How to Use A Youth Sports Tryout Software

Running a youth sports tryout can be challenging, but with the right tool, some of the stressful and monotonous tasks can be done for you. That's where youth sports tryout software proves invaluable, providing an easy, accurate, and reliable method for coaches to conduct athlete evaluations across any level and any sport.

We walk you through a step-by-step process on how to use this software, which will revolutionize how you assess talent, draft teams, and provide feedback.

Tips for Choosing the Right Youth Sports Tryout Software

Toss away the pen and paper forms before your next tryout. Instead, save time, reduce stress, and develop your athletes with youth sports tryout software. Look for software that offers the following:

• Intuitive interface for coaches and evaluators- Minimal setup, works on any device, and guides you through each step of the process.

• Customizable evaluation templates- Create a template with specific skills, metrics, and scoring ranges based on your coaching recipe.

• Mobile Scoring- Easy navigation between athletes, offline capabilities (no wifi required), and the ability to add comments & videos alongside scores.

• Auto-generated reports- Rank & compare players immediately after an evaluation. *Data syncs automatically, and reports are prepared on the backend, ready for your review.

• Messaging capabilities- An in-app messaging center to update athletes & parents about drafting decisions, tournament schedules, and practice updates.

How to Use Youth Sports Tryout Software

1. Create Custom Evaluation Templates

Not every sport—or even every team—evaluates players in the same manner. That is why building customized templates matters. With sports tryout software like SkillShark:

• Select from a pre-set evaluation template, customize your own, or combine both.

• Add in subjective scores (fixed-scale between 1 and 5) and objective scores (single measurement).

• Create a set of predefined comments for quick insertion during evaluations.

2. Import Athletes and Assign Evaluators

Before the tryout begins, there are still a couple of remaining steps to take:

• Import your athlete roster from Excel or a team management software.

• Perform a quick check to ensure all player data is mapped correctly. I.e., Do all jersey numbers line up? Are player positions correct?

• Assign evaluators to drill stations (ideally one evaluator at each station).

3. Score Athletes

Now the fun begins! Evaluators will score athletes from their tablet or phone at their designated station. Not only does this process save time and reduce paperwork, but mobile scoring reduces the risk of scores being misentered or lost in the transfer process to spreadsheets (after an evaluation).

• Evaluators can easily navigate between athletes.

• Scores are quickly entered using the slider button.

• Comments & videos can be added for an extra layer of feedback.

4. View Evaluation Results Instantly

No need to manually transfer data from spreadsheets into Excel (only to format it into reports) after an evaluation. With a tryout software, you can access auto-generated reports minutes after your evaluation is complete. Simply choose the report you wish to view, and assess the following:

• Rank athletes on a specific skill or overall performance.

• Compare athletes to identify top performers.

• Create weighted reports to determine the best athlete(s) for each position.

5. Share Feedback with Athletes

Regardless of how they performed after an evaluation, informing athletes of their strengths and areas for improvement is key. With a youth sports tryout software, such as SkillShark:

• Securely share individual report cards. Complete with scores, benchmarks, and comments.

• Share developmental resources (videos or PDFs) for players who scored below a set criterion.

• Send a copy of the report cards to parents as well for full transparency.
  

What we like best about SkillShark is being able to provide instant feedback. Before SkillShark we used the old-school method of pen and paper. Now using SkillShark we can view results right after the evaluation is complete. We wouldn't be without it.

Derek Bloski. Coach — Scarborough Hockey Association

Wrapping Up

Adopting youth sports tryout software might seem daunting at first, but the right tool (and proper onboarding) makes it a seamless experience for coaches and evaluators. Coaches will have a platform to easily collect evaluation data and make accurate decisions. Evaluators benefit too, leaving behind the demanding and time-consuming task of pen-and-paper scoring.