When it comes to selecting a summer sports camp, there are many factors to consider. For example, if you play more than one sport, which sport would you like to focus on when you go to camp? Once you have picked a sport, you want to find a camp that will best develop your skills. So if you want to become a better field hockey player, you want to find a summer field hockey camp that teaches you all the skills you want to learn.
What Makes a Good Field Hockey Camp
Like any good summer camp, especially any good summer sports camp, field hockey camp is a place to build comradery with people who share the same interests as you. However, while you probably want to make friends while you are there, if you go to a sports camp, that is probably only a second consideration. Your first consideration is most likely going to be to learn and develop skills that will take you to the next level in your playing prowess. Otherwise, what was the point in choosing a sports camp?
At any summer field hockey camp, you are going to learn a wide variety of skills that will help you reach whatever goal you have from playing in college, to making varsity, to just becoming a better player in the sport you love. You will be placed with players of a similar age and skill level so that you do not have to worry about how good you are coming in.
Because you will be learning at the skill level that is right for you, what skills you develop will be partially based on you and not the camp. For example, a high-skilled player heading to college will be at a field hockey camp to fine-tune much more intricate skills than would a camper who has never played before but wants to know how.
While age and skill level do somewhat dictate what will be taught at camp, there are some basic skills that will almost always be taught, be it at different levels of skill. Also, most field hockey camps will have special lessons for goalies or campers with an interest in becoming a goalie.
Basic Skills
There are several skills that you are almost guaranteed to be taught at field hockey camp. These skills encompass both defense and offense and are the backbone of what makes a good and knowledgeable player.
Defense
Part of being a good field hockey player requires you to defend against the other team. It cannot be left to the goalie to stop everything in order for games to be won. So, developing these skills is vital for anyone wanting to be a good, team-oriented player. There are lots of defensive skills you will learn and develop at field hockey camp.
- Defensive positioning. Where should you be when the other team has the ball?
- Tackling. This includes how to do it, how to know when to do it, and how to do it cleanly.
Offense
Scoring not only helps your team win games, it’s a whole lot of fun to do. However, in order to do this, you have to know how to correctly play an offensive position. If you want to score a goal, then you have to fine-tune your offensive techniques. However, you also have to develop skills to be a good team player and help your teammates score goals too. There are lots of offensive skills you will learn and develop at field hockey camp.
- Goal scoring. How to add goals to your name.
- Ball control. How to handle the ball.
- Off-ball movement. Where to be when your teammate has the ball and you don’t need to have it right then.
- 3D Skills. All those fun, fancy tricks you see more advanced players make.
- Passing and Receiving. Get the ball and give it to your teammate.
- Positioning. Where should you be when your team has the ball?
Other
Some of the skills you learn at camp will encompass both offense and defense. For example, you might learn what to do in special situations or how to develop as a team player. You will also likely learn conditioning, which is how you will be able to stay fit enough to continue playing field hockey and enjoying it. These skills are as necessary to becoming a good player as any of the more focused skills discussed above.
Goalie Skills
When you play field hockey, you know how important the position of goalie is. It just might be the most important position on the team. It does not matter how many goals your team scores if the other team scores more. Because of this, it is vital that the goalie be a good player. While it is not fully up to them to stop goals, that’s what a good defense is for, after all, it is there job to be the last line of defense. It is their sole goal to make sure as the other team scores as few goals as possible.
In order to do this, the goalie needs to know how to play this position correctly. That is why any good field hockey camp will have special lessons just for those players who are goalies or would like to become ones. These lessons focus on the skills that a good goalie should develop and hone.
- Clearing and accuracy. How to get the ball out of your zone, and make sure a ball isn’t scored on the rebound.
- Angles. How to cover angles correctly.
- Diving and stacking. How to do whatever you need to do to stop a goal from happening.
- Glove and pad work. What to do with all that gear.
These are just some of the skills you will learn in the goalie lessons of a good field hockey camp. There are many more unlisted ones as well.
At a summer field hockey camp, or any summer sports camp for that matter, the focus is going to be on teaching you the skills that you need to be the best player you can be. If you have a lot of fun, create memories you will never forget, and make a lot of friends along the way, well, that is just the icing on the cake.
