Note: This is the first in a series of four articles that explore the psychology of tryouts that I recently published on YSPN360.com, a great new website and organization whose values about youth sports align with mine. Subsequent articles in the series will look at what young athletes can do to mentally prepare for tryouts; what their coaches and the coaches running the tryouts can do to make the experience as positive as possible; and what parents can do to best support their young athletes in their tryouts.

Is there anything more important to a young athlete than tryouts, that first big step toward participating in a league, playing for a team, or joining a sports program? I don’t think so. Why? Well, tryouts are basically the gateway to a child’s athletic goals and dreams.

And, quite frankly, tryouts can be stressful. They’re usually black and white; kids either make it … or they don’t. And if they don’t, they can’t get into the game, so it can feel like those goals and dreams die before they even get a chance to get off the ground.

Because of the importance of tryouts, it’s essential that our young athletes be as prepared as they can be to perform their best. They have to be in shape, of course, and ideally they’ve practiced intensely enough to master the necessary skills required to not just prove they’re worthy of inclusion, but to separate themselves from other young athletes, to stand out among the other competitors vying for the number of slots available.

But having the physical and technical aspects of their sport dialed in is probably not going to be enough. Young athletes also have to be mentally prepared to handle the pressure of needing to perform when it counts, to thrive with coaches judging them and parents cheering for them.

Rising to the occasion in tryouts is no small task for athletes of any age, even at the highest level of sports; Olympic Trials, for instance, are tryouts of sorts. Olympic hopefuls, however, are likely more familiar and comfortable with the challenge of “tryouts” than young athletes who carry the burden of their own hopes and dreams — not to mention the pressure they might feel from their parents. I’ve seen many young athletes who appeared well prepared for tryouts, yet crashed and burned when it came time to perform.

What causes that crash and burn? A number of psychological factors come into play.

To learn more, read to the complete article on YSPN360.com.