monkey see monkey do
Next time you are in front of the team, ask the boys what the highest level live game they have ever attended live. Then get ready for a surprise.
Don't be shocked if you hear " I've never been to a college game". You may hear "My brothers varsity team", not good if that team 1-14 in a weak conference. The point is, most youth players don't get to see much great lacrosse, especially in areas of the country where there are no NCAA, MCLA or legendary HS programs.
Here in Michigan we only have one DI school (Detroit Mercy) and only a handful of DII and DIII schools combined. The MCLA has a some very good teams playing at or near NCAA levels and features some excellent live games. We have some good HS as well. Still, its spread out thin.
All that being said, if kids never see great lacrosse in person , they are at a huge disadvantage. In some regions the MLL on ESPN is all they see and maybe the NCAA tournament in May when their season is over. ESPNU has saved the day with a ton of lacrosse broadcasts, but some cable companies don't even offer it in many markets.
The other challenge is getting a youth or HS player to watch an entire lacrosse game and actually gain something from it.
Here's a couple of tips to see some decent live lacrosse and use it to teach some players in the process.
1/ Make a local college game or very good HS game a team outing. Take the coaching staff with you. I make sure the kids get to run around a bit and goof off before corralling them for some commentary. A good suggestion is to let them hang out first half and then meet for the 3rd quarter as a team. I have found you can get maybe 15 minutes of actual teaching time in a game situation. Wearing team jerseys as a show of unity is a nice touch, it promotes the organization and will spawn some interest from other kids. A good idea might be to have the coaches break up the kids by age group or position in the bleachers and simply comment on the game as they watch.
I took my oldest son to a MLL game back in 2004 in Baltimore. Gary Gait, Tom Marachek, and Mark Million where first line attack on the Bay Hawks that year. Neither of us where the same after seeing that game live! The speed in which they played, dodged, and shot the ball alone was enlightening. Some of the hits which were made, and the overall level of play was next to miraculous. My son can saying he saw Gary Gait play live was the icing.
I suggest researching lax power an mapping out some NCAA, MCLA and top HS programs to take the team to, or at the very least have a schedule of "local games to see" on your web site or distributed to the parents. If you search you will find some great games almost everywhere today, On laxpower, don't forget to search MCLA, NCLL, GLL, and "teams of interest". Its amazing how many clubs are out there to see live.
2/ Film is the next best thing. Youth players rarely get to be in film sessions. Watching a game with Dad on DVR is not a film session. The MLL is great on ESPN to entertain , but 2 point shots and 60 second shot clocks aren't a reality at every other level. I once had an 8th grader do a vicious one handed round house check on a ride that nearly got him ejected. I asked him what the heck he was thinking? He said "that's my MLL check coach". Great league, and I'm a fan, but they let the pro's murder each other. I don't believe MLL refs have flags, do they?
Watching film is a great opportunity to show kids the right way. Find a NCAA DI game and simply tape it. The secret is to memorize the game you are showing, and break it down to short 2-3 minutes "you-tube" type clips. Show a middie executing a proper split dodge. Isolate an attackman who is doing a COD, inside roll, or question mark dodge. Show kids a college level player, with perfect form, ripping a time and room shot. Show theses clips, rewind them, and show them several times over to your group to make a point. Showing an entire game is not as effective.
Bring a DVD player to the practice field or a lap top to show a few kids a concept on film.That is an added bonus that can be quite effective. Pod casts, Mac Books, etc., make it easy to take the classroom to them. Show them before a practice starts in small groups.
I personally like a showing film (old school) where they can assemble indoors, in a classroom setting. That way we can use a laser pointer, slow motion, and/or pause. The key is to use short clips, stop, and focus your commentary on a specific concept. You choose the topic and focus. It can be riding, clearing, an offensive formation, or face off and wing play, etc.
Showing them the way lacrosse is palyed at the highest level on film is a great help, especially to new and young players. "Model after success" works. Its how kids learn today. They search you-tube and learn via video on virtually every subject.
Finally, after a film session or live game session, take it right to the field next practice and work on it live while its still fresh in their memories.
