Ever since I can remember, summer basketball camps has been a part of my annual routine.
For years, I attended my father’s camps as well as other camps throughout the region. I’m a strong advocate that kid’s should attend a camp in the sport of their liking in the summertime. Camps provide a measurement for kid’s in their respective sports, while also providing them with new drills and workouts to add into their routine, which can be very beneficial. For the past four years, I have had the amazing opportunity to host my own camp, traveling all over the country. We’ve seen kids from different states, abilities, walks of life, and age groups.
But, if there is one thing that I have learned in my short stint as a camp director, it’s this; summer camps, alone, do not make children better. Let me explain.
Each year, I’m able to see a variety of different kids through my travels. Having done this for four year’s now, I have met hundreds of kids across the country. Nearly all of the kids we see in the summer, come into camp and work hard during our week long session. For four straight days, we go through drills with good intensity, followed by a short segment to play live games. The goal is to help the campers improve their knowledge of the game as well as give them a blueprint to follow for the months ahead. Something that always interests me, however, is the amount of kids who say they want to play basketball at the next level, but don’t practice on their game very often.
One of the most FAQs I receive from campers is ,“What did you do to get recruited?”
My answer is always “I worked hard.”
That seems a bit cliché but it’s true. I was working on becoming a better player, daily. And even though I attended camps in the summer, I only became better once I applied those things in my own time. Going to camp won’t automatically improve a child’s game, just like attending a business seminar doesn’t automatically improve one’s business. They are simply both information. And unless that information is processed and applied, it’s useless.
The offseason is where champions are made.
It’s easy to do things when we have no other choice but to do them, but it takes discipline to practice in the summer months while every one else is having fun. It takes discipline to get up in the morning and run while everyone is sleep. It takes discipline to constantly work towards a goal that is months away. Attaining small goals each day is the way to get there. Fifteen minutes a day devoted to a craft begins to add up over time. And when the day comes to reap the benefits of the labor, they’ll be ready. It’s difficult to become an improved player in just one week. So no, summer camp, alone, won’t make a child better, but a disciplined work ethic will.
Not only will it only help their game tremendously, it will also add unmeasurable value to their life.
Connect with Josh Young via Twitter at @ForeverJAYoung and on LinkedIn
