lacrosse advice

[ausley]

So im a volleyball player but ive been really into doing lacrosse. I've never really played except for middle school but I've also just watched teen wolf and I really like the sport. I might be switching schools over the summer and this new one doesn't have volleyball but has lacrosse. The only problem is I'd be a junior when school starts so it would be kind of hard for me to be on school team right? Anyway is lacrosse worth it? is it an expensive sport? How do I find a club team? How can I do individual practice? How do I really get into the sport?

[drew6]

So im a volleyball player but ive been really into doing lacrosse. I've never really played except for middle school but I've also just watched teen wolf and I really like the sport. I might be switching schools over the summer and this new one doesn't have volleyball but has lacrosse. The only problem is I'd be a junior when school starts so it would be kind of hard for me to be on school team right? Anyway is lacrosse worth it? is it an expensive sport? How do I find a club team? How can I do individual practice? How do I really get into the sport?

Lacrosse, to me and my team mates is definitely worth it. I love practice and the games. There's team camaraderie that's just huge in lacrosse, so you'll instantly be part of something more so than any other sport in my opinion because it's so violent. Being on a football team would be close though, but you'll get more playing time than you would on a football team generally, so you will rely on your teammates and them on you more so than most sports.

Cost? I have two extreme answers for that. We have some kids that are pretty broke on our team and it costs them nothing to play. As in zero dollars because the school gives us a helmet, several practice uniforms and home and away uniforms. Because lacrosse teams are pretty tight, guys like me that have played for four years have all kinds of extra sticks, pads, balls or whatever you'll need. In fact the very first thing we do is figure out what any guy needs and make sure they have it. So if a guy needs everything and he makes the team, he'll get cleats, jocks, cups, socks, tape, a stick, a back up stick and literally anything he needs.

The other extreme is for guys like me that have played a number of years and know what they like, what they prefer and what they need. I play the mid field, so I have two stick and they were around $120 each. Up until this year, I've needed pads nearly every year, those are about $100 for shoulder pads, gloves are $100 - 150, arm guards are $50 - 125, mouth guards are $10-30, Shock doctor or Warrior compression shorts with cup $30, extra cups, $10. Helmet is $180 to $280. Cleats $90-120.

So there will be guys on your team that have all that stuff as extras from over the years provided you aren't one of the bigger guys on the team. Like my shoulder pads from two years ago? Are in awesome shape and I used them for a year and someone on the team did as well. Same for all the stuff I listed that's wearable.

Hard for you to be on the team? That depends on the school. If it's got a long tradition, it will be tougher than at a school like mine that's not even a decade old. A lot of guys try out though. I do know what the coaches look for and number one or two on their list is speed or quickness. Then endurance. To a good coach, he can teach you plays and stick skills, but it takes a long time to build endurance or speed. Quickness, as in lateral movement? You either have it or you don't.

So one thing you can do is get into very good running shape because the reality is, lacrosse is a game of speed and you'll only be on the field for as long as you're still fast and don't need rest, so having a good set of lungs is a really big deal. Plus it will make running in practice and practice overall more enjoyable. I can't emphasize enough how important running is. If you can run well and not get tired you're an asset to the coach because he can't switch out players just any old time, so he'll prefer to not switch players if he doesn't have to. So start running, learn how to run without getting shin splints and build up your distance and times.

I run all year just for lacrosse. I play basketball because I like it, but it's a different kind of running that's for lacrosse.

To get ready, get a stick from someone. Most guys have at least two, some guys have 5-6 of them from over the years and all but two either gather dust or get loaned out to someone, so ask around. Get some balls, guys like me have 10-15 floating around the garage. Find a wall to throw against or better yet, find a guy to play catch with.

Don't be afraid to ask guys who you know play who don't know you personally for all kinds of stuff, they'll loan it to you or give it to you, that's what I mean by lacrosse teams being a tight group of guys.

Depending on what you want to spend, the make a "pitch back" for lacrosse a lot like they do for baseball and they're a couple hundred dollars. I had/have one, but the last time I was at the dentist, he mentioned his son is going out for lacrosse so me and my buddies brought it over to his house, set it up, showed him how to use it, showed him some pointers on form. He doesn't live near me, but I knew guys on the team who do, so I called them and they work with him a couple of times a week when it's not freezing out side. So lax guys help each other out a ton.

Individual practice is best against a wall or a pitch back. A wall is fine though. It would be great if some other player lived near by and could show you some basics. It's not difficult to throw accurately and it takes some practice to learn how to pass on the run. You won't need to practice much on your own, but someone with some knowledge who will get you throwing over hand instead of side arm will save you from having to unlearn the wrong way and then learn the right way. No use going down the wrong path, so if you can't find someone to show you the proper form, don't worry about it, it will happen with the coaching staff.

Making the team late in high school? It's definitely possible if you approach it right and be humble about it. Lacrosse is truly a team sport and coaches scout other teams and we runs specific plays and the starters HAVE to practice those plays and they have to be precise and work flawlessly. The starters have to have guys to practice against. So if you're a big guy, you'd simulate a big defensive guy with a big stick, if you're small and quick, you'd mimic a different opponent. There is a ton of instruction in lacrosse. Perfecting plays is what wins games provided a team has some level of endurance and quickness, so maybe your role is to help the seasoned players be ready for the games if you don't develop fast enough. Unless you go to a school that has a long tradition of lacrosse they will find something that will make you part of the team and for you to help them win games.

It takes a ton for a team to be good, individuals? Not as much. A big team will have a guy who is a face off specialist. He does the face off and at the first opportunity, heads to the side line. Like hockey, we have enforcers. If some guy is giving some cheap hits to a key player on your team, the enforcer will go out and make his presence known in a way that's obvious to the opponent and his coach = lay the guy out.

To be part of lacrosse all you have to do is either ask around your school or talk to the coach and he'll hook you up.

Here's a video of some pretty good goals:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlp0s7CcZEA&list=WLVNq6k0OB3L0BDAEHZ6CGcBmH-53SPGnK

[ausley]

So like the main thing though is like by the time I'd start playing I would be a junior. Do you think that's too late to start? Plus I also don't want to be there for the practice dummy on the team. I want to actually play but when I think about it and how you even said you have been playing for a long time if its even worth it for me to tryout you know what i mean? And f I was to play when do club usually sta

[Kapowzer]

So im a volleyball player but ive been really into doing lacrosse. I've never really played except for middle school but I've also just watched teen wolf and I really like the sport. I might be switching schools over the summer and this new one doesn't have volleyball but has lacrosse. The only problem is I'd be a junior when school starts so it would be kind of hard for me to be on school team right? Anyway is lacrosse worth it? is it an expensive sport? How do I find a club team? How can I do individual practice? How do I really get into the sport?

lacrosse is the shit

[Emerald Dream]

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