Basketball tryouts give hope to aspiring basketball players. Tryouts are done to recruit talented basketball players, so this is the best time for basketball hopefuls to go out from their closets and show off their basketball skills. Some may be very successful while others are not. Those who are successful celebrate the taste of victory, and they shout and jump for joy.

On the other hand, what about players who are not so successful and are not able to pass the tryout? Have you ever experienced getting cut off from a basketball tryout? You think that you know the sport well enough and that you can play good basketball, but they are still not enough. How frustrating can that be?

This article will hopefully help you in coping with the situation. Getting cut off from tryouts is just an initial barrier to your success. You cannot wait for it to come to you, so you should be the one who will act to achieve it. Now, here is what you can do if you get cut off from tryouts:

1. Be strong in accepting rejection
Rejection can be too overwhelming for an individual to handle, especially for the younger ones. A person can be rejected in many ways, but being declined of the opportunity that you have always dreamed for is much more frustrating. Just try to see the reality TV show American Idol during its eliminations. What do you observe? These individuals who were not accepted, perhaps not all of them, freak out. They cry, and some even say bad stuff to the judges. They are making an outbreak, or a fool of themselves, which can make the judges’ decision even more right.

As an aspirant, you should understand that joining a tryout means you can either be accepted or rejected. You must consider these two possibilities so that you can have a better control of accepting rejection. The school, club or university has a clear definition in mind, on which players will be recruited.

2. Accept your weaknesses
Listen to what the coaches say. Tryouts give you the opportunity to be evaluated by rightful individuals who know the sport well enough. You have to pay attention to their observations on your game. If they say that you have bad footwork, accept it. Do not say, “I do my footwork well, you should have seen that.” This is a big no-no! You are already questioning the credibility of the coaches, and this is not a good attitude. You must learn how to listen and embrace your weaknesses. If you do this, you can be aware on which area you should work on to improve.

3. Keep your head up
Do not keep your head low and be ashamed of yourself. Maintain your self-confidence nad keep your head up. Be proud that you have done your best to show them your basketball skills. Maybe, your best was not that good enough, and you should carry it as inspiration to do more hard work.

4. Encourage yourself
With situations like this, it is most effective if you encourage yourself. The coaches who declined you may have encouraged you, but it may not be enough to surpass the hurt that you are feeling, so you have to do it yourself. When you encourage yourself, you are reacting to rejection positively. And this is a good attitude of a rising basketball player.

5. Keep a positive attitude
Concerning the above discussion, you must keep a positive attitude. Do not underestimate the power of positive thinking. It helps you subdue the pain of rejection and enables you to be motivated to go back on your own and practice even more. There is no room for the impossible if you have the positive attitude.

6. Go back to practice
This is the best thing to do when you get cut off from tryouts. Never surrender your dreams just because you got cut out. There are a lot more tryouts to come. You have to practice your basketball skills to prepare yourself for the coming tryouts.

You can go back to the fundamentals of basketball. Shoot as many balls as you can, dribble until you get a good handling of the ball, run and exercise your feet until you develop an excellent footwork. Exercise to develop your speed, cardiovascular and respiratory endurance, agility, strength, and power. Remember what the coaches told you to improve on. Work on it every time you practice in the gym or outside.

7. Utilize resources to improve your game
Read books about basketball. Familiarize the rules and fundamentals of the game and study some basketball techniques that can help you improvise your basketball moves. You can also buy CDs or DVDs that explain everything that you must know about basketball. You can even watch actual professional games on TV to study how you should move to be an effective basketball player.

8. Play with your friends and ask for advice
Enjoy playing the sport with your friends. You can ask for their advice as they are the ones who will tell you the truth if they are your real friends. Your true and closest friends are the ones who do not hesitate to tell you that you are bad at playing basketball.

9. Do not be afraid to go on with another tryout
Lastly, do not be afraid to join another tryout. At times, a player may be hesitant to enter other tryouts because of the fear of rejection. This should not be the case. You cannot succeed to fulfill your dream if you surrender it to the hands of rejection. If you follow the above tips, you should already have encouraged yourself, built your confidence, and improved yourself by constant practice of basketball fundamentals. If you have, then you should not worry about showing off your basketball skills to another tryout.

Never surrender your dream of becoming a basketball player. Keep on playing the game, keep on learning, keep on studying, and keep on improving. Your time may not be today. It may just come one day when you least expect it.

Have you (or has your child) ever been cut from tryouts? What have you done to motivate yourself/your child? Please share your thoughts with me.