João Paulo Silva takes stock of 'Elite Camp' and leaves a strong message to the club's Formation echelons

Between 18 and 24 this month, the club organized another edition of the ‘CAB Elite Camp’. The initiative was another opportunity for a group of athletes to work on specific aspects of the technical domain of the game according to the training program and a work pace superior to those they are usually faced with. The work was conducted under the guidance of João Paulo Silva, coach of the Men's Senior Team and Coordinator of the Male Sector of Friends of the Basketball. The CAB's Official Site came to the talk with the coach and asked him, in the form of balance sheet, some comments on the works developed at the 'Camp. Here we leave the record of the brief conversation: What do you make of this year's Elite Camp edition? Gratifying the way all athletes dedicated themselves to the work presented during the Camp. The evaluation is very positive because it was noticeable the determination of all elements in the constant attempt to overcome the individual and collective contents. Once again, we were able to expose the importance of the fundamentals of the game to be approached dynamically during the time, reinforcing the idea that the great percentage in the evolution of athletes arises from the conviction that each one is dedicated to the work program. The coaches involved felt an atmosphere of enthusiasm, desire, ambition in every task proposed. Thus, the balance is naturally satisfactory, not only for the way the athletes have dedicated themselves, but especially for the message we have been passing on to the use of each of the contents addressed. The best evaluation of this Camp was that we concluded that it should continue next year. It's one of the signs of confidence in our athletes' abilities. Enjoy. Based on the contact you had with athletes during the Camp, what diagnosis is possible to make of the work that has been developed in the male training of our club? The first perception arises through the difficulty experienced when we try to increase the intensity in the execution of technical contents. It is not enough just to correctly perform certain content. A higher speed should always be required and, above all, make perceptible to all athletes the framing of technical content in a collective action logic. I would say that our concern must go that way. To complement the work that has been carried out in training with the introduction, increasingly, at the speed with which the tasks are carried out. To stress that this idea applies not only to offensive aspects but also to rules that should guide a good defensive organization. We cannot burn training stages that have a noble importance in the evolution of athletes. It is up to each trainer to be rationally more ambitious and to demand, through his instruction, his athletes the commitment to the proposed goals. We need to be significantly more demanding in terms of working intensity and, at the same time, not to allow faults in compliance with the rules. Each player must be well aware that the most important element of training is the coach, and that this recognition comes from the demanding quality of his intervention. Is it possible to dream of the integration of more and more Madeirans into the Men's Senior Team? It is always possible and desirable to dream. Following the previous answer, we can achieve whatever we want, make dreams come true. From the many years I've had as a coach, I've seen a lot of things happen that so far have been on a supposedly unreachable plan. I don't know if we'll ever have more Madeirans on the senior team, but I have the full conviction that we have the ability to put better athletes there. First of all, for this to happen, there must be a corridor that connects all age groups. A Mini-12 athlete has to understand the real possibility of walking through this corridor and thus foster his ambition to walk in this direction. It is possible to integrate and this responsibility lies fundamentally in the energetic action of each coach. What suggestion would you leave to the athletes of the club for the vacation coming? I've been trying to pass on the message that in his development process, the athlete has a direct influence of 80%, leaving the remaining 20% to the coach. Often misunderstood, this message aims to motivate athletes for their continued preparation outside the regular training units, manifestly insufficient for their growth. The holiday period is an ideal time for each to contribute to this evolution. Believe me, it is possible to begin the new epoch in a state of development higher than before. Work with the conviction of overcoming each difficulty and so you can walk sustainably to the next level. The CAB provides excellent conditions for you to work with intensity.