Picking a Softball Clinic or Camp to Improve, not just Promote
The current softball landscape is littered with showcases, camps, clinics, and promises of recruiting and landing at a school with a great scholarship. The reality is that very few focus on the player, their improvement, and education. None the less there are clinics and camps out there that can actually help players. Recently we sat down with Sean Cotter the founder of Elite Collegiate Skills Camps and assistant coach at Florida Institute of Technology (FIT). His camps use other college coaches as instructors to assure players are learning from the best. Coach Cotter thinks players need to attend a camp with an open mind and willingness to learn, “Players need to be open to learning, whether your dream school is there or not, be ready to learn. If I am going to spend money to learn from a BBQ Pitmaster I won’t tell them how I do my ribs, I am there to learn how they do theirs. Be ready to try it the way a coach is teaching it at camp.”
Sean Cotter
There is a chance a player may be noticed by one of the coaches, but that is not the goal of his camps, coach Cotter believes what separates his approach from others is that the focus is on teaching and learning, not recruiting. Cotter says “What separates Elite Collegiate Skills camps, is our passion and our ability to teach. It’s a teaching camp that kids may or may not get recruited out of, versus a recruiting camp that some teaching may occur. We keep or camps to a 5-1 player to coach ratio, and we bring in like-minded coaches who represent all levels of collegiate softball.”
The key point is that a focus on learning or at least having the willingness to learn and try something different is key to player development. What drives him is helping players improve. “I love coaching kids up. I love getting to know kids at our camps, and seeing improvement in such a short period of time is really special.”
Cotter offers some tips for players on what not to do a camp or clinic. “Don’t be opposed to learning and Don’t talk negatively about your current coaches.” The first not only makes a player look uncoachable but also makes them attending the camp in the first place a waste of time. Speaking badly about your coaches to other coaches is just not a good idea in general and can give other coaches a bad impression.
Camps can also play a major role in the recruiting process, be it a camp at an institution or a camp where the college coaches are the instructors. It allows the coaches to see how coachable a player is, get to know them as a person and player and how they react to what is being taught. Cotter says “We run a camp like practice, so it’s great to see players in that kind of environment.”
Picking the right camp is not easy, especially with all the options and promises floating around. Look for a camp that will help you as a player, and that can possibly offer you some exposure to college coaches and or to the college style of practices. look for an ROI in the money you are spending. Do not go with the idea that you will be recruited rather go with the idea that you are going to learn skills and gather information that could help you get recruited.
For more information on Coach Cotter and his camps visit Elite Collegiate Skills Camps.
