5 Key Factors You've Overlooked When Picking a Basketball Camp

What do you consider when picking a camp for your child? If you’re like most people you look at things like cost and location.

You might consider who’s running the camp. You might think about whether any of your child’s friends are attending.

Those are all legitimate factors.

But there are other factors that can make a huge difference in the experience your child has. Read on to learn five you should be thinking about.

5 “Under The Radar” Considerations When Picking A camp

1. Does the camp use a mix of block & random practice?

Block practice (practicing the same skill over & over again) is a common way of introducing a new skill. And it works - to an extent. It’s especially helpful for beginners because it keeps practice simple.

However, block practice has limitations. The camp you choose should also use random practice. In random practice, players switch between executing different skills in a random order.

While random practice isn’t as clean as block practice, studies show it leads to better game performance. You can read more about the types of practice here.

2. Does the camp heavily feature 5 v 5 games? We just said adding defense is a great way to make practice more random. So wouldn’t it logically follow that playing mostly 5 v 5 is a good thing for camps to do?

Not necessarily. Here’s why:

• Lack of coaching - at most camps, 5 on 5 coaching does not take place.
• Lack of touches - in 5v5 camp games, you often see a few kids dominate the ball while the majority stand around.
• Lack of effort - in most camps, kids don’t play that hard. This develops a terrible habit!

Good camps use small sided games to integrate random practice. Rather than playing 5 on 5, the game might be 1 on 1 or 3 on 2. Those settings allow for more reps and more touches.

3. How are players grouped? Grouping is a really important but often overlooked aspect of camp. Many camps don’t put much thought into it. They might line players up tallest to shortest or by grade level and then number them off. Those are both common methods.

While those methods do get players into evenly sized groups with players the same age or height, that may not be the best way.

Look for a camp that groups players developmentally.

4. Does the camp use a curriculum?  Would you send your child to a school that didn’t have a curriculum? I’m guessing not. Hold camps to a similar standard.

Many (if not most) camps fly by the seat of their pants. 

The best camps meticulously plan their instruction. Over years, they create and hone a curriculum.

Your camp decision is an investment. It’s an investment of your money and your child’s time. A quality curriculum helps ensure you get a good return on that investment. 

5. Does the camp teach mental skills?  What percentage of sports are mental? Individual answers will vary, but everyone agrees that the mental side is a big part of the game.

The best camps focus on mental skills as well as physical. First, they teach it on the court. While working on the floor, coaches devote attention not just to physical ability but mental as well.

Second, they extend this coaching beyond the floor. Elite camps take players off the court into a classroom environment to work on these traits.

A 1 Week Investment That Creates Lasting Results

Picking a camp can be overwhelming. There are a lot to choose from. Make sure you go beyond the obvious criteria and make a great choice.

Considering the 5 criteria covered in this article is a good starting point. At Breakthrough, we pride ourselves on checking all 5 of those boxes when it comes to our camps!

Check out our camps for an experience that is both enjoyable and educational!