Broken Camp System

I believe our wrestling camp system in the United States is broken. I attended a commuter camp when I was in 6th grade and the instructor said if I can retain only ONE thing over three-days of camp, then it was worth it. The one thing I remember from that guy is that his statement didn't make any sense. If I'm going to spend over $300 to learn the sport from an expert, he better do whatever he can to assure that I learn more than one thing. In doing a short cost-benefit analysis, that's not money well spent.

It's been almost 20 years since I attended that summer camp and I've heard similar statements from other wrestling experts all over the US. Why do we think that it's alright if a kid retains only one thing from our camps? I'm bound and determined do it differently.

The majority of wrestling camps focus on techniques (or "moves"). They rush through the content and, often times, the instructors aren't qualified to teach. Attention to detail is skipped for the sake of time and the general concepts or principals are missed almost entirely. Why do we continue to pay top dollar for this type of experience?

I think wrestling camps started to serve three very specific purposes: 1.) to provide supplemental income for wrestling coaches/athletes and to fund college programs; 2.) to provide an environment for college athletes to train in the summer; and 3.) to introduce young wrestlers to the idea of wrestling during the off season. If this is the purpose of camp, the current system is easily understood. However, I believe wrestling camps should be designed around the needs of the athletes and not exclusively on those of the programs hosting them.

Personally, I know a lot of wrestling "moves" and I believe I possess the skills necessary to accurately teach them to athletes of all age levels (thanks to an education degree). However, teaching a group of athletes a series of moves does not assure they will become better wrestlers because they may not be able to apply to techniques to competition. Shouldn't one of my primary goals be to help campers become better wrestlers? Sometimes showing them a myriad of techniques works in the opposite direction of that goal. It's like feeding the athletes a ton of empty calories.

Empty calories, in casual dietary terminology, are a measurement of the energy present in high-energy foods with poor nutritional profiles (Wikipedia).

Empty calories can temporarily satisfy your hunger or quench your thirst, but they don't sustain. Our focus should be on providing campers with something that has solid nutritional value. The problem with empty calories is it meets the need in the short term, but sacrifices what is best in the long term. They come and go quickly, but leave unhealthy residue behind resulting in excessive weight gain and unhealthy people. Healthy growth requires intake of sound nutrients and I don't think the current camps system provides this to wrestlers.

If wrestlers who attend the camps at Victory School of Wrestling only retain one thing, I've failed them. I expect them to grow as wrestlers, but also as individuals who can reach full athletic and human potential. Empty calories don't accomplish this, only nutrient-dense foods will. We want to send the athletes with something sustainable that will help them grow. We want to teach them how to be personally responsible for their lives (including their training). We want to help them understand how to become the Total Athlete - Body, Mind and Soul.

"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."