfect" score for the skill(s) they're assessing.

For example, if you have an evaluator scoring players on dribbling, briefly walk them through what to look for: "Players should keep the ball close and controlled at all speeds, execute smooth turns and crossovers, and change direction quickly without losing control."

AT TRYOUTS:

5. Check-in Players

Set up a designated check-in table to track attendance. This step is crucial for ensuring all players are accounted for and given name tags for easy identification during tryouts.

You might also have cases when walk-ons arrive (those who didn’t pre-register). These players can fill out the necessary information and be set up with an identification tag on the spot.

6. Divide Players

Determine how many players will be at each drill station and how they will be divided. I.e., By jersey colour, jersey number, or position.

For reliable and accurate scores, have no more than 10 athletes per drill station. This gives evaluators time to focus on assessing each athlete’s technique, skill level, game awareness, and athleticism without feeling rushed.

7. Warm-up and Drill Explanation

Aim for a 15–20 minute warm-up to reduce the risk of injury, prepare athletes for sport-specific movements, and improve overall performance quality (technique, speed, coordination, etc.).

A sample warm-up format:

• 0–3 minutes: Movement to increase heart rate—butt kicks, high knees, jumping jacks, laps.

• 3–7 minutes: Dynamic stretching to improve range of motion—walking lunges, arm circles, hip openers, leg swings.

• 7–10 minutes: Sport-specific exercises to transition players into tryout drills—light ball work (dribbling, passing, or stick handling), low-intensity jumps or cuts, short shuffles or accelerations.

Take some time to walk through each drill station. Here, you will:

• Perform the drill: Demonstrate it with clear, step-by-step instructions, then run through it again in one smooth, continuous motion.

• Provide tips: As you give step-by-step instructions, add in helpful pointers—for example, "When dribbling around the cones, keep your head up and use both hands."

8. Score Players

Now comes time for one of the most important tasks on tryout day. Whether using pen-and-paper or an evaluation app, athletes will be evaluated, and scores will be entered.

Consider using a digital evaluation tool to streamline this process. Simply create your evaluation template, invite evaluators, and score athletes on any mobile device.

Because scores are entered on a single centralized platform (and stored securely for later review), this minimizes the risk of misentered, lost, or incomplete data.

As seen above, players aren't given just one overall score for dribbling. Instead, they're evaluated across several specific metrics within that skill, giving coaches a more accurate and complete picture of their performance.

 AFTER TRYOUTS:

9. Review Evaluation Data

Once scores are entered, data is securely stored on the back end. What does this mean for coaches? Detailed reports are automatically generated, letting you rank and compare player performance for quick, confident team placement decisions.

Gone are the days of manually entering scores from paper forms into Excel spreadsheets, then building reports from scratch. With SkillShark, simply navigate to a report, select your criteria (the players and skills you want to view), and get instant insights.

Some of SkillShark's most popular reports include:

1. Comparison report- Create teams that work well together by comparing athletes' strengths and weaknesses, and assigning positions accordingly.

2. Ranking report- See how your players stack up against each other. Identify top performers across any skill or overall ability to build cohesive teams.

3. Progress report- Track player progress throughout the season, turning these insights into powerful feedback that motivates athletes and drives improvement.

10.  Notify Players

Once team placement decisions are made, promptly notify players (and parents) of the outcome via email or the athlete portal. Regardless of the result, remain open to answering questions and providing specific feedback when needed. For example, if a player doesn't make the team and asks why, offer 1-2 strengths and 1-2 areas for growth. A balance of positive and constructive feedback is key!

Wrapping Up

Running youth sports tryouts shouldn’t have to feel like an overwhelming task. Instead, tryouts can be a challenging yet energizing experience for athletes, all while answering the question many coaches ask themselves: "What will my teams look like this year?"

The key to success? Stick to a youth sports tryout checklist. By following these steps, you can rest easy that any tryout you conduct will be fair, well-organized and, most importantly, produce balanced and competitive teams for the season ahead.