Troubleshooting EA Sports Active NFL Training Camp for Wii

Okay, I've been using this program for about a month now and have experienced some frustration, which appears to be shared by others, during certain specific exercises. This entry will show my experiences with how I've dealt with them and will be updated whenever I have a new tip/trick to share. Hopefully this will be helpful to some people that have had the same frustrations that I have. If you have any particular troubles or solutions, please leave a comment and I'll see what I can do to address it.

Alright, check out the guide below:


Basic Troubleshooting

• Make sure the sensors are on the correct arm (left arm) and correct leg (right leg) and are oriented correctly. The picture of the guy on the leg sensor should be right side up when you are standing. Likewise with the arm sensor the guy should be right side up if you have your elbow bent toward you as if you were looking at your watch.
• Make sure the arm sensor is on tight enough. I've found that if the heart rate monitor seems to be giving incorrect readings, tightening the arm band will fix that. Also make sure it is positioned correctly in front of the elbow with the heart rate sensor over the inner arm.
• Make sure your USB dongle is plugged into the back of the Wii.
• Make sure you have fresh batteries in your sensors and remote.

Resistance Band Exercises

• Generally, you can replace the resistance band with hand weights, which I often prefer to do. I will always use weights instead on exercises where you are supposed to stretch the band above your head. The bands have a limited lifecycle and it can hurt to have one snap while you're using it, trust me. 
• Do what you can to keep still when holding exercises. If you're moving at all, the sensor will likely detect it and will not let you advance until you hold still. If the exercise is too difficult and you can't hold still (i.e. you arms are shaking or something), try using light hand weights instead of the band.

Running/Jogging

I find that the way to get my avatar to move the fastest is to keep on the balls of my feet, get my knees up relatively high and keep my arms pumping, mostly with a motion from the elbow. Also, make sure your heart rate monitor is on tightly before you start running. It has a tendency to give incorrect readings during running exercises for me if its not on nice and snug.

Reverse Crunches

I had a really frustrating experience with this one the first time I worked out with this game. It would not recognize my legs being in the down position. I found that the leg sensor really needs to be just about parallel to the floor, so you really have to put your legs out straight in front of you rather then bent at the knees like the game shows you. By extending my legs out and getting the angle of my leg close to parallel to the ground, I haven't had a problem.

Jump Strides

I found that maintaining a medium pace with these is the best way to do it. Go to fast and it'll miss some of your reps (and you won't get as good of a workout). Go to slow and it the sensors seem to have problems as well. I found that maintaining a nice rhythm is the key to this exercise.

Defensive Back Challenge

Okay, the lunge part of this challenge is still a little bit frustrating to me, but here's what I've found. The "back left" lunge is the most difficult to register for me. Here's how I've been doing it: Step back and left with your left leg, reach back with your left arm, but keep your right arm next to your right leg and point the Wii remote down towards your right foot. Hold as still as you can if the lunge registers properly. This seems to work most of the time.

For the passing drills, really exaggerate the movements. I still don't catch every pass every time, but I'm getting better.

EDIT: I'm finding that quick and deliberate movements are providing the best results in this challenge for both the lunges and the pass defending. I got 950 points in this drill by doing all of the motions quickly.

Straight and Bent Arm Side Planks

Sometimes I'm doing these and my avatar slumps down to the floor while I am still lifting up. I think the key here is to really get your hips off the ground and hold as still as possible when you are in the up position. Any sort of movement seems to throw this exercise off. Fortunately, just moving down slightly and back up seems to get my avatar back into the up position when it glitches.

Tricep Kickbacks

This one has been a little bit frustrating for me because any sort of movement when you are in the kickback position seems to cause the game to say you are not holding still, forcing you to try and hold it even longer. I find this exercise to be fairly difficult with the band and my arms start to shake a little bit after several reps, which prompts the trainer to yell at me to hold still. My solution at this point has been to use light hand weights instead of the band so I am able to hold them stead in the back position.