Last week I went on about cradling (some would say I went on a tad too long), and how important it is to keep the lacrosse ball in your stick. Well, how did the ball get in your stick in the first place? There are two primary ways of getting the ball in your stick. The first being, you picked it up off the ground. The other, much easier way, that doesn’t involve bending over, is catching it when it is thrown to you. ... Read more
It’s Never Too Late to Start Playing Lacrosse
As coaches, too often we hear the question, “When is it too late for my child to start playing lacrosse?” We coaches always cringe because we passionately believe the short answer is: never! There is no timeframe for falling in love with something, let alone a sport. Sports provide us with a sense of what it means to be on a team. They help us learn how to form connections with people with whom we ordinarily ... Read more
Positive First Experiences with Lacrosse are Critical for Future Success
Last week at a cooking class, I ran into a woman who looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t place her. It was driving me crazy! After about a half-hour of staring at each other, she came over and introduced herself. Turns out, her daughter Jane, now in third grade, had attended our camps and clinics from the time she was in kindergarten. Images of a reluctant blond-haired girl clinging to her mom’s leg came rushing ... Read more
Why It’s Important for Young Athletes to Fail
I was recently at a middle school sports award assembly at Morristown-Beard School in Morristown, New Jersey and the athletic director, Mike Sturgeon, gave a great talk about the importance of failure (allow young athletes to fail). Sounds like an odd topic for an awards assembly. Initially, I thought so too. First Mike explained why each of the middle school teams only play five to six games during their ... Read more