youth lacrosse tips?

[susiebw]

This will be DS's (8) first season playing lacrosse.  We got all his gear (mostly handed down from a friend who played last year and didn't like it), but are still working on getting his mouthguard to fit right.  Indoor practice starts this Sunday, and the regular season starts in April.  

I'm looking for any tips or tricks to help him have a good season.  I like watching lacrosse a lot and really hope he is into it.  He's been playing ice hockey for years, so his hand-eye coordination is already great, and he's used to running around in bulky gear.  Though mouthguards are new for him, since they're not required yet in hockey and he hasn't been using one.  Any tips on brands that are easier to fit?

For practice, do kids just wear bare pads over tshirts?  Coming from hockey, they always have jerseys over their pads, so its weird to me, but the lax uniforms are tank tops, so I guess that's normal? 

Thanks for any advice you have!

[dontlook]

DD plays. Girls is different from boys lacrosse but regarding the mouthpiece- did you boil it and have him bite down? DD and H went through 3 before they got it just right.

This DD’s 5th season. My biggest tips are just having him practice cradling the stick. Time with stick in hand is always good. She’ll watch tv and cradle or pop a ball up and down. We added tape to her stick in the beginning so she got an idea of comfortable hand placement.

I hope he enjoys it. It’s the only sport outside of dance that she enjoys. As with everything with kid sports, it gets expensive and time consuming fast. We are opting out of summer session this year because our lives have become all lacrosse and I have 2 other kids that need time too. Best of luck!

[gerberdaisy]

We're still early on in lacrosse here too, first and second season (boys and girls).

We've just been using the shock doctor mouth guards that you boil, nothing fancy but neither of the kids have complained. They use their jersey in practice too, just over pads for the boys. I'd check if the pads have a check protector, I believe that was mandatory starting last year to protect against commotio cordis, but I'm not sure on that at all.

Both kids love lacrosse. We have tons of hand me down sticks to always be ready for catch in the back yard when friends are over (or lets face it with me usually). Great game to get into!

[ECB]

We use the Shock DOctor mouthguard. DS is 14 and has been playing since about 7/8. He's a goalie and loves it. It will take over your life.... But I assume ice hockey does too, so nothing new. Spring is all about lacrosse.

DSs team has practice pinnies that they wear over their pads. They use their jerseys for games only. They also have a team t-shirt that they usually wear under their jersey for games.

I agree with dontlook. Practice cradling. If you can get him to a wall - have him practice playing catch against a wall.

If he ever expresses interest in being a goalie, definitely invest in a couple sessions of goalie training. DS had a coach that saw the ability in him to be a goalie, but it wasn't until we hired a goalie coach for 3 or 4 sessions that he really learned the skills that go into being a good goalie. It's more than just standing in front of the goal and trying to stop the ball!

[kittywalker]

Enjoy lax - my 14 year old DS loves it. They wear pinnies or jerseys (old jerseys from wherever, just something to practice in) over their pads around here.

[tennisgal]

DS (10) started playing last year. He is also a hockey player. Our hockey association has one of the local orthodontist places come in and make custom mouthguards, so he just uses that mouthguard for lax as well. You could check with your dentist, I know our dentist will do custom ones as well, but they were $75ish. He would typically wear a tshirt under his pads and then the tank top jersey over the pads. And as a previous poster mentioned, the chest/shoulder pads changed last spring to be more robust and have a more rigid shield across the front, so you may want to check that the handed-down pads are the new style.

[InBetweenDays]

Both our kids love lacrosse! DS (14) has been playing for 3 years but DD (16) is starting her 10th year.

To get him more comfortable with the stick I HIGHLY recommend having him do some wall ball. Find an outdoor wall that he can throw against so he can practice throwing and catching. As he gets better if it's an uneven want even better because it won't always bounce back the same.

There's also a product called Cradle Baby that is a ball that can attach to the pocket of the stick. So you can practice cradling indoors without worrying about the ball flying out of the stick.

ETA like PP DS' team wears a pinnie or Jersey over their pads usually.

[susiebw]

Mar 3, 2023 9:13:23 GMT -5 dontlook said:

DD plays. Girls is different from boys lacrosse but regarding the mouthpiece- did you boil it and have him bite down? DD and H went through 3 before they got it just right.

H is the one trying to get the mouthguard right, and the current plan is to re-boil this one and try again, but I'm not sure that's going to work.  It's a shock doctor one, which seemed to have good reviews, but its definitely a learning curve! 

He's been messing around with the stick and a practice ball in the house, but I've yet to take him somewhere he can play off a wall.  That's a good idea.  We have a baseball rebounder in the yard too, so he could probably play off that.

[InBetweenDays]

This may be the mouth guard you have but this one of the easiest ones we found to mold...

www.amazon.com/dp/B00CJALZSU?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Also if he isn't already I'd have him wear his gloves for any practice stick work he does (indoors or out).

Hope he has fun! As a long time girl lacrosse parent the first time I watched DS' game I kept saying "they can do that?!?" DH played in high school and college so I was fairly familiar with boys lacrosse but obviously I had forgotten how different it is than girls. 😂

[glitzy07]

Love all these tips! My 9yo ice hockey player is also trying lacrosse for the first time this summer. He is a die hard hockey kid and found baseball to be too slow when he played that last summer. His older brother, my stepson, played a few years ago so hopefully he can pass down some of his gear. But it's good to know about the chest protector change so we can be sure to get a new one of those.

[dontlook]

Mar 3, 2023 11:49:45 GMT -5 glitzy07 said:

Love all these tips! My 9yo ice hockey player is also trying lacrosse for the first time this summer. He is a die hard hockey kid and found baseball to be too slow when he played that last summer. His older brother, my stepson, played a few years ago so hopefully he can pass down some of his gear. But it's good to know about the chest protector change so we can be sure to get a new one of those.

