Important Qualities to Look for in a Sports Camp

No matter what sport is your passion, attending camps for your sport is extremely beneficial.  Improving your game, competing with peers and showcasing your talents in front of college coaches and scouts are just a few reasons why attending camps will aid in your development as a player.  In this article, I am going to explain to you some of the important qualities to look for when searching for a camp.

Quality #1: Competition

The first thing that an athlete should look for in a camp should be a high level of competition between you and the other participants in the camp.  You don’t want to attend a camp that has all sorts of players at different skill levels ranging from early beginner to very experienced.  You want to make sure you are surrounding yourself with players that are at a fairly similar level to you in skillset, motivation, and intensity.  Attending a camp with inferior players can actually make you play down to their level, which can be detrimental to your development as a player.  On the other hand, playing with players that are actually a little bit ahead of you in their development can be a huge benefit.

Quality #2: Quality Coaches/Instructors

Attending a camp that has experienced coaches or instructors that actually know what they’re doing is incredibly important.  If you want to go to a camp just for fun, it doesn’t really matter if the instructors are experienced as long as you have a good time.  But if you’re really trying to improve your game, it is imperative that the instructors are of quality.  They should also instill a level of intensity in you and the camp, and also motivate its participants on a daily basis.  Really being pushed is crucial for athletic development and improving one’s skillset, so try to find a camp that has instructors who will push you to the max.  Camps are meant to be fun, and just because the instructors are intense and really push you to excel doesn’t mean that you cannot have any fun.  In my experiences in sports camps, it is exponentially more fun to be around intense instructors who motivate you.  These types of instructors will help you improve your game, and once you see that happening, you realize that that is exactly why you are attending the camp.

Quality #3: Visibility

If you are an athlete who has a goal of playing at the college level, it is very important that you find a camp in which you will be able to showcase your talents to a highly prestigious group of college coaches and scouts.  Many camps will explicitly state that there will be coaches or scouts at the facilities of the camp to observe the camp’s participants.  If you can find a camp that states this in its description, I recommend that you do so.  This will really help propel you to the next level.  It is almost impossible to be recognized at a camp with instructors who have no ties to the college levels, so it is crucial to give yourself the chance to shine in front of prestigious coaches or scouts.  Now, these types of camps are few and far between, but if you can find one that fits you, there is no doubt that you should sign up for it.  Yes, they may be a little bit more expensive than you desire, but it really can be one of the best investments you make in your career as an athlete.

Quality #4: Location and Duration

The location and the duration of the camp are necessary to take into consideration as well.  If you live on the East coast and are researching camps to attend on the West coast, it will be a burden for you to attend that camp if money is a factor.  Traveling is a huge expense, and in almost all cases, unnecessary.  Yes, finding quality camps is not an easy task and they are not all over the place, but there should be one or two that you can find that is within your region.  If you take the time to research and ask your coaches which camps are at a location near you, you shouldn’t have a problem finding one that is appropriate for you.  You should also find a camp that lasts for as long as you desire.  If you are fully dedicated to your game and improving your skillset, a camp that runs for several weeks or even months may suit you best.  If you just want to have a good time for a couple of weeks, finding a camp that suits that is clearly best.

Quality #5: Physical Training

One final aspect of sports camps that is extremely important and often overlooked is the physical training within the camp.  It is necessary that a camp focuses on improving your skills as a player, but it is also very important that within the camp there is a strong emphasis placed on physical conditioning.  Many camps will dedicate a significant amount of time to cardiovascular and weight training activities.  This is important because becoming more fit and conditioned as an athlete will not only help you excel to a higher level, but can also be key in preventing injuries in the future.  As you get older, injuries get more serious and it takes your body longer to recover from them.  But if there is a real focus placed specifically on training your body, you can prevent these injuries altogether.

Attending sports camps is exciting, fun and gives you an incredible opportunity to improve your skillset as a player.  If you take into consideration some of the aspects of sports camps that I have listed, I promise you will be on your way to finding a quality sports camp and, in turn, improve the quality of your game.

Reference

http://www.sportscampconnection.com/

Do Sports Contribute to Education?

 

 

Image by The Library of Congress via Flickr

 

High school and college varsity sports have been considered a significant part of the American educational process for as long as the United States has been a developed country. The obsession with varsity athletics exploded after World War II when we became a super-power and the intensity and seriousness of sports reflected our world power status. This has led to the common belief that athletics contribute positively to the educational experience for all students. However, with recent economic perils upon us, it seems that there are growing demands to make budget cuts in every aspect of life, including leisure, and especially in sports. Many have made calls for change in the status quo to cut sports funding in schools while others have stood firm in the belief that sports contribute far too much to the educational process to be done away with.

