PowerPlay Magazine

So, with the first season of handball nearly complete and playoffs around the corner I was going over my typical mental checklist. On that list is the status of my training camps.

Every season we are granted two training camp slots. Traditionally teams take one once playoffs are done and the other whenever they can squeeze it in with minimal damage to the win column. Given this is season 1, removing your top ~8 players from your line-up for a week (4 games) can have devastating impact given the parallels between teams at this stage. So, as I often do, I thought it through in more detail and started running some numbers.

Given my stellar level 6 sports academy and my astounding 11% efficiency player training sporting director(s), I would be allowed to send 8 players to camp with a bonus of 48%. I looked through the 8 I would want to send and there was an issue: both my GKs are atop my prospect list and I'd want them in camp - that's not good... it would be an automatic four losses and I'm in the middle of a 13-game winning streak that has seen me climb from nearly-last to 3^rd-place. So I went out and got a 3^rd goalie (just so happened I sold my former 3^rd goalie only to have to replace him - oops). Okay, we're all set! Let's send these buggers to camp! I'll likely lose a couple games but the added training bonus will make my players stronger and give me an edge when it counts right!? Wrong!

Yup, I was surprised when I ran the numbers too. Consider my top trainer last night (0.4) and my 8^th-best trainer (0.23): With a 48% bonus I'd be looking at training rates of ~0.6 to ~0.35 for my top-8 training players. Not bad! Where's the problem Scott? Well, Scott I'm glad you asked, consider the difference now: there are 2.45-4.2 points gained when training for 7 days in camp. If not in camp, those same players would train 1.61-2.8 points... a difference of 0.84 to 1.4 attribute points. This begs the question:

What is more important?

Winning a game you may potentially lose with players in camp? The position in the standings, an easier opponent in the playoffs, more OTR, slightly better finances. Or, is 1-1.5 OR for 8 players more important? Personally, I think winning is more important at this stage and while I have been investing all I can into training to train the crap players I have as good as possible, it is often a good idea to step back and ask yourself the same question you ask every time you're dating a woman: where does she fall on the Vicky Mendoza diagonal (video from the scene)? Also known as, is the juice worth the squeeze? In the case of running a training camp when there is overlap with competitive (league/playoff) games, I would say it is not. I'm going to hold out until I have a week of friendlies. In the meantime, my third-string GK will feel a whole lot out of place as the only non-Canadian player on the team.