My oldest son Joe plays quarterback. To me, this is the most political of all sports positions (an article for another day). With that, I’ve attended several camps over the years including a combine, team 7-on-7s, college one-day camps, showcase camps, and fundamental camps. I have an opinion on all of them, so bear with me.
High School Combines
Combines are necessary evils. Why? Because all coaches are intrigued with "measurables." Measurables are height, weight, speed, power and agility. If an athlete has great measurables, combines are great. If they don't, they aren’t. For athletes who lie inbetween these two extremes—like my son—combines don’t benefit them much.
My biggest problem with high school combines is they make a tremendous amount of money on parents who aren’t truly in tune to a real recruiting process. I overheard several parents talking about attending up to five combines and one of their sons hadn't even played a snap of varsity ball yet. Attending athletes are training specifically for combine tests, and combines are manufacturing results that don’t transfer to the game. Players are leaving themselves open to injury by not preparing for their sport. This isn’t a words win. You want a words win. Produce solid game tape! I should note that there is one caveat to this. If your son is a blue chip recruit, a specific combine may be needed to provide a shot at the main all-American games that are now played. However, these are generally invite-only combines.
Team 7-on-7s
I actually like these because there is competition. If a university sponsors the tournament, it’s also a good chance for the coaches to see your son perform. During these skeleton scrimmages, they keep score. These are solid camps because the high school coaches run their team’s offense and defense. There aren’t any linemen involved except for a stand-in center. My only objection to these camps, which isn’t a big one, is some teams switch their offensive and defensive packages strictly to win the tournament. I feel the teams should have the practical application of their season playbook. Like I said, it isn’t a big issue. The goal is to win, isn’t it?
On Campus/Off-site, College Sponsored One-day Camps
As far as recruiting goes, these camps are number one in my book. The university or college staffs run these camps, and your son is coached by the school’s position coach. If your son is on their recruiting list, this gives the school a first hand look at his skills. Some colleges/universities use camp as a time to present an early offer to your son if he is their type of player. If he is an underclassman and they like what they see, they’ll begin the recruiting process at an earlier stage. During these camps, the position coaches do a solid job coaching individual drills because even though they can’t promote it, these are recruiting camps, and they want to see your son's specific footwork and agility.
Showcase Camps
In my opinion, these camps are great for the athletes who have the recruiting service notoriety. These athletes are early offer guys. You’ll know if your son is at a showcase camp if there are individuals there who represent the major scouting services, if there are several big time recruits present, or if the camp is available by invitation only. If your son isn’t a top recruit, the positive side is that you’ll both get to see how he fares against the "best." If you keep your eyes open, you will realize that there are some athletes who are truly legit and some others who are programmed and combine hyped.
Fundamental Position Camps
These are my kind of camps—no hype, just good old-fashioned teaching. These camps take the time to not only put your son through drills but to teach the drills as well. Most camps will run individual drills, but they’re done for filler. At fundamental camps, teaching is a premium. There aren’t many of these left. If you can find one, cherish it and continue to return on a yearly basis.
I’ve found one of these camps for quarterbacks, which is why I chose camps as the subject of this week's blog. The Jeff Trickey Quarterback Camp is my pick for any quarterback who truly wants to develop his skills. Coach Trickey is hands-on at every site. His staff is made up of former campers and players. The camp is a two-day camp with four-hour sessions on each day. In addition to what your son will learn as a quarterback, Coach Trickey’s mini-speeches throughout the camp will inspire you as a parent and instill values in your son. Sometimes these values will only get through to players if they’re coming from a coach. This was my son's fourth Trickey camp. He’s attended two in Arizona and two in Cincinnati. He has benefited and grown every year as a result of these camps. This year's camp came with an added bonus — and I believe my son will take Coach Trickey up on his offer to work his camps next year! That’s a words win!