Stringing Your Lacrosse Head Part 3: Bottom String

Press Release: Homegrown Lacrosse Introduces Sport to Nearly 1,000 Students in Duluth Minnesota

A nice press release posted on American Consumer News website about Homegrown Lacrosse's week in Duluth. Check it out there.

Stringing Your Lacrosse Head Part 2: Sidewalls

Stringing Your Lacrosse Head Part 1: Top String

This part 1 in a 4 part series that will easily and quickly step you through stringing.  Follow this video instruction, and you'll be a stringing pro in no time.

Practice! Drills to Do on Your Own or With a Parent or Friend

More from Coach B

To improve, it's essential that players practice their game on their own.  High school lacrosse players may only practice 6-8 hours per week.  On non practice days, players should work cradling, scooping and throwing/catching/shooting on their own.

Whether a player teams up with some other teammates, practices with a parent or just works on his own, the benefits of working fundamentals outside practice will pay dividends as the season progresses.  Self practice can be nothing more than standing and cradling a ball in the stick (on both sides) for a few minutes.  It can be nothing more than tossing a ball on the grass, running and scooping it up over and over.  Any little thing helps.  Below are a bunch of different drills that a player can do on his/her own and with the participation of a parent, sibling, or friend.


Drills For Player To Do On His/Her Own
  
1. Wall Ball Drill
             
Stage 1 – Quick Stick/Rapid Fire: Line up 3-5 yds from a concrete wall or LAX WALL.  First, throw 50 right side throws and catches without cradling.  After completing 50 right side throws and catches, do the same with the left side.  Notice that I didn’t say start with your strong or dominant hand.  With “wall ball” anything you do right side, you follow up with left side.  This Stage allows the player to work on quick sticks, hand-eye coordination and timing.  The player will become better about getting rid of the ball in a timely fashion without even noticing it by practicing this Stage.
              
Stage 2 – 10-12 Yard Passing: Line up 10-12 yds from the wall.  Start with 30 right hand throws, which will come back to you on one bounce.  When player retrieves ball from the one bounce, cradle one, then follow up with the next throw to the wall.  After completing 30 right hand throws, do 30 on the left.  (Depending on the player’s age, you should adjust the distance from the wall accordingly)
             
Stage 3 – Throwing and Catching On The Run: This drill can’t be performed on the LAX WALL you buy at the store.  This drill requires a long concrete wall, such as the side of a school building.  First, line up 5-7 yds from the wall on the far left side of the wall.  Typically I begin this drill with the stick in my right hand and while I run along side the wall (towards the other end), I throw the ball and catch it on the run.  The important aspect is to throw the ball on the run and not always catch it on the stick side.  During practices and games, the player does not always receive a pass on the stick side so when training with this drill, the player should throw the ball against the wall and catch it cross hand (or across the face).  After running one length of the wall, run back to the other end throwing left handed (doing the same thing as you did with the right hand).  Keep going back and forth for about 5 minutes.  (see last page for a typical Wall Ball workout)
              
Stage 4 – Shooting:  line up approximately 12-15 yds from the wall.  Get into proper shooting formation (hands loose and high, three quarter/overhand motion, snapping hips, and following through) mark a few places on the wall with tape or chalk to aim at.  Shoot at about 80% effort, having the ball come back to you on one bounce.  Depending on where the player aims, the ball may take bounces that aren’t the same so the player will have to work a little bit to retrieve the balls.  Start with 25 right, and follow up with 25 left.
  
2. Throwing

            Proper form is to throw over the top.  Drills to help reinforce this:

• Throw against a wall on one knee (if right-handed, kneel on right knee).  When throwing side-arm, the ball will automatically spin, making it difficult to catch on the return.  The player will also hit himself on the left thigh with the butt of the stick.  This is how to reinforce proper over the top throwing.
• Kneel 2 feet from a wall and practice throwing motion.  This will force the overhand throw.

 3. Scooping (ground balls) [Ground Balls Win Games!]

• Scatter some balls on the grass and run and scoop.  Emphasis should be on stick position being almost parallel to ground and head should scoop through the ball. 
• Roll balls out against wall and scoop them up on the return (bring stick up to protected position)
• Practice both right and left handed scoops

 4.  Dodging

• Player uses natural surroundings such as a tree to practice various dodges.

