Does a Boot Camp Really Move the Needle for Athletes?

Here are some guide questions that you can ask yourself if you’re thinking of putting your team through a boot camp.

By now, much has been said about the tragedy that happened in Aurora to the Ateneo de Manila Blue Eagles. The investigations will continue and as of this writing, no formal charges have been filed, and coaches and players have given their own accounts both to the public and to the authorities of what transpired on that fateful day. Whatever the outcome, families, friends, team mates, and those left behind will be grieving for a long time.

But what truly saddens me, and I believe most people who are viewing this from the lens of an outsider, is that this totally could have been preventable. Yes, an act of God and nature was the ultimate cause of the tragedy but the circumstances that led to it is what raised multiple questions.

One of those questions seems to be, why do a boot camp in the first place?

To understand this practice of making athletes go through a “boot camp” style training program, we have to know how it started in the first place.

The way it is understood now in modern athletics, especially in American football, rugby, basketball, soccer, and military/tactical sport environments, the term usually refers to a highly demanding preseason conditioning phase characterized by volume, discipline, physical hardship, and team cohesion. However, it didn’t start out that way.

The actual term “boot camp” came from U.S. military recruit training around the Spanish-American War era in the late 1890s, referring to recruits wearing military boots during training.   Over time, “boot camp” became synonymous with the intense nature of these events. So if an athlete now were to hear “we’re going a boot camp”, they already know that it will be a grueling few days of high intensity, high effort work.

Aside from the intense physical nature, boot camps old and modern were meant to form camaraderie and togetherness by making the team or group go through shared struggles together. This is with the hopes that eventually they will come out of those with a better sense of teamwork, cohesion, as well as trust and respect for each other.

It all sounds good on paper. Who wouldn’t want their team to be more together, right? In fact there are many instances when I might even see the merit of going on boot camps. However, there are some considerations that you have to think about before deciding for your team.

Location is crucial

Every time you take your team way from your usual training venues, you are taking them out of their comfort zone. Not only because of the lack of familiarity, but also because routines will be different. And for athletes who are creatures of habit, you would want to choose a location that will limit the impact on their training regimen as much as possible.

Does your venue have a place for strength and conditioning work?

Is it conducive for tactical and skill work?

Is there enough space to do auxiliary work such as the usual team building activities?

All of those are important because yes, even if you say that there is a greater purpose for this, if you are going to spend a significant amount of time in the camp, you will need these dedicated spaces. I’m not even talking about the most important part of your locations which is:

Is the place safe?

I am a huge believer that coaches and anybody who handles athletes should have the same mandate as doctors: first, do no harm. Not to say that you’re not going to push your athletes. But you have to do it with the right intention and with proper measures of safety in place.

Does your venue have close proximity to a medical facility? Remember you are going through a physically demanding activity so in the absence of an EMT, are you at least nearby to a hospital or clinic?

Are there first aid kits and lifesaving devices like AEDs available? See above as to why this is crucial.

Are the staff trained in giving basic life support efforts? And if not, is your staff?

What other potential hazards or high risk areas might you encounter in the activity? Which leads me to the next point:

Are the risks worth the reward?

We make sports as safe as we can be but it doesn’t mean that there are no risks involved in competition. Sports is an inherently unpredictable and challenging activity. Risks will always be present. But calculating these risks is the key. So you have to ask yourself the common question: is it worth it for what you want to achieve?

What exactly is it that you want to achieve?

As we now know what boot camps do, coaches and school officials should think if this kind of activity will help bring them closer to their goal. We know already that it can build cohesion and camaraderie, but it might also take time away from sport practice. If your team is severely lacking in connectivity then maybe it can be considered.

But is it the best way?

Are boot camps really the best way for a sports team to build on their teamwork? This is where opinions will be mixed.

I am in the camp that thinks there are more practical and effective ways for a team to build trust. Things like facilitated group sessions done by a third party provider can help reveal team issues that need to be dealt with. Going to an actual team-building facility that is designed to give challenges in a safe and controlled environment. Or perhaps ditching the boot camp idea altogether and just going on a planned trip or holiday.

But if in case you are on the other side, and you still believe in the practice of boot camps, make sure that you have weighed the risks, chosen a proper location with the proper safeguards in place, and finally:

Do you have a plan and a program?

Not all boot camps are created alike. The most effective bootcamps have a clear goal in mind and a clear and well thought out plan and program to help achieve that goal. The worst ones are those that just end up being an expensive and unnecessary vacation.

The best ones however, are planned and executed with detail, and proper consideration for the risks and other factors that come with it. These are the ones worth doing.

At the end of the day though, there really is one question to ask, and this is the same for every decision that you make for your team:

Will my team come out of this experience better than how we came in?

Answer that, and you’ll have your answer as to if it is all worth it.

Banner images from Unsplash.