Lacrosse is taking off in our state (MN right?!?). Tons of developmental camps and extra skill drills. I hope your kiddo enjoys it.

[glitzy07]

Mar 3, 2023 12:00:30 GMT -5 dontlook said:

Mar 3, 2023 11:49:45 GMT -5 glitzy07 said:

Love all these tips! My 9yo ice hockey player is also trying lacrosse for the first time this summer. He is a die hard hockey kid and found baseball to be too slow when he played that last summer. His older brother, my stepson, played a few years ago so hopefully he can pass down some of his gear. But it's good to know about the chest protector change so we can be sure to get a new one of those.

Lacrosse is taking off in our state (MN right?!?). Tons of developmental camps and extra skill drills. I hope your kiddo enjoys it.

Yep! It definitely seems to be growing! If my son had his way, he'd play hockey year round but I'm not ready for him to be a single sport athlete quite yet. We convinced him that lacrosse would be great for his endurance ahead of next hockey season.

[marcyiam]

(This ended up turning into a wall of text. Sorry!)


A lot has already been mentioned especially the safety stuff, wall ball, and cradling.

A few additional things:

1) Safety: Get him a cup if he doesnt have one. A stick or ball can hurt.

2) Gear: Have him practice putting all his gear on before his first practice until he's comfortable and able to do it himself. Especially the helmet.

3) Waterbottle: Using a waterbottle with a bent straw makes it easier to drink with the helmet on (may already have one for hockey).

4) When hanging out: Break in the pocket in his stick (hold stick in one hand and just keep throwing the all into it (wall ball will also do this, but obviously ant do that if sitting at home watching TV)

5) Catching: When going to catch, hand should be at least 3/4 way up the stick - helps with control/guide head of stick to the ball (they may teach him that anyway).

6) Catching: Head of stick between above the shoulder (or out a little bit further) amd at ear level when catching/good target.

7) Throwing: unlike catching, when throwing, make sure he's sliding his top hand down, not keeping it up the stick.




My son is 13 and has been playing since he was 3 or 4 (we are in NYS). It's a fun sport to watch and it's great to see it growing!


Also - if he likes it, the National Lacrosse League (NLL - pro indoor box lax) is in season now and the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL - pro outdoor lax) season will be starting in June.
- NLL is traditional city/location based like most other major pro sports. (e.g. Georgia, Buffalo, etc).
- PLL has no location affiliation. They travel as a whole league every weekend to different cities. Those cities can vary each year. So for that league you just pick a team and have fun!

Both can be found on TV and ESPN+ app if he wants to watch.
- Tip: the PLL picks different players (and sometimes a ref) to mic up during the game. Can be pretty funny to listen to (but also some language at times).

The both leagues (and the teams) have Twitter accounts and the PLL YouTube channel has lots of great videos. Everything from highlights to playing tips.

And if you have a chance to go to either in person I highly recommend. They are both a different experience from each other but both very fun to go to!

And one last tip. Go get those ground balls! Getting the ball is what leads to plays.

And have fun (both of you!)

[marcyiam]

One more thing. I would also recommend looking up the history of the sport (it's the oldest team sport in North America) and why it's so important with the Haudenosaunee. The creator and the medicine game.

Lyle Thompson is one of the best players in the world and does a lot to help grow the sport and help spread the traditions/history and why they are so important.

The history is a big part of it - and is brought into both Leagues, especially within the PLL.

Couple links about Lyle, the history, etc. Plenty more out there. Game highlights, cool shots, tips, etc. 😉


1) Roots: exploring the history of the game:
- youtu.be/JxM5mcuCR8M

2) Lyle and why he plays and him:
- youtu.be/Lt33AT8bV4s
- youtu.be/1gTBqQg24c4

[ECB]

Mar 3, 2023 11:11:04 GMT -5 susiebw said:

Mar 3, 2023 9:13:23 GMT -5 dontlook said:

DD plays. Girls is different from boys lacrosse but regarding the mouthpiece- did you boil it and have him bite down? DD and H went through 3 before they got it just right.

H is the one trying to get the mouthguard right, and the current plan is to re-boil this one and try again, but I'm not sure that's going to work.  It's a shock doctor one, which seemed to have good reviews, but its definitely a learning curve! 

He's been messing around with the stick and a practice ball in the house, but I've yet to take him somewhere he can play off a wall.  That's a good idea.  We have a baseball rebounder in the yard too, so he could probably play off that.

That should work fine!  Just something to bounce the ball off of and practice catching and throwing.

I live in MD and "lacrosse is life" around here - to a fault at times!  

[susiebw]

Mar 3, 2023 11:49:45 GMT -5 glitzy07 said:

Love all these tips! My 9yo ice hockey player is also trying lacrosse for the first time this summer. He is a die hard hockey kid and found baseball to be too slow when he played that last summer. His older brother, my stepson, played a few years ago so hopefully he can pass down some of his gear. But it's good to know about the chest protector change so we can be sure to get a new one of those.

This is totally my 8 year old, except we do 2 sports at a time.  It's always been hockey and karate, with the spring off from hockey to play baseball, but this year he doesn't want to take any time at all off hockey, so he's taking a break from karate to play lax.  Last year, I can't tell you how many times I heard about how he didn't want to be playing baseball, we just signed him up, and he wanted to play lax in the spring.  Baseball was too slow for him; he wants to be moving at all times.  Hockey season is wrapping up in the next couple of weeks, and spring hockey clinic is only going to be once a week, so I'm definitely winning, activity-wise.