 5.  Cradling

• Player very simply practices cradling on both right and left, switching hands every 2-3 minutes
• Set up cones or markers on a field or in back yard and practice running around each cone with cradling ball in stick.  Player should try and switch hands as player rounds each cone.  After getting comfortable with this, players should do this at full speed (game-like situation)

 Drills That You (Parent) Participate In With Your Player

 1.  Basic Catching and Throwing

• Stand 15 feet apart and have a catch.  If parent is not skilled with a lacrosse stick, he/she can use a baseball mitt.  Player should practice catching and throwing on both right and left sides.  Be sure throwing is over the shoulder and not side arm.

 2.  Scooping (ground balls)

• Parent rolls balls out to player, player scoops with proper technique and tosses ball back to parent.  This drill can be performed with parent standing at different angles to player (such as the 3:00 and 9:00 positions (left and right sides)).
• Parent places ball on ground, stands with a stick over the ball and has player scoop through.  This allows player to develop skill of scooping throw crowded or tight situations.

 3.  Shooting Drills

• If you have a goal or net in your back yard, or you go to a school that leaves a goal out on the field, have the player catch a pass from various spots (thrown by the parent) and shoot on the goal. 
• Stand about 5 yds from the side of the goal, have player cut around a cone placed at different points near the goal crease, player should catch and shoot on the turn.
• Have player start behind goal.  Parent in front.  Yell “go” or “break” and have player come around from the back.  Feed player a pass as player is parallel with goal line and then shoot.  Do this with player coming both from right and left sides of goal.
• Have player stand about 5-7 yds in front of goal with back turned to goal.  Parent should be positioned on side of goal.  Parent yells “turn” and immediately feeds a pass to the player who turns catches and shoots.  This allows the young player to develop skills for finding the ball in flight, catching and shooting.  (be sure player wears a helmet for this drill).

A note on conditioning:  Lacrosse is a game requiring frequent quick bursts of speed.  Thus, distance running/jogging, while good for conditioning and stamina, does not really help the lacrosse player to build his “game” skills.  Better yet is to run full sprints of 30-40 yards at a time up and down a field.

Wall Ball Routine
25-30 minutes (the immediately below drills can be done on a Lax Wall or actual wall such as at a school)
50 quick stick R hand
50 quick stick L hand
50 quick stick alt. hands
50 1 handed R
50 1 handed L
50 catch, cradle R hand
50 catch, cradle L hand
50 forehands to cross hand R to L
50 forehands to cross hand L to R
50 throw R catch L, throw L catch R
2 xs (this drill is typically done on an actual wall such as at a school)
Run along wall throw R catch R
Run back throw L catch L
2 xs (this drill is typically done on an actual wall such as at a school)
Run along wall throw L catch cross hand
Run back throw R catch cross hand
All drills to be done with gloves and helmet

Instructional Video of the Week: Ground Balls

Paul Rabil on Ground Balls

The Importance of Ground Balls

Coach B talks about the importance of ground balls.

Attacking a ground ball

"From the moment I started playing lacrosse many years ago, every single coach I have had has endlessly communicated how important it is to master the art of picking up ground balls.  At the early youth level, the ball undoubtedly spends a great deal more time on the ground then in the air and so getting an early start on becoming adept at picking up ground balls (GBs) is a skill that will pay dividends as a lacrosse players career continues.
Even though they may seem like just a small part of the game, ground balls are crucial to both team and individual success in lacrosse. The ability to pick up a ground ball quickly and fluidly is right up there in importance with throwing, catching, and cradling. From the team standpoint, control of ground balls means more possession time and more scoring chances, as well as keeping the ball away from the opponent’s offense."

Coach B continues, "At the higher levels of lacrosse, the number of GBs a player or a team picks up is a very important statistic.  No coach will ever pass up the opportunity to play a player who is skilled at picking up the GBs.  Controlling the ground ball wars is a great way to give your team the best chance to win the game. The more possessions your team gets, the more likely your chances for victory."

Reflection on Homegrown Lacrosse's Week in Duluth

I was fortunate to be able to meet Jesse and Chaun from Homegrown Lacrosse at a couple of the afterschool clinics they put on in Duluth.  The second clinic had over 40 kids running all over the gym with lacrosse sticks in hand!  Jesse and Chaun did a great job working with the kids.  It was also nice to see several of the Duluth-Superior Chargers high school players come out one night to help work with the kids.  Judging from all of this, the future of lacrosse in Duluth and Northern Minnesota appears to be bright.