One more tip, don't do film on rainy days, as we all know lacrosse is played in the rain and we need to practice in it.
coach B
Don't be shocked if you hear " I've never been to a college game". You may hear "My brothers varsity team", not good if that team 1-14 in a weak conference. The point is, most youth players don't get to see much great lacrosse, especially in areas of the country where there are no NCAA, MCLA or legendary HS programs.
Here in Michigan we only have one DI school (Detroit Mercy) and only a handful of DII and DIII schools combined. The MCLA has a some very good teams playing at or near NCAA levels and features some excellent live games. We have some good HS as well. Still, its spread out thin.
All that being said, if kids never see great lacrosse in person , they are at a huge disadvantage. In some regions the MLL on ESPN is all they see and maybe the NCAA tournament in May when their season is over. ESPNU has saved the day with a ton of lacrosse broadcasts, but some cable companies don't even offer it in many markets.
The other challenge is getting a youth or HS player to watch an entire lacrosse game and actually gain something from it.
Here's a couple of tips to see some decent live lacrosse and use it to teach some players in the process.
1/ Make a local college game or very good HS game a team outing. Take the coaching staff with you. I make sure the kids get to run around a bit and goof off before corralling them for some commentary. A good suggestion is to let them hang out first half and then meet for the 3rd quarter as a team. I have found you can get maybe 15 minutes of actual teaching time in a game situation. Wearing team jerseys as a show of unity is a nice touch, it promotes the organization and will spawn some interest from other kids. A good idea might be to have the coaches break up the kids by age group or position in the bleachers and simply comment on the game as they watch.
I took my oldest son to a MLL game back in 2004 in Baltimore. Gary Gait, Tom Marachek, and Mark Million where first line attack on the Bay Hawks that year. Neither of us where the same after seeing that game live! The speed in which they played, dodged, and shot the ball alone was enlightening. Some of the hits which were made, and the overall level of play was next to miraculous. My son can saying he saw Gary Gait play live was the icing.
I suggest researching lax power an mapping out some NCAA, MCLA and top HS programs to take the team to, or at the very least have a schedule of "local games to see" on your web site or distributed to the parents. If you search you will find some great games almost everywhere today, On laxpower, don't forget to search MCLA, NCLL, GLL, and "teams of interest". Its amazing how many clubs are out there to see live.
2/ Film is the next best thing. Youth players rarely get to be in film sessions. Watching a game with Dad on DVR is not a film session. The MLL is great on ESPN to entertain , but 2 point shots and 60 second shot clocks aren't a reality at every other level. I once had an 8th grader do a vicious one handed round house check on a ride that nearly got him ejected. I asked him what the heck he was thinking? He said "that's my MLL check coach". Great league, and I'm a fan, but they let the pro's murder each other. I don't believe MLL refs have flags, do they?
Watching film is a great opportunity to show kids the right way. Find a NCAA DI game and simply tape it. The secret is to memorize the game you are showing, and break it down to short 2-3 minutes "you-tube" type clips. Show a middie executing a proper split dodge. Isolate an attackman who is doing a COD, inside roll, or question mark dodge. Show kids a college level player, with perfect form, ripping a time and room shot. Show theses clips, rewind them, and show them several times over to your group to make a point. Showing an entire game is not as effective.
Bring a DVD player to the practice field or a lap top to show a few kids a concept on film.That is an added bonus that can be quite effective. Pod casts, Mac Books, etc., make it easy to take the classroom to them. Show them before a practice starts in small groups.
I personally like a showing film (old school) where they can assemble indoors, in a classroom setting. That way we can use a laser pointer, slow motion, and/or pause. The key is to use short clips, stop, and focus your commentary on a specific concept. You choose the topic and focus. It can be riding, clearing, an offensive formation, or face off and wing play, etc.
Showing them the way lacrosse is palyed at the highest level on film is a great help, especially to new and young players. "Model after success" works. Its how kids learn today. They search you-tube and learn via video on virtually every subject.
Finally, after a film session or live game session, take it right to the field next practice and work on it live while its still fresh in their memories.
One more tip, don't do film on rainy days, as we all know lacrosse is played in the rain and we need to practice in it.
coach B
posted by 313 LACROSSE at
10:16 AM
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