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In the estimation of UC Berkeley football head coach Tom Holmoe and his staff, it’s quality, not quantity, that matters when it comes to summer youth football camps. 

Accordingly, the format of the fourth-annual Tom Holmoe Football Camp, taking place on the UC Berkeley campus this week for boys ages 14-18, was changed to focus on individual skill development rather than team building. 

Enrollment may be down from last year’s total of more than 500 to just 130 this year as a consequence, but Holmoe and camp director Andrew McGraw are nevertheless pleased with the results. 

“It turned into a team camp and had big numbers, but it got too big,” Holmoe said. “Teams would come as teams, and, basically, they just wanted to practice. It just wasn’t good, so we broke it down this way to focus a lot of attention on the individual skills.” 

Although the majority of participants are high school seniors-to-be from Northern California, the camp also includes younger players, a few athletes from both Southern California and Arizona and one Texan, McGraw said. 

For the first time this year, the camp has also gone non-contact and split into two sections – linemen and position skills. Those changes were also made to shift the camp’s focus, according to the coaches. 

“We wanted to concentrate on skills development,” said McGraw, noting that about 70 percent of the camp participants were in the position-skills faction. “Typically, three days of jumping right into contact doesn’t give the guys enough time to ease into contact.” 

Holmoe said the camp’s talent-level is good, but that’s not all with which he is concerned. 

“This isn’t solely a recruiting thing,” Holmoe said. “This is a kind of service to provide to the kids in the area, a camp where we can instruct. And every once in a while, you end up getting a couple kids that you’re gonna want to recruit.”  

Campers have the option of commuting to and from the daylong activities, which began Monday and run through Thursday, or staying on campus in residence dorms. Camp cost was $300 for those commuting and $400 for those staying. 

Camp activities range from meetings with Cal position coaches to guest speakers and, of course, practices, which take place twice daily. 

Because the camp is a week early this year, some area youngsters are finishing the school year and unable to attend. Holmoe expects the enrollment numbers to rise again next year, when the camp will be at least a week later, but said a limit will be determined to keep the camp’s newfound intimacy. 

“We’re not here for the teams,” Holmoe said. 

“We’re here for the individuals. Those teams that aren’t here, they went to camps where they can practice. And we’re not in it for that. Other camps might be, but we’re not.”