Many good things were also said about Homegrown Lacrosse and the work they did with the in-school P.E. program at several Duluth grade schools.  Homegrown was able to put a lacrosse stick in the hands of just under 1,000 kids during their time in Duluth.  As we've said before, we're very fortunate in Minnesota to have an organization like Homegrown Lacrosse here to help grow the sport of lacrosse in the state.  Without a group like Homegrown, it's not hard to believe that lacrosse would not be growing as fast as it is in Minnesota outside of a few select areas.  One needs only look to the south to the state of Iowa.  There is a small group of very dedicated individuals, led by the Central Iowa Lacrosse Association, who love the sport and want to see it grow.  However, without resources or a group like Homegrown, lacrosse is still languishing in the state with only two high school teams playing lacrosse and a couple of newly formed youth lacrosse associations.  They're working hard in Iowa, but without the organization of a group like Homegrown, it's difficult.

So, what really is the future of lacrosse in Duluth?  Hopefully a lot of those kids who had a lacrosse stick in their hand will play in the Duluth YMCA summer youth league.  If they do, it will be a really fun summer for youth lacrosse in Duluth and a great start for developing lacrosse at a young age and providing a pipeline of players for the high school programs.  The 3rd and 4th graders picking up sticks this summer will be pioneers of the sport in Duluth.  They'll be some of the first lacrosse players in Duluth that started at a young age and worked their way up to high school and perhaps beyond.  It will allow Duluth and other Northland Schools to start catching up to the Twin Cities programs to an extent.

I heard from a lot of kids who plan to play in the YMCA youth league this summer.  However, I also heard from several kids who said they might be playing summer hockey or baseball and might not play in the youth lacrosse league.  I've also heard from several kids at the middle school level who have chosen to play spring and summer hockey or spring soccer as opposed to trying a new sport like lacrosse.  In a hockey-mad town like Duluth, how do the lacrosse programs entice those hockey players who might really have fun and make an impact on the lacrosse team to give it a try?  Lacrosse is a great crossover sport for soccer, hockey, football and basketball.  The fitness level the kids will get from lacrosse is tremendous.  And, once a kid plays lacrosse, he/she's usually hooked.  It's that much fun.

Perhaps transitioning to an MSHSL team would help entice some kids.  Making it a varsity sport on par with hockey and soccer would perhaps make it more attractive to students looking for a sport to play.  And, despite all of the great work Homegrown has done in Duluth, lacrosse still needs to be more visible.  We have a quality college program at UMD and good high school programs with the Chargers and Grand Rapids teams, even a professional team in St. Paul, but you still never see anything about lacrosse in the newspaper - not even box scores.  Lacrosse has to become more visible.  Even more kids have to try it and see how fun it is.

Wayne Gretzky, the greatest hockey player ever, loved lacrosse and understood its benefits.  He said, "When I was growing up, I used to love this time of year(spring). It was when I put my hockey equipment away and I was absolutely ecstatic to see the end of the hockey season. One of the worst things to happen to the game, in my opinion, has been year-round hockey and, in particular, summer hockey. All it does for kids, as far as I can tell, is keep them out of sports they should be doing in warmer weather. I could hardly wait to get my lacrosse stick out and start throwing the ball around. It didn't matter how cold or rainy it would be, we'd be out firing the ball against walls and working on our moves as we played the lacrosse equivalent to road hockey. All the good hockey players seemed to play lacrosse in those days and every one of them learned something from the game to carry over to the other - things athletes can only learn by mixing up games they play when they are young."  If it worked for Wayne, it seems like it might work for some of the other hockey, soccer and basketball kids in town.  Perhaps having some support for lacrosse from the hockey programs would help as well.

Hopefully we'll see the sport of lacrosse begin to flourish in Duluth and Northern Minnesota.  There's still work to do, but with the help of Homegrown, we're definitely on the right path.

See Homegrown Lacrosse's blog for more about their time in Duluth. 

Photos courtesy of Homegrown Lacrosse

St. Cloud State Picks Up First Win; UMD Bulldogs Drop Two More

After losing their first two games of the season to the University of Nebraska and the University of Kansas, the St. Cloud State Huskies (1-2) lacrosse team picked up a big win against the Arkansas Razorbacks by an 11-5 score.  Midfielder Evin Haukos and midfielder Max Tarnowski led the Huskies with 4 goals each.  Goalie Curtis Payne made 14 saves in the win.

