We wanted to take
a minute of your time to reach out and start to get you focused on what needs
to be done between now and the Spring / Summer.
Every one of
you wants to get better. Every one of
you wants to improve. Every one of you
wants to be the best on your team. But
for that to happen you have to use the off season to work on your weaknesses
and improve your skills.
Remember championships are won in the off season. The running, the lifting, the shooting, the footwork, the wall ball. There is no way around it. The only way to get better is through work and effort. As one coach once stated “if you earn it with your effort in the off season, you will play. If you don’t earn it, you won’t.” Its that simple.
To help you with that the coaches have come up with a list of skills / abilities you need to succeed in lacrosse.
The first is stickwork. Everyone of you needs to improve on your stickwork. From our best 2027 to our newest 2035. No one escapes having to work on their stick skills.
To do that we are going to start with where you need to be in College. A top 20 division program sent me their stick work test.
The test states to step on the field and practice with the team you must first accomplish the following:
- 80 throw / catch with your right hand in 60 seconds.
- 80 throw / catch with your left hand in 60 seconds.
- Defensemen need to do 70 right and 70 left
- Goalies need to do 70 with their strong hand.
- Until you can do this, you haven’t earned the right to practice with us.
Using this as our benchmark we have come up with the following benchmarks:
- Senior / Junior: 70 in 60 seconds.
- Sophomore: 60 in 60 seconds.
- Freshman: 55
in 60 seconds.
- 8th grade: 45 in 60 seconds
- 7th grade: 40 in 60 seconds
- 6th grade: 35 in 60 seconds
- 5th grade: 35 in 60 seconds
- 4th grade: 30 in 60 seconds
Note: this is for both your left and right. These are minimums, not maximums. You should always strive to do more than the benchmark for your grade.
So how will you accomplish this?
Simply by making a plan and working it.
The plan is simple.
Stickwork
- 2 times a week you are going to do a 10-15 minute wall ball routine - write down the day you did it in a notebook or on an index card.
- Both Coach Kavanagh and Coach Calleri have put a routine together for you on our training plan page (here)
- You can use either one, go back and forth between them, or find a different one on the internet.
- 1 time a week you are going to teach yourself a stick trick.
- Stick Trick Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKZrODozLbc
- Work on them in order.
Testing
- Once a month you will complete a wall ball test for either time or accuracy.
- Time – see how many times you can successfully throw and catch right to right / left to left in 60 seconds – write the results down with the date in your notebook or index card.
- Accuracy – draw a circle on the wall (3 to 6 inches) or use 2 bricks. In 60 seconds see how many times you can successfully hit that circle in 60 seconds with your right hand, with your left hand. – write the results down with the date in your notebook or index card
None of this is rocket science. It simply comes down to putting in the work on a consistent basis. Improving your skills doesn’t have to take a long time. It does however require that 1) you work on them with a purpose, 2) you track your changes, 3) that you have a goal that is measurable.
This starts this week.
Every player should go out and complete the wall ball test.
60 seconds lefty. 60 seconds righty.
Mark down your results and I will send out a google sheet at the end of the week so you can report them.
Lets get to work.
Coach Calleri
