Being a professional football player is a dream and a challenge for every aspiring young football player, a dream that requires sacrifice, effort, commitment and passion. Tryouts are a great opportunity to demonstrate your talent and professionalism, and to advance your football career. However, preparing for and participating in these tryouts can be an exciting, challenging and stressful process, so here are some tips to help you prepare for and cope with tryouts and maximise your chances of being selected.
- Advance preparation
An important aspect to keep in mind is to be prepared. Having done your training practices thoroughly, so that at the time of the situation you have the ability to face the tests in the best possible way and demonstrate your skills. Therefore, you must be in good physical shape and know your weaknesses and strengths, so that you have full control of them in any game scenario and can bring out your technical and tactical skills that you have developed in your training and preparation process.
As part of your preparation process, you should also get to know the philosophy and approach of the club you are going to join. As Alberto Martín Barrero, scout for Real Betis Balompié, points out, each club has a player profile and your lifestyle should be adapted to what the club is looking for. In addition, you need to know the market and what clubs demand, such as defenders with offensive characteristics. On the other hand, you should make sure you attend with the right equipment to be comfortable at the events, reduce the chance of injury, comply with the rules and play the game more smoothly.
- Self-control of emotions and concentration
As explained at the beginning, these tests can generate a great deal of emotions, where nerves and anxiety are the main protagonists in the process, due to pressure, lack of knowledge or experience in these tests, and fear of failure. So, the best way to deal with these emotions is to manage your self-control over them, so that they do not interfere with your performance, and so that you can make good decisions and take actions that lead to greater accuracy and effectiveness. You can use different techniques such as progressive muscle relaxation or deep breathing. It is worth mentioning that in order to achieve full self-control you need to include it as part of your learning process and football preparation.
By controlling your emotions you will be able to effectively stimulate your concentration, this will allow you to know your role in the match and be aware of what is happening on the field so you can make quick decisions and take advantage of the opportunities that arise. So, during a football test, you have to pay attention to the coach’s instructions, be in communication with your surroundings, and analyse possible scenarios to help you anticipate your moves and perform successfully in the match.
- Visualize success
Throughout the testing process, you should visualize success, because it will allow you to focus on your goals and boost your confidence, and it is a great motivational stimulus. This mental technique is recommended in the sports world because it influences the athlete’s performance and the chances of achieving success, allowing you to consider and execute successful scenarios and actions. It is scientifically proven that imagination or mental planning activates your neuromuscular connections. , according to research by Holmes and Calmels.
- Communication and leadership skills
As mentioned in the second section, talking and interacting with your teammates and coaches is good to control your nerves and relax, and to help you learn key points that will give you important information to concentrate and perform well in the tests, and above all to create a positive atmosphere that encourages good communication with your team during the match. It will also help you not only before and during the tournament, but you can also make friendships that can help you further your football career.
On the other hand, coaches and scouts are attracted to people who have leadership skills, not just technical and tactical performance. Because they perceive them as people who are resilient, able to make decisions in different situations, communicative with their peers, among other aspects.
- Enjoy and learn
The trials are the first phase of joining a professional football club and starting your career as a high performance footballer. So, it is an important stage for every aspiring athlete in the sport. However, no matter how much pressure you may feel at the time, you must recognise that it is an enriching experience. For that reason, in the whole process we invite you to enjoy and be open to learning, whether the result is positive or negative, there is always a lesson that will help you to improve as a person and a player.
So, take heart and take those tests, because the goal is close at hand!