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 guide is about the after — how to capture what you learned, translate it into your home training, and make camp the beginning of a developmental arc rather than its peak.

Singles and pairs training reveals and develops skills that larger boats conceal. This isn't an argument for abandoning sweep or team boating — it's an argument for incorporating small-boat work as a development tool that accelerates everything else. Here's what small boats teach, how to approach the learning curve, and what to look for if you're considering a camp or program with sculling or pairs training.

This guide explains how the current recruiting landscape works, what coaches actually evaluate, where camps fit into the process, and how to think about summer training as part of a larger recruiting strategy.