Download This Episode By Clicking Here
Should You Showcase or Go To A Skills Based Lacrosse Camp Instead?
In today’s episode Coach Edwards answers a question from a lacrosse goalie in California whether he should go to a showcase event or attend a skills based lacrosse camp. This isn’t always an easy decision but something to think about is, if you’re wondering if you should go to a showcase or not, you probably shouldn’t.
For our Lacrosse Goalie University members Coach is posting a deeper dive video on this topic in Lacrosse Goalie University Online later today. Be sure to check it out.
Recommended Resource
Mental Performance School
Showcase Events Are More About Marketing Than Substance
While I appreciate the marketing efforts that go in to selling Showcase events as a legitimate opportunity to get ‘seen’ I find the value for a goalie who still needs to develop quite suspect. For a lacrosse goalie to improve there must be tremendous amounts of quality feedback at EVERY playing opportunity. With that in mind, most Showcase events are a waste of a lacrosse goalies time.
Build Your Weaknesses Then Showcase
I once heard a program director tell an eleven year old lacrosse goalie that his development would “suffer greatly” if the family did not fork over $3000 to attend a showcase tournament for “rising stars”. I couldn’t believe my ears and questioned the sincerity of the program director at that point.
Decide what weaknesses you have as a lacrosse goalie by getting quality feedback and then invest strategically in improving your abilities so that you are a recruit worthy goalie. You won’t be recruitable if you have weaknesses so make sure you take care of that first, then Showcase.
Showcases are super helpful though. A goalie who went to my school didn’t even start in a game until last year which was his senior year and he was already committed to VMI. 100% from showcases.
Ryan that’s a really great point. If you are in a great program with really strong goalies and you’re the number two guy then by all means, go to showcases because it’s the only way you might get noticed. With the new recruiting rules it does benefit goalies because they can spend more time at skills based camps and tournaments getting more playing time and more feedback and get exposure through those means that I feel are more valuable.
Ryan this is a great point. By all means, if you are the second (or third) goalie on a depth chart and you’re never going to see the field then you need to showcase. That being said, you still need to be confident that you are a recruitable lacrosse goalie or else you’re going to waste a lot of money. To my point to this goalie in the question, if you thinking if you should showcase over going to a skills based camp you should probably go skills camp. The playing time/coaching/improvement potential from a showcase does not compare with a well run skills camp.