Training Camp Analysis

by binarysab (Pillbug Utd)

There have been relatively huge changes in MZ recently. The biggest, certainly, since I started playing in August of 2004. The forums seem to be largely concerned with the introduction of the Chinese and the new simulator – perhaps because people have the biggest problems with these introductions – but training camps promise to make a significant change to the way teams can advance if they’re used correctly by teams.

The aim of this article is first to outline exactly how training camps work and then analyze how to get the best possible outcome for your team.

Hopefully those of you reading this will have a better understanding of the training camp system (even if you don’t agree with my conclusions).

How It Works

Here are the features of training camps:

1. They run six days a week versus the normal five. The maximum number of weeks spent in camp is five.

2. The days are more productive the more weeks spent in a training camp. The following percents are the percents they will train at over being trained normally WITHOUT a coach.

a. 200% the first week (i.e. 2x, twice)

b. 250% the second week (2.5x)

c. 300% the third week (3x)

d. 350% the fourth week (3.5x)

e. 400% the fifth week (4x)

3. Each day, one skill of the set is trained. The first listed will train first, second will train second and third will train third. They rotate like this for as long as you have signed up for. For example if speed, stamina and shooting are the skills, they will train in that order.

a. If a stat is maxed, the other skills in the package will be trained on the days it otherwise would have.

b. Packages come in either sets of three or two, and so far they have mostly been packages of three.

4. You can train up to two players at a time. You get one youth for free. Seniors always cost money, and the second youth will cost money.

5. The cost per week of training a player is the players salary multiplied by (for youths use 2,000 USD as the salary):

a. 2 for the first week

b. 2.25 for the second

c. 2.5 for the third

d. 2.75 for the fourth

e. 3 for the fifth

Notes:

1) After scouring the forums a bit, I came to the realization that quite a few managers expect training camps just to “give” you balls. This doesn’t happen. All the training camps do are boost the rate at which your players train. It is perfectly plausible for you to not get a single ball over a five week training period with a senior if every ball was “new.” In fact, if you follow my reasoning below, you can actually expect this to happen with a senior.

2) Remember that the training rates are multiplied by the normal training rate without a coach. If you think you only have four days left of training and didn’t get a ball in the first week, don’t be surprised. Chances are you were expecting the ball in four days based on the rate your player trained at with a coach on him. I don’t know the exact effects of a coach, but the 2x multiplier will only be somewhat more effective than having a coach.

Analysis

In this section, I’ll lay out a number of guidelines to follow when using training camps. There will often be reasons to ignore any of the guidelines, but when you do so (assuming you agree with my logic), you should make sure you have a very good reason for doing so.

How long should I train?

This seems like a no-brainer, but I’ll list it anyway. Train for five weeks every time! The longer you train, the more training you’re getting for the price, and overall the more training you’re getting. Using a 15-week period as a common multiple, compare 3 training sessions of 5 weeks each versus 5 training sessions of 3 weeks each versus 15 training sessions of 1 week each. The same number of actual days spent, but the difference adds up quickly:

Overall Training:

1-week sessions: 15 (the number of sessions) * [6 (the days in the first week) * 2 (the first week’s boost)] = 180

3-week sessions: 5 (the number of sessions) * [6 (the days in the first week) * 2 (the first week’s boost) + 6*2.5 + 6*3] = 225

5-week sessions: 3 (the number of sessions) * [6 (the days in the first week) * 2 (the first week’s boost) + 6*2.5 + 6*3 + 6*3.5 + 6*4] = 270

1-week sessions: 180 days worth of training

3-week sessions: 225 days worth of training

5-week sessions: 270 days worth of training

So the overall training days you get out of 5 week sessions are 45 days more over a 15 week period than using 3-week sessions. Incidentally, you’d be getting 75 days worth of training on a regular training field without a coach. That’s nearly 200 more days using a training camp!

But it’s not just overall training you’re gaining. You’re gaining training per dollar spent as well. Let’s look at the cost of each of the types we used before:

1-week sessions: 15 (the number of sessions) * [2000 (salary) * 2 (week 1 expense)] = $60,000

3-week sessions: 5 (the number of sessions) * [2000 (salary) * 2 (week 1 expense) + 2000 * 2.25 + 2000 * 2.5] = $67,500

5-week sessions: 3 (the number of sessions) * [2000 (salary) * 2 (week 1 expense) + 2000 * 2.25 + 2000 * 2.5 + 2000 * 2.75 + 2000 * 3] = $75,000

So the cost per training day will be:

1-week sessions: $60,000/180 days = 333 USD/day

3-week sessions: $67,500 /225 days = 300 USD/day

5-week sessions: $75,000/270 days = 277 USD/day

So the conclusion is that if efficiency is what you’re after – as it should be unless there are very specific reasons not to – you should always use 5-week sessions. Obviously, if you train a senior worth more money, the cost will go up, but the ratio of cost per day will remain the same. This leads us to the next question:

Who should I train?

Older, promising youths. This isn’t a set-in-stone rule. You get one youth free, but there are very convincing reasons to make both slots reserved for youths. I’ll go into far more detail below, but to conceptualize it easily think this way: don’t you get disappointed when your star youth graduates because it’s going to take way more time to get the same number of balls? Well, training camps let you more than double the effectiveness of being a youth, and thus it’s like having a youth stay a youth for twice as long… without all that waiting!

Now for the detail I promised:

Note: I will use the rationale above and only discuss 5-week training periods

1) Youths train much faster than their senior counterparts – even recently graduated ones. This means your training camp will benefit youths more.

To make my comparison, I’m going to greatly underestimate the power youths have in order to remove any complaints about my methods. I’ll say that youths gain a ball on average every 30 days without a coach. I’ll say that young seniors train every 40 days without a coach. I suspect the averages in reality are lower for youths and much higher for young seniors, but that’ll only serve to help my case.

Therefore, using my numbers, a youth player receives about 3.3% of a ball every training day and seniors 2.5% of a ball every training day. Each skill is trained 10 times (if the training camp has 3 skills) at an average of 3 times the normal rate. So, on average, 100% of three balls (3 balls) will be trained for youths and 75% of three balls (2.25 balls) will be trained for seniors.

2) Youths are more cost-effective. Though you’re typically less sure that a player will be a superstar in your youths than you are of your seniors, if you select your pride and joy youths to train, you can mostly negate this effect.

But your pride-and-joy youths will typically graduate and have a salary that is almost or more than double the amount you’re spending on them. That means the difference in a 5-week training session between your youth and a player who just graduated with a salary twice that will be the difference between $50,000 and $25,000. If you stick to youths, you’re going to save yourself a lot of money in the long run!

3) The problem with many youths is that they aren’t well rounded enough. The training camp allows an easy fix to this. Even if the primary skill is maxed, the two other skills will train very fast to compensate, and everyone still comes out a winner.

Should I wait a week to get a better package?

The answer to the question is… maybe. Don’t wait around for a particular stat to come up, especially if you have a second best option available. But do wait if you have no promising players available that would benefit from either of the packages. You don’t want to monopolize your training camp slots for five-weeks if you’re not gaining anything from it.

Should I use the youth package?

I’m going to say no. The greatest obstacle that stands between superstardom and nonentity is maxing of stats. Since the youth package doesn’t actually get rid of a maxing, it doesn’t help with this. It’s more worth your time to discover a player who didn’t max at 6 in a primary skill through regular training and then make them into that star player through training camp in the last season or two of their youthdom than to randomly select a new youth and stick them into the training camp.