Mental skills training has been part of professional and Olympic sport for decades. It's increasingly available at the youth level — and increasingly misunderstood. This guide explains what mental skills training actually involves (it's not motivational speeches), what evidence supports it, and how to evaluate whether a camp program's approach is substantive or superficial.

This article explains what self-coaching actually means, how we develop it, and what it looks like in practice — in concrete terms, not aspirational ones.

This article explains what staff ratios actually measure, why they matter for your athlete's development, where the industry typically falls, and what questions to ask any program before committing. The goal isn't to sell you on a particular ratio. It's to help you understand what you're evaluating.

Sparks Running Camps are built on a different premise. Born from 15 years of experiential education in sport — originally in rowing, now extended to distance running — our programs prioritize extended duration, international training environments, whole-athlete development, and a self-coaching philosophy that gives athletes tools they can use for years after camp ends. This article explains what that looks like in practice, so you can evaluate whether it's the right fit.