Who Plays Lacrosse?
Everyone with the desire to excel in a sport. No need to be a super star at another sport. Not in love with any other sport? Nothing interesting enough to commit yourself to play? Tried several sports and nothing worked? Lacrosse may be the answer.
Lacrosse is unique in that many different people play it. Even the player who doesn't have the best stick skills can contribute and find a lot of field time by showing shear effort. Picking up and battling for ground balls, chasing balls out of bounds and playing sound defense — all will get you playing time.
Lacrosse is a game of running and stamina. It is a game of grace but it can be physical. It is a game of intelligence and quick thinking. It is a game of finesse but hard physical work like ground balls and face-offs pay off in wins.
Anyone can and should try this Original American Game.
How do I become a great Lacrosse Player?
Champions aren't made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them -- a desire, a dream, a vision. Muhammad Ali
Desire
Sorry to be a broken record but: Practice, practice, practice....
My experience with lacrosse over the last 35 years has been a rich one. I have come across some of the best lacrosse players anyone can know. There were some great scorers, some of the best goalies and defense-men. I asked myself, "why are they better than me? Why are they so much better than the rest?" I learned that it was not necessarily outstanding athleticism that made them great. It was not necessarily genetics. It was not necessarily that they were even good in any other sport. Some of these great players never played another sport and were known as just great students. Some were big lumbering defensive linemen on the football team who never were known to be quick. So, what made all these boys and girls the best lacrosse players?
Answer: Dedication and drive. The single minded drive to excel. They did what it took be be great when others took another path to give the minimum.
Wall Ball
Almost every one of them knew that practice away from the field was important. Just like a kid shooting hoops in the driveway all hours of the day, the lacrosse player will be throwing a lacrosse ball against a wall every day.
Wall ball is well known to every great player. A good player in any level of the game should be able to catch 100 balls right handed, 100 left handed, 50 one handed left, 50 one handed right — all with out dropping one ball. This takes hours on a wall or rebounder to get right.
Just think about baseball. Most of us can throw and catch 100 balls without a problem. When you were given your first glove, were you as good as you are now? No. We all learn that repetition is what makes us better. Muscle memory needs time.
Clinics
Muscle memory and repetition doing the wrong thing for hours on end will only reinforce bad habits. Only practicing the good habits will make us better. Everything else is a waste of valuable time. Clinics are the way to start to learn the correct forms and the techniques needed for individual practice. We will teach wall ball skills and proper form. Our goal is to help guide the new player to be effective players once the season starts. Please understand that, even with a lot of practice, it still takes years to be great. It is our mission to help all players be the best they can be.
If you are looking at this website for the first time and never played Lacrosse before, please sign up for the clinics. Look at the resources on www.uslacrosse.org Google "lacrosse stick skills". Buy a lacrosse stick and ball. Find a concrete or brick wall and start throwing. But, please sign up for the clinics. They are not too expensive and will help you learn the fundamentals. It will also make you less nervous as you will see you are not alone.
Willingness to be a Team player
Last year, our first year, we had 28 new players. Our team record had 5 wins despite the fact that 90% of the players had never held a lacrosse stick before the season started. We are a team. We all can contribute. All we ask is for dedication and drive to make yourself and your teammates better. Even against teams with more experienced players, we won many of the ground balls and out-hustled many of them. New players that were still learning stick skills dedicated themselves to playing sound defense. Everyone played. I expect even more this year from the returning players. They know what it takes.
To the new player, start now. Attend clinics. Practice on your own. Perfect the basics. Then, do what is the most important thing: HAVE FUN!!!
