Blood, Turf, and Legacy: A Middle-Aged Coach’s Look at the 2025 Lacrosse Final Four
This Memorial Day Final Four isn’t just a showdown of lacrosse powerhouses—it’s a nod to legacy, coaching culture, and the unexpected kindness that stays with you long after the final whistle. For any middle-aged coach who's walked the sideline, it's part memory lane, part masterclass.
Lacrosse: The Beautiful, Brutal, Sacred Game Your Kid Should Be Playing
Lacrosse isn’t just a sport—it’s a rite of passage. With deep roots in Native American tradition and a fast-paced, creative style of play, it builds kids who are not only fit and skilled, but thoughtful, tough, and team-minded. If you want your child to play a sport that actually means something, this is the one.
Finding the Sweet Spot: Development and Competition in Youth Lacrosse
Youth lacrosse should balance development with competition, ensuring all players enjoy equal opportunities to play and grow in recreational leagues, while progressively introducing competitive elements as they approach high school to deepen the talent pool and strengthen the sport's foundation. This approach nurtures a lifelong love for the game and prepares players for higher levels of play, ensuring the sport continues to flourish in the community.
Lacrosse Tryouts: A Comprehensive Guide for Better Outcomes
Streamlining lacrosse tryouts by reducing the number of stations and simplifying evaluation forms can make the process more efficient and focused. Assembling a diverse evaluation team and utilizing concise, targeted drills followed by scrimmages ensures a comprehensive assessment of each player's abilities.
Mickey-Miles Felton: The Heart of a Unique Visionary in Lacrosse
Mickey-Miles Felton, with his distinctive style and unorthodox methods, epitomized the essence of a visionary coach. His unique approach not only shaped the game but also left a lasting impact on his players, turning lessons on the field into life-long insights.
Lacrosse Fashion 35 Years Ago: Worn-In Gear, Off-Field Swagger, and a Lifestyle of Legacy
Step back 30 years and dive into the world of lacrosse fashion, where beat-up gear, worn-out pinnies, and three-bar hats were badges of honor. Off the field, lacrosse players embraced a unique style that wasn’t just about clothing—it was a lifestyle built on grit, tradition, and swagger.
Unplugged: The Lacrosse Field as a Phone-Free Battleground
Are smartphones enhancing or hindering the focus and performance of lacrosse players during crucial games and practices? Click here to explore the insightful discussions among coaches and players about the impact of mobile devices on the traditional dynamics of lacrosse, and how teams across the nation are tackling this modern challenge to preserve the integrity of the game.
Grass-Stained Dreams: The Truth Behind Youth Lacrosse Select Teams
The gritty divide between preserving the unbridled joy of youth sports and the pressures of early specialization, where money and elite competition often overshadow pure passion. It calls on stakeholders to embrace a balanced approach that nurtures every child's development, ensuring the spirit of the game remains untainted by commercial interests.
A Toast to the Spouses of Lacrosse Coaches
A heartfelt toast to the spouses of lacrosse coaches—the unsung heroes who endure our thousand-yard stares into the abyss of man-up strategies, the sacred rituals of restringing sticks that don’t need restringing, and the all-consuming obsession that pulls us away, even when we’re right beside you. It’s not neglect, it’s love—love for a game that’s been in our bones since the first time we cradled a stick, and though we may disappear into it, we always come back to you… eventually, probably.
Lacrosse Then vs. Now: Have We Sacrificed Balance for Specialization?
Lacrosse was once a seasonal obsession, balanced with other sports, summer jobs, and life experiences. Today, it’s an all-consuming pursuit, with year-round training, club teams, and elite showcases defining the path for young athletes. Are we producing better players, or just burning them out? Do kids still love the game, or has it become just another checkbox on the road to college recruitment? This reflection on lacrosse then and now asks the ultimate question: Have we lost something valuable in the relentless drive for specialization?
Parents, you survived struggles when playing sports. Let your kids do the same.
I remember when playing sports was all about grabbing my stick and heading out the door for a day of fun. No private lessons, no travel teams, just pure love for the game and the freedom to play however we wanted. My parents didn’t worry about every scrape or bump; they trusted us to figure things out on our own. Today, it feels like sports have become too structured and over-protected. Maybe it’s time to let kids experience the same freedom and learn from their own adventures. If you don't mind listing to an old guy kvetch for a moment, let me take you back!
Let Them Play: A Simple, Fun Lacrosse Game for Young Beginners
Encourage young kids to develop a love for lacrosse by letting them play a simple, fun game with minimal rules. Focus on safety, free-flowing action, and hands-on learning to build fundamental skills and lasting enthusiasm for the sport.
When the Sidelines Spill Online: A Lacrosse Coach’s Guide to Social Media Shenanigans
When dealing with parents airing grievances about playing time on social media, stay calm and avoid public confrontation. Address concerns privately, set clear team communication policies early, and focus on fostering growth and sportsmanship for the players.
Static Stretching After Lacrosse Practice: Importance and Best Practices
Static stretching plays a vital role in post-lacrosse practice recovery. After intense activity, muscles can become tight and contracted. Incorporating static stretches into your cool-down routine helps alleviate muscle tension, enhance flexibility, and reduce the risk of injury. Learn how these stretches can improve your overall performance and keep you in top shape for future games and practices.
10 Essential Lacrosse Exercises to Elevate Your Performance
Lacrosse requires a unique blend of speed, strength, agility, and footwork to excel on the field. Whether you're focusing on improving your defense, increasing shot power, or enhancing overall conditioning, the right exercises can elevate your game. This comprehensive guide outlines 10 key exercises that target crucial areas of lacrosse performance.
The Power of Ladder Drills in Lacrosse Training: Enhancing Speed, Agility, and Performance
Ladder drills are an excellent addition to lacrosse training, offering a fun and effective way to enhance speed, agility, foot control, and explosive movement. These drills cater to the fast-paced nature of lacrosse, improving quick direction changes, explosiveness, and endurance. Below are 7 ladder drill variations that will help you elevate your performance on the field.
Dynamic Warm-Up Routine for Lacrosse and Agility
A proper warm-up is essential before any athletic activity, especially in sports like lacrosse, where speed, sprints, and agility are key. This article presents a comprehensive dynamic warm-up routine that will help improve your performance, enhance your agility, and prevent injuries before your training or games.
Coaching Lacrosse Without the Credentials: Why Openness Beats Experience Every Time
Great coaches aren't defined by their playing resume but by their ability to adapt, learn, and inspire growth in their players. Success comes from embracing new ideas—no matter where they come from—and proving your worth through results, not ego.
“Do We Really Need to Drive to Timbuktu for Lacrosse?
Crossover Coaching: Applying Basketball Strategies to Lacrosse for a Dynamic Offense
Basketball strategies like pick-and-rolls, zone defenses, and spacing concepts translate effectively to lacrosse, enhancing offensive fluidity and defensive adaptability. However, lacrosse’s unique behind-the-goal play and continuous flow require coaches to modify and simplify traditional basketball plays for a seamless transition.