Why I Want to Bring Coaches Together to Talk About Business (Without Leaving the Game)
About once a week—or every couple of weeks—I meet with a coach from the lacrosse community who’s trying to get their business off the ground. Before LaxPlaybook, I built and sold an online education company, but the road there wasn’t easy. I spent years broke, consumed by coaching, and unable to focus on building financial stability. That experience—and the many coaches I see facing the same struggle today—is why I want to start a mastermind focused on helping coaches make money while continuing to coach the sport they love.
Whatever Happened to the Mystique of Being a Lacrosse Player?
When I played lacrosse in the early 90s, there was a certain mystique to the sport that’s hard to describe but impossible to forget. From beat-up boathouse jackets to frayed shooting strings and muddy cleats, being a lacrosse player felt like belonging to something slightly off, slightly rough, and completely magical. I’m not sure that identity still exists today, but I do know it mattered—and I can’t help but wonder if it’s something worth bringing back for the next generation.
Teen Sports Can Tell You “You’re Done.”
In the U.S., the teenage years are often when team sports shift from development to selection. Kids who love the game can lose access not because they quit, but because the system narrows. This isn’t about effort or character — it’s about how youth sports are structured during adolescence.
Why I’m Starting a Mastermind to Help Lacrosse Coaches Build Sustainable Income
Why Coaches Need Support Too: Opening a Conversation About Building Sustainable Income in Lacrosse
Lacrosse coaches often pour everything into their teams while struggling behind the scenes. Joe shares his experience building and selling an online education company, why many coaches face the same financial challenges, and his plans to start a mastermind to help coaches earn while they continue coaching.
Why I’m Bringing Lacrosse Coaches Together to Learn Online Business
A message to lacrosse coaches about navigating online business, making money without leaving the game they love, and joining an upcoming free mastermind/webinar to help coaches thrive.
The Day the System Failed Him: What Coaching Can’t Prepare You For
A coach tries to do everything right when a player reveals a troubled home life, only to see the school psychologist break the delicate trust that was holding the situation together. This reflection exposes the gap between policy and humanity — and the frustration of watching a young person retreat further into silence because the adults meant to help couldn’t meet him where he was.
The Hypocrisy Problem in Lacrosse: Be Well-Rounded… But Don’t Fall Behind
College coaches love to preach the value of multi-sport athletes — the balance, the athleticism, the mental freshness. But when the season arrives, the kids who actually see the field are usually the ones who trained lacrosse like a full-time job. The message is clear, even if no one says it: balance is beautiful… until it costs wins.
Coaching High School Lax Gave Me So Much. It Also Took Its Toll.
Coaching high school varsity lacrosse was one of the most treasured experiences of my life — intense, beautiful, addictive. But passion without borders is expensive. I loved the game to a fault, and while it shaped me, it also consumed me in ways I didn’t understand until years later. If I ever step back on that sideline, I’ll bring the same fire… but with clearer boundaries for my time, my energy, and my future.
What Lacrosse Taught Me About Health
After decades in lacrosse as a player, coach, organizer, and leader, I realized the one person I never coached was myself. Now in my 50s and in the best health of my life, here are the lessons I wish I applied years ago, and why coaches need to take care of themselves with the same urgency they expect from their players.
Growing the Game From Zero
After years spent building lacrosse in Colombia and across South America, I’ve learned what it really takes to develop the sport in places where equipment is scarce and the game is unknown. Here are the key lessons, and how any coach can grow lacrosse in a brand-new community.
What I Wish I Knew as a First-Year Coach
My first coaching job was in 2000 with the NYU club team, full of passion, energy, and mistakes. Twenty-five years later, here are the lessons I wish I knew back then, written for every new coach stepping onto the field for the first time.
The Coach-to-Founder Blueprint
Coaches already think like founders, they just don’t realize it. Here’s how the same skills you use to lead players, build teams, and create structure can help you launch and grow any business idea you have.
Why Off-Season Goals Matter More Than the Conditioning Test
Kids should set personal, measurable goals in the off-season instead of stressing about their team’s conditioning test. When they focus on improving themselves—not chasing other people’s standards—they build real confidence and arrive at tryouts already winning.
Keep the Ball Moving: Lessons From Lacrosse That Built a Life
Success didn’t come from twelve-hour bursts of inspiration. It came from the small, stubborn reps—one more pass off the wall, one more sprint in the fog, one more pocket strung at midnight. In lacrosse and in business, progress is simple: don’t let the momentum die.
Great Coaches, Difficult Dilemma: Can Lacrosse Coaching Be a Passion without Sacrificing income?
Lacrosse coaches get into the game for the love of teaching, mentoring, and making a difference — not for spreadsheets, gear sales, or chasing invoices. But when passion doesn’t pay the bills, too many great coaches are forced to choose between staying on the field or making a living — and it shouldn’t have to be that way.
Why Water Access During Lacrosse Practice Matters More Than You Think
Should you give scheduled water breaks or let players sip throughout practice? Here's why the smartest lacrosse coaches are rethinking how they keep their teams hydrated — and how it can impact performance, health, and flow.
Why Lacrosse Players Take a Knee for Injuries: Origins, Purpose, and Best Practices
Taking a knee when a lacrosse player is injured isn't just tradition—it’s a sign of respect, safety, and awareness. This article breaks down where the practice came from, when it’s appropriate, and why it still matters in today’s game.
Stop Talking So Much: A Coach’s Guide to Not Losing the Room
It’s easy to lose your players’ attention with long-winded explanations. This post breaks down a simple 30-second rule to help lacrosse coaches stay clear, keep practices sharp, and actually get more done.
It's Not About the X’s and O’s … Until It Is
You can draw up plays all day, but most games are won by the team with better sticks and faster feet. Still, the strategy—the grind, the craft, the obsession—that’s where the soul of coaching lives.

