T2 - EliteTraining Camp
T2 Sports Performance - Elite Training Summer Camp
Yesterday, one of my students who works at T2 Sports Performance invited me to come take pictures with her at their summer Elite Training Camp. This was the second camp I have been to this summer, but this was a little more up my alley, it was a sports camp. The Training was for youth 4th through 12th grade who were interested in leveling up their skills for football. I didn’t know what to expect when I showed up, so of course half the equipment I brought I didn’t need. I thought they were going to be in a dimly lit area, based on the previous photos I had seen from my student. But I did bring the most important part, my camera and my love of sports, and that was all I needed.
The indoor practice football field
This was the first time I had ever been out to their facility in Mishawaka called “The Fieldhouse.” The place was huge and amazing. The camp was held in the indoor football field, which might have been the actual size of a football field. That was right next to all the indoor tennis and paddle ball courts. On the other side of the building was the indoor basketball gym. When I say this place was huge, I mean it was immense. I had heard about this place, briefly here and there, but never knew the extent of what they had there. If you have never been there, you should definitely go check it out. You will be just as surprised as I was.
Tevin Lake - Main Trainer of the T2 Elite Training Camp
The camps main instructor was Tevin Lake. He himself was no joke, the guy was buff and looked like he could suit up for any football team today. He took the players through all kinds of drills, mostly basic football drills you would get at any good program. He had two assistant and as a staff they made sure every player was doing every drill correctly. This was probably the key aspect of the camp, attention to detail and running the drills the right way. The staff’s message to the players was “if you want to be better than average, it starts right here.” They made sure to reiterate that point numerous times and made sure to include the fact that it wasn’t going to be easy. To be great meant to work and keep working because some people were jut more talented and others worked harder to be the best. I loved that coaching point, and Tevin made sure to point that out when he said “I’m not trying to be mean or an A-hole, I’m just being honest about what it’s going to take to be better than good, better than average.”
Camp Players running through ladders drills
The youth attending the camp were a mix in ages from middle school to high school athletes, but the coaches had them all working together as one large group. One thing the coaches were trying to find out was who was going to be a leader, vocal and push the others to do and try harder. That was interesting to see because the coaches were being honest with them when they said that many of the younger athletes were being more of a leader than the older ones. It was good to see the athletes and how they handled the atmosphere, being pushed and someone telling them that they are doing it wrong and to do it correctly. They all handled themselves very well and listened to the coaches and didn’t argue when they were corrected or had to do the drill numerous times until they got it correct. Most of the drills they ran through emphasized foot speed, power and balance. Of course not all the athletes were able to replicate some of these exactly because of their age, body types and abilities, but it was a pleasure watching them try, especially those few future offensive linemen who were trying to do the wide-receiver or defensive back drills.
For me, the shot of the day was a little bit different than normal. I was really looking for a marketing shot, something T2 could use to market their program in the future. Some of the shots I was taking I was emphasizing different aspects of photography, such as leading lines, the rule of thirds, composition and aspect. But the shot that caught my eye was this photo of Coach Tevin demonstrating power on take off, having a solid base and digging your foot in pushing off aggressively. It also encompassed the rule of thirds as Coach Tevin is shifted in the right third of the photo so that T2 can include their logo, website or camp information to the left of the photo. Also, it’s never a bad idea to get a picture of the most physical specimen on the field for the best shots.
Elite Training Camp shot of the day
