PlayYourGame.com - Training Camp

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PlayYourGame.com is very excited to be including an article on training camps, because all players who challenge themselves daily to take their games to a higher level will inevitably be faced with attending numerous training camps throughout their careers.
      While growing up and progressing through minor hockey, we, as young players, aren't really faced with training camps, nor the pressures that go hand in hand with attending them. What is camp? How should you approach them? And, how to make an impression is the focus of this article.
      If we were to quickly summarize training camp, we would characterize it as a 3-5 day window of opportunity for players to showcase their talents with the hope of earning a spot on a team's roster. 3-5 days isn't much time, so it doesn't leave a lot of room for error. Training camp can amount to the most important 3-5days of a player's career for that upcoming season, and it is for this reason that it should be approached as such.
      Our advice is simple. Be ready! You're being invited to a team's training camp for a reason. Someone has obviously seen you play or has heard about you, so in general, the team is interested in seeing you perform. It's up to you to make sure that you're capable of doing so. We encourage you to prepare for camp during the summer. By prepare, we mean get your body and mind ready for your 3-5 day window of opportunity. Run, bike, swim, roller blade, skate, workout, whatever it is that you choose to do, do it prior to camp. Being ready for camp can be the difference between going home early or sticking around after camp is finished, and I think we're all in agreement that it's better to be the player sticking around.
      Training camp is actually quite a strange time during a season. The reason for this strangeness is the fact that everyone in attendance is trying to make an impression. Where most players make their biggest mistake is that in trying to make the right impression, they make the wrong one. They accomplish this by playing out of character. What's made you successful in the past and has ultimately earned you an invitation to camp is how you should play. The unfortunate reality is that most of us forget this. Players who are scorers mysteriously turn into grinders, grinders attempt to be scorers, and steady, stay-at-home D-men suddenly turn into Paul Coffey. If there is anything that we can recommend to you, it would be to simply Play Your Game! Do what you do best, and do it to the best of your ability. Come to camp mentally and physically prepared to perform the way you know you can, because in all honesty, that's all you can ask of yourself.
      There are going to be times in your career that for whatever reason your best just wasn't good enough. It could be because of a limited number of positions, or it could come down to the simple fact that someone else was better than you during those 3-5 days. Whatever the case may be, learn from it. Ask yourself what you need to improve on and then take the steps needed to get better. Believe in yourself, and challenge yourself to get better. The best players in the world never stop working on their skills, and if the players in the NHL are still trying to improve, shouldn't we all be? Take this kind of an approach to training camp, and you'll be amazed at what you'll accomplish. We wish you the best of luck.