Training Camp Is Hard, Seriously It Is Hard
The boys are in training camp now all over the country. For some it has been a good week of work that they're rolling up on now. For others, today marks the start of their campaign and run for the crystal ball. Kids are out there sweating; they're grinding in the weightroom, they're pushing their bodies to the limits on the practice fields and they're mentally being worked out in the meeting rooms. Fall camp is a bear in every way possible.
Last year we got a chance to talk to friend of the program Trimane Goddard about some training camp experiences and the former All-American Safety did not disappoint. People are truly excited as their team charges through camp; the amount of information being consumed and the thirst for more drives people as they want to pour over depth charts, injury reports and wonder what impact the freshman will make.
Fans are geared up for their "meet your team" days; waiting to take pictures with players, get their jersey signed or just chat with their favorite teams' roster.
That excitement is palpable from the players' perspective as well. Guys know the season is coming soon and this is their chance to rise on the depth chart, to prove they can contribute, to learn the basic defensive sets and to be focused solely on football.
That sole focusing on football is real y'all. You're essentially the only folks on campus. The team lives in a dorm, unless you're Ohio State or Florida who live in a pretty boss hotel. Teammates are who you spend your days with; the down time is spent shooting pool, playing poker or spades, watching whatever is on television and of course the incessant clowning of teammates.
Sounds like a great team building exercise right? A sort of slumber party for 105 of your closest friends?
Yeah, except it is anything but. For every minute of downtime that you get to clown around with teammates or nap in random spots around the facility there are so many more minutes spent on the grind. Simply put, training camp is hard. One of the single most painful but edifying experiences that any football player can go through.
Training camp is so much more than just installing your base defense, running through your offensive sets and establishing depth charts. Getting on the same page and becoming a cohesive unit is important but so much of training camp is about comraderie and the mental battles that players must fight to gain the trust of their teammates and their coaches.
Not just proving that you know where you're supposed to be on the field but proving that you are capable of being responsible in a multitude of areas. You learn early on that you are your brothers' keeper in more ways than one. Making sure you're not late but also that your roommate is on time for that first check in each morning.
On the field you learn about the teams within the team, the idea that if one guy fights we all fight. If a defensive back gets sucked into a fight the rest of the DBs better be there. If the defense is battling the offense everyone better show up. The last thing you want to be is the guy caught on tape shying away while his position group teammate is getting mauled on the ground.
You can't trust that guy.
Along with the fighting and the togetherness that comes with it players battle mentally every single day. The physical tests of practice and conditioning are tough; the mental tests rival those on some days. Chalk talk, film and meetings start out relatively easy as coaches are installing basic principles, watching guys do easy things and correcting where necessary. Everyone is fresh, things are crisp and then shit just gets real.
By the second week you're tired. Your eyelids weigh a ton, you're operating on a sleep deficit and while the first week is about basics that second week is when you get into checks, audibles, kills, kick 'n' mix and package adjustments. Film becomes more intense, more detailed and it last a whole hell of a lot longer than it did in the opening days. Falling asleep in meetings is a real thing, even the best players have had to stand up to stop from dozing off during that midday meeting after the first session of a two-a-day practice.
Worse than the two-a-days though?
The one-a-days.
Yeah, that's right, practicing twice is not as bad as practicing once so long as you're in shape and able to physically get through the beatings. The one-a-days are brutal. Breakfast, special teams meeting, lift weights, lunch, film session, practice, dinner and then film again. There is nothing worse than spending hours at practice only to get back to the stadium, eat a quick dinner and then spend at least an hour having the practice you just finished get picked apart step by agonizing step as you try to keep your eyes open.
Through that fire fed by pain, collisions, sweat and fatigue the contenders are forged. Boys become men. Guys who were role players or buried on a depth chart a year ago become starters. Freshmen become true teammates. This is where you make your bones internally. You've got to prove to your teammates, your brothers that you can get it on the practice fields before they'll trust you out on the town or more importantly in a real game scenario.
Whether your sitting in your cube pouring over message board practice reports, having a drink at a casino picking your winners or reading through your season your previews think about the boys. Training camp is a fun and exciting time but there's a ton of hard work involved as well. Let's hope all the boys make it through ok. With the heat and the work there is a recipe for disaster and players, coaches and training staff must all work together to avoid catastrophe on a daily basis.
