Typical day at camp

"Good morning, America. How do you FEEL?" That is how Manny Toledo begins each camp day. The campers respond in unison, "We feel good, oh we feel so good......", as they sway their hips in time to the chant. There is no lack of enthusiasm at Manny's camp. After the chant and warm-up exercises, campers are divided into groups and go off with their respective instructors and counselors.

At this point players are taught the basic technical skills of passing, collecting, shooting, heading, dribbling, etc. Staff demonstrates the correct technique on all soccer skills. Now campers are encouraged to repeat several times the basic skills with instructors observing and correcting as needed. At the beginning campers perform skills with no pressure to develop confidence and improve technique.

Later they practice different exercises as we introduce individual and team tactics. The correct technique of passing, dribbling, and shooting are stressed at all times. As campers feel more comfortable with the ball we add 50% pressure to make the execution more realistic as they prepare for simulated games later on.

Mid-morning, there is a snack break, during which time you are likely to see Manny interacting personally with the campers or perhaps relating to them the story of his youth and how he came to America from Brasil. Oftentimes, you will hear him stressing the importance of being a good student, leading by example and always doing your best. After the snack break, campers return to their groups for additional instruction as they prepare to play against other groups.

The last part of the camping day is spent with short-sided games and inter-group play. This gives an opportunity for campers to use the skills and tactics they have learned earlier in the day (under the watchful eye of Manny). During theses games players are encouraged to make decisions on their own with and be creative when necessary. During these games we want to make sure each child learns how to play the game, winning is secondary. Finally, there is a cool down session followed by dismissal for the day at 12:30 p.m.

We end our camp on Friday with graduation ceremonies starting at 11:30 a.m. At this time all campers are acknowledge by their instructors and counselors. Each camper receives a certificate of completion, evaluation form, official camp pin and pictures. In addition, each group recognizes the outstanding campers for the week as well as the most improved campers.