Feature Story
How to stand out at camp
By Kim McCullough, MSc,
YCS
July is here, which means that hockey
camp season has arrived.
There are two distinct types of hockey
camps that can be very different in terms of schedule, intensity and length and
therefore require a unique approach from the participating players.
Training Camp
This name is a little bit
misleading. These are not the training
camps that you might attend with your team right before the start of the
season. Instead, these
summer training camps are what we traditionally think of as skill-based
camps. These are the typical week-long
camps where players work on various aspects of their game under the guidance of
an instructor.
These camps are less about performance
and more about practice. They give players a terrific opportunity to work on
their weaknesses in an environment where they are being taught by qualified
professionals and aren’t being judged by their teammates and evaluated by their
coaches. The two main
goals for this type of camp are to learn and to have fun (and not necessarily
in that order).
At training camp, players must focus on
taking themselves outside of their comfort zone. Although they run the risk of short-term
failure, trying new things is the only way to guarantee long-term success.
Tryout Camp
Again, this name may be a little misleading. These are not the tryout camps that you go to
at the end of the year where coaches pick the team for next season. Instead, these tryout camps are a selection
camp where players are trying to impress scouts and coaches in order to make a
regional, provincial or national all-star team.
These camps are usually by invitation only or at least require a player
to go through an application process in order to be selected.
Unlike the training camp described above,
these camps are all about performance. While players will certainly be able to
learn a lot while being surrounded by talented players and knowledgeable
coaches, players must capitalize on their opportunity to stand out and separate
themselves from the crowd.
The tryout camp is where players must
showcase their strengths. If you are a
natural goal scorer, then you must show that at camp. If you are a great two-way centre, then you
should be the best back-checker on the ice.
If you are a solid stay-at-home defenseman, then you had better be making
great breakout passes.
The problem most young players run into
in high performance camp settings is that they get so wrapped up in worrying about
their weaknesses, they forget to showcase their strengths.
The bad news is that if you have a
glaring weakness, the evaluators are going to be able to find it. You can’t hide a weak wrist shot or poor
passing skills for long. The good news
is that every player who has ever played the game has weaknesses! Not everyone is a natural goal scorer, a
great two-way player or great at controlling the breakout. And while every coach would love to have a
team full of players who can execute every skill and strategy perfectly, they
also know that it is a completely unrealistic vision for a team.
Training camp is the place to work on
your weaknesses and tryout camp is the place to show off your strengths. At tryout camp, be the best on the ice at
whatever it is that you do best. If the
coach is looking for someone who has that strength (and trust me, they are),
then you are going to be the one they remember.
Instead of comparing yourself to everyone else on the ice, focus on what
you do best - and do it the best to of your ability. Make them notice you for your strengths and
not for your short-comings.
About the
author
Kim McCullough, M.Sc.,
YCS is a highly sought after expert in the development of aspiring girls’
hockey players and has played at the highest level of women’s hockey in the
world for the last decade. Kim’s female
player development website (www.totalfemalehockey.com)
gives coaches and parents of aspiring young players
access to programs, articles and advice on how to help their players take their
game to the next level. To learn more
about how to have your best hockey camp ever, get your
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