Training Camp Off Site

I have never taken a team off site for camp, but my only input would be to make sure you have very good supervision at all times. There have been too many stories in recent years about initiation rituals at off site camps.

Around here it's very comon for teams to goto camp for a week during our two weeks of padded pre-season. Some teams have cut back due to money and what not but each program I have coached at has gone to camp.

First off I would agree that supervision is paramount when you go. Your responsible for what happens and you better make sure the kids know what you expect and be swift in what you do if rules are broken or not followed. To be honest we have never had a huge problem with any behaviors or activities, of course you have a bunch of tennage boys together so bear that in mind. Sure we have had to get kids up and run or do up downs when they keep screwing around after lights out. But thats been about it. Like I said make your rules very clear and follow up on what you say set the tone early and often. We have been lucky to have parents who come out and help out so that makes it good to. Not sure how you plan on getting there but we take all car keys and cell phones and keep them in the coaches cabin. If there is an emergency the parents know to call us or if the kids need to they can use thier phones in the coaches cabin.

As far as football goes its great cause those kids are yours all week 24/7. We get em up early and run and stretch them for about 20 mins since the beds usually suck. Give them time to eat and clean up and get on the field around 8-9 am go for 2/2-1/2 hours. Give them a half hour break do special teams for 45mins. then lunch. After lunch we might do some film or just give them time to rest. The first day they usually arent to tired but they def. will rest after the first day. Get back on the field around 5pm go for 2/ 2-1/2 hours again then let them clean up and have dinner. We will do films after dinner for a bit or other team building activites. Then lights out around 11.

My big advice is plan to do a lot in between practices but don't be shocked if you end up not doing anything in between sessions. Camp wears them out and it will wear the coaches out to. Most of the kids will rest when given the chance. We make it a really tough week and really get after it at camp. Don't forget to make it fun at times. It's been one of the best experiences for any of the teams I have coached our teams have really bonded during camp and most kids say its one of the best things they do in HS. We talked about not going this year and I thought some of the seniors were gonna cry when we told them.

YES

Camp is well worth it if you can do it. It's a totally different dynamic to interact with the team. Everybody there knows they are there for a week of football with little to no distraction. Just football. It's not like we go and have marathon practices or do anything really different. It's just the setting and dynamic of being at camp that I fell amps up the week and makes it an invaluable tool for us to be able to use.

Its really not that huge of a deal money wise for us. We get the camp ground for around $1000 depending on where we go, most summer camp places are shut down by then for back to school and are looking for some extra money around here. The boosters rise about $1000 or so for food and cook themselves. Thats for about 60 or so people.

they aren't supplying beer to the kids though huey!

Our QB club expects each kid to raise about 200 dollars when going to camp. We have about 50 kids on the team, so, yes, it can be expensive. We go to a local college and stay in the dorms. I'm not sure about everyone's situation, but when going away to camp, you do not have as much "free" time as you'd expect. First, you are a slave to the cafeteria schedule. The kids can only eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner at certain times. You do not have a lot of time between breakfast and lunch, and lunch and dinner. As a result, you do not have a lot of time for meetings. You have some time at night, but not if your expecting to do a lot of team building activities.

Probably the biggest pro of going to camp is that there are no distractions. We don't let kids take cell phones. So, it is all football. No girlfriend, no dad criticizing the coaches at dinner, none of that crap.

Do you need to go away to camp: absolutely not. I've done both throughout the years and I still say this. If you've waited until camp to build your team or to find out which kids are going to compete, then you've waited to long. What have you done since January? I think the money can be better spent elsewhere. But, that is just my opinion.

We are blessed being a lake front community there are a lot of summer camp type places that we can go and use the cabins and mess halls. We don't goto a college or some dorm type place this is rustic sleeping in bunk beds 10 to a cabin just like when you were 10 years old. So we arent breaking the bank there, we rent the facility for like I said about 1000. I think the Y camp ground we used chared like 800 but there were some other people around. It might vary up to 1500 or so.

For food we have been blessed to have some great parents who do all the cooking for lunch and dinners. Breakfast is cold ceral and muffins and that type stuff. Lunch they do hamburger hot dog type stuff and left overs from dinner the night before. We don't have it catered or have to use a food service so that keeps price down. Maybe it's more than 1000 but no more than double that.

Also our typical camp is Sun-Thrs afternoon. We break camp thrs. and scrimmage on Fri. or if its on a Sat we still break camp Thrs and do a pre-game walk thru Fri at school for the srimmage. So that also helps keep costs down.