Many high school and club soccer teams travel to a residential facility for a “team camp.” Team camps, which typically run 3 – 6 days, help teams prepare for the high school season or for an important early-fall tournament. The camps focus on specialized and tactical training while strengthening team unity. In addition, these camps develop team unity and stronger personal bonds. The Berkshire Soccer Academy’s five day, girls-only, team camp week, maximizes the benefits of team camp. Here’s how:
- Customized curriculum – At the best team camps, including BSA’s team camp, on-site soccer staff work with team coaches and managers to develop a unique soccer curriculum addressing specific training needs and team objectives.
- All Eyes on the Prize – Goalsetting and mental skills are woven into the team camp experience at BSA. The beginning of the season is the best time to establish a goal for the team and mapping out just how thee team is going to achieve it.
- Goalkeeper Training – The multi-day schedule enables goalkeepers to both receive specialized training while also participating in tactical training and scrimmages.
- Build Skills that Last – Developing skills at a camp is great, but bringing them home is the real prize. An extended team camp both allows time for repetition, but also gives teammates a common vocabulary that enables them to better communicate with each other.
- Anxiety-Free Competition– Competition between teams at camp enables them to test new skills and tactics without tracking wins and losses. Players and teams can be tested in an atmosphere where mistakes can be tolerated, and even become teachable moments. Eliminating Distractions – Leaving home and variety of social pressures behind allows athletes relax and perform better. Individuals and the team collectively can achieve greater focus in this this environment.
- Team Chemistry – After 5 days of a team camp, coaches often recognize that the team feels as cohesive as they normally would mid-season. The best team camps, like BSA, help teams forge great friendships and accelerate team chemistry. A team camp creates a sense of togetherness that forged by the time spent together off the field. As generations of college students can attest, there is no better way to develop a shared sense of mutual comfort and respect than living together. At BSA, teams live together in a shared cabin or bunk. Additionally, sharing 3 meals a day with teammates increases the sense of belonging each teammate has towards the team and her teammates.
- Fun – Team camps that offer fun activities for the group, like jumping off a “blob” in the lake or doing yoga on a lakeside platform improve the team’s performance on the field. Teammates who have fun together off the field, learn to appreciate each other as individuals and not just for their soccer skills. This lets them better appreciate and accept each other on the field.
The Berkshire Soccer Academy offers a team camp for high school aged girls from August 13-17th. For more information Contact Us.