How to Start a Basketball Camp

Gain gym access. You need to contact the local gym and state that you wish to hold a basketball camp at the gym for the listed amount of days. Decide on how long you desire for your basketball camp to last. The general rule is one week, two to four hours a day, and usually in the morning although some camps have both morning and afternoon sessions.

The gym is going to charge you a fee for renting out the space and usually will hold you accountable for any damage occurred during the time you use it. Pay the charge up front. You will earn this money back when you charge players to join the camp.

Hire coaches and set limits. You need to decide how many players you are willing to allow join. The general rule is basketball camps require hands-on training and personal one-on-one time with each camper. So if you only have one or two coaches, you cannot afford to go over 25 players.

Hiring five to six coaches is recommended if your budget will allow it. Set a limit of 50 players for your first camp. If the camp is successful, more people will join next year and you can continue to expand. But for now focus on a lot of coaches and a smaller amount of campers.

You also need to decide on what age players you want. Obviously the skills and fundamentals you teach a freshman in high school is way different than what you teach a first-grader. Generally a camp will break down sessions into two different age groups. Basic fundamentals are taught first to age group ranging from kindergarten to sixth grade. A more advanced camp is held later in the day for seventh-graders to high school seniors. If you want campers of all ages to participate, you need two different sessions. If you cannot afford two different sessions, stick with either basic fundamentals for the kids or advanced skills for older teenagers.

Hire coaches who are foremost knowledgeable about the game but also great teachers who are positive, encouraging, charismatic, vocal and supportive.

Advertise and promote. Print and hand out fliers promoting your camp. Post more promos on community bulletin boards and event listings. If you can afford it, place an ad in the classified section or with a radio ad. Notify the local newspaper that you are holding a camp. It will gladly announce the event and maybe even run a promotional article in the sports section.

Talk to middle school and high school coaches. These people have direct access to aspiring ballplayers and can inform them about the camp. They want their players to improve their skills and fundamentals, so they understand the importance of basketball camps.

Purchase camp equipment, including basketballs, T-shirts and any other basketball attire you wish to include.

Hand out camp registration forms. Print out forms that allow prospective campers to fill out personal information such as name, age, skill level and medical concerns or history. By providing this paperwork, you can gain a feel for how many players are interested in the camp, their skill levels and if they have any medical concerns or things you should watch out for. This could include such simple diagnoses as "asthma."

Also charge a small fee for camp. This should help cover gym fees and the cost of basketballs. A lot of basketball camps throw in extra incentives like a free T-shirt with sign-up or a free basketball. Charge somewhere in the neighborhood of $20-$40. Make the registration deadline anywhere from a week to the day before the camp. This way you will have all the paperwork out of the way and find out how many players you have to work with.

Conduct the camp. Before the drills and games begin, sit all the campers down and introduce the coaches and yourself. Get the rules out of the way first off. Make sure you address the issue of being late. Tell the campers the importance of responsibility and getting to the camp on time. List off any health or nutrition advice and ask if there are any questions.