Winter weather is coming soon! This winter, kids can warm up their lacrosse skills during the cold months of January and February by joining us at our indoor winter lacrosse clinics. It’s a great way for your kids to keep warm, get exercise, and improve or learn lacrosse skills when cold weather makes going outdoors less than ideal.

So, how does it work and what happens at our winter clinics? Swax Lax Lacrosse indoor winter clinics are offered for boys (K–3rd) and girls (K–9th). Our lacrosse clinics teach and reinforce the basic skills of catching, throwing, cradling, ground ball pick-ups, dodging, shooting, and defensive stick work — all while having fun and building confidence in young players. Intermediate players work on more advanced skills such as becoming comfortable with the non-dominant hand, shooting techniques, and the basics of draw control. Girls play with girls, boys play with boys, and friends can request to play together. Groups are usually divided by grade, and if appropriate, by skill level.

Clinic Format & Schedule

Every Swax Lax Lacrosse clinic offers the same basic schedule, however, the girls’ agenda and boys’ agenda vary slightly each week to both avoid repetition and cater to their different likes. We always cover the same basic lacrosse skills — catching, throwing, cradling, shooting, dodging, defensive footwork, and positioning — but we shake things up by introducing different drills and games. After so many years of coaching lacrosse, we have many options for covering the concepts in fun and creative ways. Since players are generally divided up by age and, if appropriate, by ability, the coaches try to introduce more advanced skills and concepts if they think their kids are up for the challenge.

Positive Coaching

The staff is generally the same at each location except when conflicts arise with individual coaches. One of best things about Swax Lax Lacrosse is our wonderful coaches who come back year after year. While all staff members bring something unique to share with young players, all coaches possess the following assets:

• Playing experience at a highly competitive level

• A passion for the sport

• A demonstrated ability to teach the basic skills in Swax Lax Lacrosse’s style of positive coaching

But most importantly, our coaches possess the character, patience, and sense of fun that allows girls and boys to relax and feel confident as they learn lacrosse.

Creative Games & Lacrosse Drills

Swax Lax Lacrosse’s indoor winter clinics are packed with creative teaching games and drills that make lacrosse fun, accessible, and easy to learn.

Girls

The younger girls’ clinics usually begin with stick tricks. Players and coaches will often do stick tricks together while everyone arrives. It’s a great way to practice stick skills and improve hand-eye coordination. Once everyone has arrived, we move to Ice Breakers (e.g., Huggy Bear, Horse and Jockey, Girls from Mars), warm-ups, and then begin rotating through our different stations. Each station features a game or drill (e.g., Musical Ground Balls, Catching on the Run, scrimmages, relays) designed to teach and reinforce skills while fostering fun and self-confidence. Each clinic also features traditions such as Players of the Day awards and the Swax Lax Lacrosse Cheer.

Our special curriculum for the older girls (4th-9th grade) is aimed at preparing players to try out for and play on their school and club teams. Developing stick skills and game tactics in a comfortable learning environment is a top priority. While younger players rotate through stations and play games to improve their skills, the older players experience more individualized coaching, similar to a semi-private lesson. They work with experienced coaches who focus on bringing their lacrosse skills to the next level.

Boys

The boys’ clinics also start with stick tricks and warm-ups, but they have many of their own beloved drills, games and rituals. These might include: Pair Passing, Ground Ball Progression, Dodge and Shoot, Sharks and Minnows, Lacrosse Skeet, Follow the Leader, Clean Your Room, Sleeping Giants, Nuts and Squirrels, and Farmers and Chickens. The boys’ clinic also features traditions such as Players of the Day awards, coach handshakes, and relay races.Sounds fun, right? Registration for winter clinics usually goes live in November.