To start, we are going to begin with a personal story that may help to answer the question.
I went to my first soccer camp when I was 14 years old. You could say I was a bit of a "late-bloomer" because it's pretty common to be introduced to camps at an earlier age than 14. This is due to a couple of different factors.
The two biggest reasons were finances and time.
Camps can be expensive (up to $200 and above), so it can be a challenge for certain families to create the financial capability to attend one. This is why when a good camp at an affordable price is available is it important to pounce on the opportunity. My parents pounced when they had the chance.
Time is obviously a factor as well. Often, young soccer players have the summertime/winter period off. My travel team was pretty much year-round we would do indoor leagues when the weather outside was too hot/too cold. This one year however I had a few weeks off in the summertime, so it was time for me to experience my first soccer camp.
So, What Did I Gain From This Experience?
Going into it, I didn't think too much of it. I was young, there was no pressure for me and I was going with the mentality of just having fun, learning, and improving. I did all of those three things during this camp.
Fun Experiences
This is one of the biggest advantages of going to a soccer camp. As a young soccer player yes you get to play against other teams and practice with your team. However, these are completely different experiences compared to doing drills, and scrimmages with players in the camp.
For one, it's a lot of fun, and it's an opportunity to create friendships/lifelong experiences. To this day 8 years later I still remember some of the laughs and moments I had during that camp.
Looking more on the soccer side, I remember seeing so many different play styles from my peers. As a defender, it gave me the opportunity to defend different types of players. I got to defend smaller/faster players and also big/physical strikers and that helped me improve massively.
Learning
At this point in my life and soccer career, I was maybe at the age where I was a little immature. I thought I knew everything, but I learned quickly that I didn't know nearly as much as I thought.
The coaches at camps have years of experience which equate to a great knowledge of the game. I was challenged, and what I thought I knew became minuscule. There is so much that goes into playing soccer/football.
Techniques, physical attributes(speed, strength, agility), and the mental aspect all come together into one package.
All of these are worked on and tested at camps, and it leads to a player learning their own strengths and weaknesses. Knowing weaknesses is what leads to improvement.
Personally, I learned so much about not only soccer/football as a whole but also my game as well. The things I do well, the things I don't.
Improvement
Here's the thing, I think the common perception is that a player can go to a camp and magically come out 10 times better. That is very unrealistic to think. Yes, players will come out better, but it's really a platform that is set.
As I mentioned before the things each player learns during this time will give them an opportunity to become so much better. From this point on, it becomes their decision.
One of the biggest things I learned during this camp was how I needed to get stronger and more fit to match up physically with people my age. Around this time, I was around 5"10 and 100 or so pounds. I had a lot of technical talent, but I would often get knocked off the ball very easily.
After this camp, the whole summer I remember I was in the gym every day. Coach Parsa himself can attest to this. We would not only lift weights, but we would also do field workouts as well.
One day I got heat stroke and needed Coach Parsa to carry me to my house.
That's a story for another day.
To sum it all up, I put the hard work in, and that led to me becoming a key player in my travel/high school teams. Without the camp I went to I'm not sure if I would've been as good of a player.
So to end this blog if there is one thing I would say to all the parents out there. It would be to at some point try to sign up your child for one of these camps. It is worth the sacrifice, and I'm sure you will see the improvement in your child after.
Are you looking for improvements in yourself/your child's Soccer Performance + Soccer IQ? Look no further!
Our 3️⃣-hour Elite Camp taking place on May 30th, 2022 is a great experience is for players (8-12 & 13+ y/o) who are hungry for more.
It’s for players of all abilities who want to accelerate their game to the next level in a professional training environment. ✅
Limited spots are available, and registration closes one week prior to the camp's date!
To book your spot, click the link right here!