Coaches and instructors, especially those in the private sector, have gotten to be very competitive. They need athletes to make money — and the more winning athletes they have, the more money they make and the more they are considered to be successful.
However, I often wonder if having more athletes isn’t the main reason for many sports academies and major training camps to be considered successful. The more athletes they have participating, the greater are the chances of getting a great athlete in the group.
Notice I did not say a greater chance of developing a great athlete because this is something that rarely occurs. The yardstick that most people use to measure success is how many great athletes came from a particular coach or sports training center.
Thus, the greater the number of athletes that participate in the program, the greater is the possible success that the coach/instructor may realize. What is very often overlooked is how good the instructor or organization is in developing great athletes.
To make the training center look even more successful they often lure high-level athletes to play at their facility by giving them a free ride. As a result, people think that the high-level athlete was developed there when he was not.
Rarely, if ever, can you read about how much improvement the athletes show after several months or years of training at the facility. We can find many examples of athletes who participate in a particular program for many years but never get past a particular level of performance or competition.
Because of this if you are considering joining one of these facilities, it is important that you check what results can be expected after participation for a few months or year. Do not be swayed by any celebrities who may be mentioned but look for training results. Results should guide you in your decisions!
For more information on this topic see Sports: Is It All BS? and Build a Better Athlete.