First off, the arguments for cutting sports out of school district funds are a recent trend brought about by the dilemma of countless local government budget shortfalls. The argument that sports does not contribute to the educational process is a fiscal one that has take rout in the current economic downfall of the American economy. Regardless, these arguments are important to consider because they are valid and shine light onto the problems of connecting the school and sport environments into one.

The most common argument against funding for sports is that they lose money. A majority of sports programs in college and high school put more money into sports programs than they get out. This is especially true for the most popular sports like football and baseball that require the most coaches, equipment, and monetary demand from the athletic department. The expenses of all sports add up as there’s more than just the cost of coaches and equipment; there are travel expenses, training facilities, weight rooms, athletic training staff, maintenance to those facilities, and the cost of running such facilities among other things. This side argues that if schools didn’t support sports they could allocate resources into other areas of academia and advancement of the university/high school. Simply put, the school has too few participants in athletics benefiting from the experience; they could be using the money put into athletics for something that will benefit all students like on teachers, classrooms, and improvement of school materials in general.

Another argument that finds school sports are not correlated with the goals or education is the social perils it brings to a university or high school. Social classes and distinctions are at times entirely based on performance and participation of athletes rather than achievement in the classroom and social moral standards. The latter is said to be the entire goal of the academic experience for students beyond the actual educational experience alone. This argument holds that the social stratification of these environments provides athletes with privileges and superior advantages over other students that is once again based on performance and popularity. They argue that the special treatment of athletes and the funds supporting this social enigma have been caused by administrative approval without reason. This view holds that any positive effects of athletics can be gained outside of the school environment while avoiding the previously stated problems and providing for a better academic atmosphere toward achieving true education goals.

Conversely, those who support the idea that school sports positively correlate to a superior academic experience find that the long lasting connection between sports and school has existed for a reason. The academic experience is enhanced by all who have the opportunity to not only participate but also for those who are a part of athletics in any form.

To combat the other side’s first argument they hold that lack of funding and athletics costing more than they earn is not true for all schools and districts. The other side is said to have generalized an isolated issue and dramatized the amount of resources that are going into schools. Most school districts and colleges promote athletics because of the positive image it associates with their institution and the happiness it brings students associating with athletics. Furthermore, this side holds the position that any costs negatively associated with sports is paid back by the learning experience provided to the athletes and others collectively involved. The lessons taught by sports are commonly related to life experiences through studies and many business analogies. For those not directly involved with sports as athletes, the school to sport connection is said to benefit them by obtaining a positive environment and pride in their school and what it represents.

Moreover, sports do not encourage negative social stratifications in high school or college. They may isolate athletes and at times give them special permission to miss classes because of their events but this is made up for by the fact that athletes are held to a higher academic standard. This higher demand is said to be translated into all areas of life and improve time management skills more closely with the real world than non-student-athletes. The academic, athletic, and social demands prescribed for student-athletes at both the college and high school level is argued to create individuals that contribute to the overall academic goals of the institutions they attend. Positive effects of athletics can only contribute to the academic goals of a high school or college if they are directly associated with sports programs according to this argument. Doing away with sports programs would compromise these goals and leave other factors of social superiority for students to determine the most popular students. Even in the real world outside of school the general population puts individuals like athletes and celebrities on pedestals. This sides holds that human nature has formed the high schools and colleges they way they are today and if sports do not mold who these individuals are then some other factor will and these people will be treated with the exact same privilege as jocks are treated today. Thus, the problem of unfair and unequal treatment would not be solved but simply transferred to another determinative social factor.

In conclusion, the recent economic downfall has led to an argument against sports contributing to the overall educational environment of universities and high schools. It is important to consider arguments on both sides not to do away with sports or to continue with business as usual, but instead to make changes that will improve the overall goal of education in America. Sports associated with schools do contribute to educational environments but they also take things away from the overall experience intended to help shape young students into productive adults for society. There is no doubt that entertainment like sports will continue to be a significant part of the American culture but it is important to analyze the effects of this impact in order to continue to better our society.

REFERENCES

http://www.la84foundation.org/3ce/HighSchoolSportsParticipation.pdf

http://ahighcall.blogspot.com/2007/04/time-to-end-high-school-sports.html

http://digitalcommons.uconn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1048&context=srhonors_theses&sei-redir=1#search=%22correlation%20between%20athletics%20academics%22

http://www.activelivingresearch.org/files/Active_Ed.pdf

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The Off-Season

This time of year, many colleges are wrapping up their academic years with final exams and graduation ceremonies. Many high schools across the nation will be wrapping up in a matter of weeks, and so will all of the sports seasons.

