Fall Camp and Player Development
FALL CAMP.
The time is here. Recruiting visits are over. Football camps are over. The vacations are over. The staff retreat is over. It is time for football.
My first year in player development at the University of Houston was the first fall camp in my career where I was not a Coach. I did not know what to expect. I even had a conversation with a Coach, in which he told me to buckle up and be ready. I told him I was not a Coach anymore and he laughed and said you are going to find out. By the end of day two I had a greater understanding.
Fall camp to me during my career in the role signified the beginning of the football season and the importance of every detail toward the on-field career of the players. This was about one thing, getting better at football.
In that quest to get better at football, I learned quickly that scheduling programming at this time was not a good idea. The biggest reason for this discovery is the schedule is LOADED and I mean LOADED LOADED. From the moment the players wake up until they go to bed every minute is laid out for them. A mastery of coordination and strategic planning.
With all those scheduled times for the players, I made sure my office was open, I was available, and I was present at everything they had to be at during fall camp. I would encourage players during practice, talk to them during transitions and break bread with them during meals. There was one thing consistent during camp at every place I worked at was players found time to spend with the people they trusted. Fall camp is a tough three weeks or so, a lot of intense mental and physical efforts being asked of each player. When they are given a window, they go to those people and places that provide comfort and an outlet from their arduous day.
In my first fall camp I began to see the relationships I built with the players deepening as they would come into my office, chop it up with me during transitions or pull up a seat next to me during meals. The texts, calls and conversations of gratitude were great. The moments to encourage and uplift players during the good and bad days of practice and hold them accountable to their goals were missional. The impact I was making on their lives was real and tangible.
As I transitioned from my first camp to many other fall camps, I made every intention to ensure I was available to the players. Everywhere I have worked fall camp is never easy and will never be easy, but providing intentional space for your players to trust you is priceless.
For those who are in the player development space and are in or preparing for fall camp, ALWAYS keep the impact you can make on the players during these hot days of fall. You are there and able to help the on-field production of the players by being a consistent positive force into which they can tap. Thank you for the sacrifices and commitments you will make during fall camp, and I am excited you are in the role to impact so many.
This blog is the beginning of a blog series where I will be sharing my fall camp player development tips from my time in the role. Do not miss the four-part series. Thank you for reading.
If you would like more guidance in the player development role, email info@btfprogram.com and let me know how I can champion your player development journey.
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