The #1 Thing You Need to Do to Run a Bootcamp

The #1 Thing You Need to Do to Run a Bootcamp

If you want it to be special to be on your team, you have to make it hard to be on your team. Anson Dorrance, who won 22 NCAA soccer championships, knew this, which is why he made the first weeks of training camp brutal and called it thinning the herd. Boot camps and physically demanding tryouts aren't right for every team, but for teams that want to be great, they set a clear standard and minimum buy-in from the start.

Done intentionally, a boot camp does more than filter out players who aren't committed. It brings your group closer through shared suffering, deepens their commitment to the shared purpose, and builds mental toughness. The key is letting athletes decide how to share the load, like three teammates carrying one 45-pound weight and choosing who carries it and for how long. That creates shared vulnerability and gives your leaders a reason to step up.

The Physical Training Team Builders guide in TOC Coach gives you the planning frameworks, safety protocols, workout library, and Coach Greg Tonagel's Junkyard Blueprint from Indiana Wesleyan Basketball.

If you'd like our full Physical Training Team Builders PDF, follow this link to TOC Coach.

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