As a high school coach, how do I get the best players to tryout for my team to build a strong program?

To build a strong team, create a code of honor where the teammates will follow, and be proud of, like "Never leave a teammate behind." Read Building the ABCs of a great team by Blair Singer.

Depends on the program. I spent 3 years building a speech team. There were 5 students on the team when I came to the school and 48 when I left. Now the team has disbanded due to lack of leadership. I showed passion for the team....a desire to win...praised the accomplishments...and we always celebrated the individual victories as a team. Let the kids who are already in your program recruit. They know what the team needs to be successful. Let them know your desire and ask them for suggestions. They know how the other kids think. A mediocre player with passion is better than a great player with no heart. You can teach someone a skill quicker than you can change indifference. Give the kids an incentive of some kind for bringing in potential players....like a pizza party. Each year the team will grow, and then the prospects will knock on your door with no prompting. Good Luck!

being a highschool vb player myself i say that it's not how they start off it's how they end up. they could not be very good, but you can show them their ways and help them improve. not everyone can play sports, probably due to certain reasons, such as bad grades, but you should value those who do have the time to come out and try. treating them equally is the best way to see that yeah, some players may be better that others, but when you really take the time to see each and everyone's quality, then you will realize that they are all the same, willing to represent you and the school

Get them focused somehow on the future. I played alot of sports in high school becasue i wanted to be a college athelet. I went to camps and played as much as I could. It also depends on the sport. IF you find a way to show the kids that they have a good chance of playing at the next level after they graduate your program you'll be asking us how do I get kids not to come out so I don't have to cut anyone. Make it trendy, high school kids love a new trend.

As a mom who has always thought her son should have played high school football but didn't, I think you should really seek out those players. Some of them just aren't motivated, thinking they aren't good enough or just plain don't want to try out. My son was one of those and now he was sought out by the college coach and has decided not to consider the option because he is not "experienced." He is a huge guy (in both talent and stature)and an awesome chance at football I think would be very good for him, but he chooses not to for motivational reasons. I wish someone would have pursued him with greater intensity when he was in high school, I think it would have really helped.

How do you know who the best players are until they try out? If they are good players, wouldn't they WANT to try out? If they don't want to maybe they just don't want to be involved in the ridiculously competitive world of high school sports.

Have some type of day in gym where you go watch the kids play in a volleyball "Tournement"...once you find the best players make it very appealing to them to play.

Encourage them. advise them that it's cool, they'll be more popular (depending on the sport you coach) and it'll look good on their transcripts for college. could be a good way to get some scholarship money too.

Get the info from PE teachers, which ones would be good players, and then get them to try out .. bribes do work..

Bribes.