Of course, many of you reading this will be playing on a local club team and beginning practices for fall sports in a few weeks. Or, you might be going to a camp for your sport at a university, but those camps are often just a weekend or a full week at most. There are things the athlete can and must do during the off-season months to stay in shape mentally and physically.

Physically: Coaches often give conditioning assignments for the summer to returning athletes. If your coach doesn’t do this, do some of the warm up and cool down exercises you do at a practice. Cycling, swimming, and running are each very healthy and successful summer activities that will help keep you in shape for your sport. Additionally, if you can afford it, join a local gym or take advantage of local park districts offering open weight room hours. For some science behind why the off-season conditioning is so critical to performance, click here. And, as another article states, doing nothing in the off-season may cause one to actually regress.

Mentally: This is the hard one. You might think to yourself “how can I keep in competition mind set when I’m not competing?” Well, aside from club teams and camp atmosphere, keeping the mind active is often one of the hardest things to do. School is out, and wanting to do anything other than hang out with friends, go on vacation, or simply relax. Crossword puzzles, sudoku, reading for fun, and yes, even some video games can help keep your brain in shape. Setting physical goals will keep you mentally in shape as well. (For example, today the goal is a one mile run, and keep upping that goal to 5 miles, if you’re working on endurance). You may also want to work on visualization techniques. Keeping motivated to work out and stick to your work out regimen will also help you stay in shape mentally and physically, even though finding that motivation to stay competitive might be difficult.

EXACT can also help with the mental aspects of summer or general off-season (for example, a football player in the winter) athlete.

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Camp Spotlight: Xavier University

Image via Wikipedia

Recently, EXACT sent a list of questions to Xavier men’s soccer head coach Andy Fleming. Here’s how Coach Fleming responded to our questions about his soccer camps:

EXACT (E): What are some of the things that happen at a typical day of camp?

Andy Fleming (AF): Obviously we manage and oversee each of the kids, yet we also put a lot on their shoulders as far as knowing where to be and when and waking up on time. We place itineraries and schedules throughout the campus and challenge them to see if they can get there on their own…similar to what college would be like.

As far as the day itself, we try to incorporate activities for each of our core developmental areas:

• Physical development (speed, fitness, etc.)
• Technical work (ball mastery)
• Soccer IQ (tactical and situational teaching of game)
• Personal (guest speaker, EXACT Sports workshops)
• Fun (contests, etc.)

EXACT: What do coaches like yourself look for when recruiting talent? How do you spot that at camp?

AF: The main things have to do with TIPS. T is technique on ball and toughness (can you last through a week of camp and play in the heat, take coaching, etc.); I is intelligence and interest in our school, which can really be demonstrated to a coach during camp; P is personality, presence, the person and what “piece” you might add to our team; S is speed and social. Does the player mix in with other campers how does his personality come across when we interact in dining hall, dorms, etc.?

Much of this comes out on the field yet an overnight camp is unique because you are living near the coaches for 4 days and we can truly see what you are like as a person.

E: Tell me about the instructors involved in your camp? Where are they from? How do they support you and your goals?

AF: Our staff has a solid blend of personalities, age range, schools work(ed) at in some fashion, and will present a wide ranging network to help connect our campers with other colleges around the country.

I like to think that our coaches truly earn their money at the camp, while they also look to connect with the campers and take pride in teachable moments in soccer, academic and social situations.

Right now we will have Ohio State, Kenyon, Ohio Wesleyan, and the Xavier staff at our CS 101 camp. Our high school team camp will feature coaches from Indiana University and Northwestern University. I look at it that say five coaches at camp each know 40 college coaches and you might open the door networking wise to some 200 college coaches based on your performance and interactions at camp.

E: How does your team mentally prepare during the season? Training sessions demand mental quality. On the camp “field”, how do you help foster mental development?

AF: During the season we talk a lot about daily goals, daily victories and staying in the present, rather than looking back. Its important to revisit goals and know what you are working towards and why you are part of a cause (team). Individually, at the camp, we talk a lot about creating the “ideal you” and setting a brand for what you stand for. This helps one realize their strengths and role within a team and allows you to keep inventory on your development internally and towards your academic social and athletic goals.

Xavier University Men’s Soccer finished 2010 with an overall record of 12-8-4. Coming off a 2-win 2009 campaign, the Musketeers were Atlantic 10 champions (a first) and made their first ever appearance in the NCAA tournament, where they fell to West Virginia in the first round to cap Coach Andy Fleming’s first season at the Cincinnati-based school. Visit the official Xavier men’s soccer site.

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Camp Spotlight: Ohio Wesleyan

Image via Wikipedia

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