Welcome to the Summer Camp Leadership blog. For those of us who lead summer camps, making a positive difference in the lives of young people is our passion. Turning that passion into a reality, however, takes more than the ability to lead songs, teach archery or plan craft projects. Creating camp experiences that truly transform lives takes leadership. Leadership that creates a vision for the future, leadership that inspires and engages others, leadership that remains focused and stays the course. My hope is through this blog you'll find ideas, inspiration and tools to help you be a great summer camp leader.

Monday, April 23, 2012

Coaching Principles

I've been fortunate over the years to coach middle school soccer and high school football and basketball. Early in my coaching career I developed a set of core principles I tried to use to guide my coaching. Recently I came across a copy of these principles. As I read through them I realized they are more than just coaching principles, they are leadership principles that make as much sense at camp as they did on the field or in the gym.

  1. Players Staff  will not engage in behavior they don't see from their coach camp director.
  2. No individual can be more important than the team camp. 
  3. Consistent success requires experiencing game camp intensity and tempo in practice staff training.
  4. Discipline = execution.
  5. Many players staff will accept mediocrity...coaches camp directors must demand excellence.
  6. The difference between good and great is attention to detail.
  7. Most players staff are capable of more than they think they can do...coaches camp directors can help them discover their full potential by pushing them beyond their self imposed limits.
  8. Every repetition of every drill activity creates habits, good or bad...coaches camp directors must require every repetition be done right. 
  9. Mental and physical toughness can be developed by mentally and physically challenging players staff.
  10. Expectations must be accompanied by accountability or they don't exist.