I didn’t quite know what to expect from my first week of college soccer before reporting. Now that I have moved in and pre-season is in full swing, I am starting to get a feel for what is in store for me.

So far the daily routine has been train, eat, sleep and train some more. Training at the collegiate level is one of the harder things that I’ve done, but that’s what I signed up for! I couldn’t be happier to have finally made it to the college level and being here has made me realize that all of my hard work has finally paid off (even though the work is far from over).

“Making it” to the collegiate level is as rewarding as it gets for any athlete, trust me. For those of you with aspirations to play competitively after high school, don’t stop working and NEVER become complacent. When you think you’ve achieved your best, you haven’t. Go train some more.

I have gone through many different tryouts throughout my career. Having endured so many, I have had the opportunity to learn from each one. In the beginning, I did not have much success at the whole try out thing. However, I did eventually learn what needed to be done in order to impress coaches and have broken it down into five steps. These steps can also be applied to just about any sport.

5 Steps To Take For A Successful Sports Tryout

1. BE AGGRESSIVE – Whatever you do, do not hold back. Go after ever ball, take every shot and go into every tackle as if it were your last.
2. BE INVOLVED – Too many players tend to “hide” when it comes time for tryouts. What I mean by this is that some players go through the motions of a drill or exercise without drawing too much attention. Drawing attention is exactly what you want to do during tryouts (but the right kind of attention). If you “hide”, then how are you supposed to get noticed among all of the other players fighting for the same roster spot that you are?
3. BE LOUD – If you are one of those quiet players, then it is time to change that. Communication is crucial not only in tryouts, but in all aspects of soccer. Coaches want to see talkative players. Call for every ball and communicate with your teammates. Everyone should know when you want the ball.
4. BE RESPECTFUL – Be respectful to your coaches. Even if you have known the coach for years, you should still use your manners. This shows that you are mature enough to respect your elders. It is very possible that you might find yourself playing a foreign position because either the coach doesn’t know you or because you simply got unlucky. Don’t panic. Do your best at whatever position you are stuck in until there is a stoppage in play. Then, in a polite manner, ask the coach running your field if you might be able to have a go at your favorite position.
5. PLAY YOUR GAME – Tryouts can seem somewhat daunting, but in reality it is just another day that you are privileged enough to play the best sport on Earth. If you play like it was any other day, then I have no doubt that you will own tryouts. Leave it all out on the field and find a way to get yourself noticed.

GOOD LUCK!

I owe a lot of my success as a player to my parents.

Not only have they always provided the funds for my venture, but they also supported me in a positive manner. Too many young players have their potential impaired because of overly zealous parents. I know that parents have nothing but good intentions and want only the best for their kid, but sometimes it is just too much.

No player should have to deal with the distraction of disappointed eyes glaring from the sideline and the post-game, not so pleasant talking-to that awaits. Trust me, as players, we know when we don’t play well and most of the time, we know what went wrong. Being scrutinized immediately after stepping off of the field only makes a bad day of soccer worse.

The key is addressing the poor performance in a positive manner.

For example, whenever I had a game that was not up to the standard that I set for myself, my parents would say, “Brayden, you played well, but here is what we saw from our point of view…now lets look to turn it around next time”. When in a situation like this, the player needs to be built back up, rather than continuously torn down with negative feedback. Be involved, but be positive. No amount of pressure placed on a player by the parent will make their performance better; it will only make their performance worse.

There is also the ongoing fear of a player becoming “burned out”.

A player becomes burnt out when so much of one sport has been shoved in their face, that they have just had enough and wind up quitting altogether. Placing too much pressure on the shoulders of a young athlete can take its toll mentally and forcing too many hours of training on a kid can wear them physically as well.

A player should play and get better because they love the game, not because their parent is forcing them too. A grounded line of communication between parent and player is essential in ensuring that this does not happen. If a kid is saying that they need a break, most of the time they aren’t lying. Take a week off and I would be willing to bet that kid will be itching to get back out there.

At the beginning of my senior season of high school soccer, if someone were to have asked me if I thought we would win the state championship, I would have said that it was very unlikely.

The Important of Setting Goals

Among those goals was winning the state championship, which at the time seemed like a mountain that we would never be able to climb. We chose to include that goal because it is what every high school athletic team should ultimately strive for. As the season progressed, we became more and more successful.

As it came time for the state playoffs to start, our team had already been crowned Forsyth Cup Champions and Central Piedmont Conference Champions for the 2014 season. We continued winning as each playoff round went by. I specifically remember thinking to myself after we won the third round game, “we might actually be able to win this thing”. And we did! However, it was no walk in the park. It took hard work in each practice after school.

Hard Work, Commitment, and Sacrifice are Necessary To Reach Your Goal

It took waking up at 7:00am on Saturday morning to train, while our opponents were sleeping. It took that extra effort and those extra touches. Most of all, it took our team playing together as one cohesive unit day-in and day-out. We all knew that each and every one of us was willing to make the necessary sacrifices for our team. Over the course of the season, we became nothing less than a family.

Focus On: Brayden Currin – Oct. 30, 2014

I’m sure all of my teammates would agree with me when I say that raising that State Championship Trophy after the game on November 15th was the greatest reward that any player could ask for. I will remember that moment forever and I could not be more proud of being a part of it.

Looking for soccer training this summer?

Contact Brayden at info@braydencurrin.com to schedule your training.