Out on the West Coast, the UMD Bulldogs (2-4) lost two more heartbreakers to MCLA top 25 teams.  UMD's brutal stretch of road games continued with games against a very tough and highly regarded #18 University of Oregon Ducks and #6 ranked University of Colorado Buffaloes.  UMD came into the weekend ranked #13 in the MCLA.

On Friday, UMD dropped a close one to Oregon 7-6.  Down 6-3 at the end of 3 periods of play, UMD battled back to pull within one goal at 6-5 with 6:00 left in the game.  Oregon picked up a fast break goal to make it 7-5 with 5:00 left.  The Bulldogs pulled within one at 7-6 with 3:00 to play and after putting the ball on goal several times in the closing minutes could not tie the game and took the tough loss.

On Saturday, in a game televised online by CollegeLAX.tv, the Bulldogs took on the Buffaloes in Lake Oswego, Oregon.  Colorado jumped out to a 2-0 lead before the Bulldogs could respond with a Brandon Nispel goal to make it 2-1.  Early in the 3rd period, Colorado scored to make it 5-2.  UMD battled back to tie the game 5-5 going into the 4th period behind goals from Max Thomas-Olson, Alex McNamara and Matt Sanocki.  In the 4th period, UMD had trouble controlling the ball and gave up two quick Colorado goals before answering with one of their own, a shot by McNamara to make the score 8-6.  That's as close as the Bulldogs would get and they dropped their 4th of the season 9-6 to a very good Colorado team.

UMD's next game is April 2 against Upper Midwest Lacrosse League rival Iowa State.  St. Cloud State's next game is April 3 against UMD in St. Cloud.

UMD may be looking forward to playing closer to home after road swings to Utah and Oregon.  All four of UMD's losses have come against MCLA top 25 opponents (#3 BYU, #6 Colorado, #12 Utah and #18 Oregon).

Starting Practice This Week? Get Ready!

For those schools starting practice this week...get ready!  Hopefully that foot of snow predicted for Northern Minnesota this week either misses us or melts fast!

The 11 Commandments of Lacrosse

(Reprinted from Lax Mag for Kids)

1. You must be able to catch, throw and shoot both left-handed and right-handed.
From the first time you pick up a lacrosse stick, you must practice on both sides. You must work on your weak hand on your own. You should not be embarrassed if you make mistakes with your non-dominant hand. You will not suddenly wake up one day and have a competent, non-dominant hand. It takes practice.

2. The more time you spend playing lacrosse with your stick perpendicular to the ground (as opposed to parallel to the ground), the better player you will become.

If a player keeps his stick perpendicular to the ground, he can protect the full length of his stick with his body. To the contrary, if the stick becomes parallel to the ground, the head and stick become exposed to checks by an opponent. If the head of the stick is carried next to the ear (in the box), and the shaft is perpendicular to the ground habitually, no matter where the ball is caught, it will be returned to the proper position and be protected by the body. When the ball is thrown or shot, it should be done overhand from the box position. In order for this to be executed properly, a player must catch, throw and shoot with his wrists. Many players cannot do this because they have a whip in their stick. Sticks with whips force players throw the ball with their arms rather than their wrists. Adjust the pocket of your stick so that you can use your wrists and keep the stick perpendicular.

3. Do not hold the ball in your stick.
The less time the ball spends in your stick, the better player you will become. Players who carry the ball in their stick too long develop a horrible sense of the game. The ball can be passed over a distance at speeds faster than anyone can run. It is far easier to learn how to carry the ball in your stick after you have learned how to pass it. The reason for this is that defensive pressure becomes far less of an irritation when a player knows how to get rid of the ball.

4. Move the ball immediately upon gaining possession of a loose ball.
As teams scramble for loose balls, they get pulled out of position. If your team picked up a loose ball, it can capitalize on the opponent’s misalignment only if it can move the ball before the opponent has time to adjust. You must look up field and get the ball out of your stick as soon as possible. You must make the pass to the first open man on your team that you see, whether in front, across or behind you. Ideally, your teammates should be moving themselves into strategic positions to take advantage of the opponents’ misalignment. 

5. You must learn how to move without the ball.
Everyone – player’s referees and fans – has a tendency to watch only the player with the ball. Players off the ball are disregarded. Thus, it is easier to get into shooting, catching or scooping position when you do not have the ball. Every lacrosse player plays 90% of the time without the ball. You must maximize your time without the ball so that you put yourself in a position to do something when you get it. You must realize that by standing still, you blend into the background and your teammate with the ball cannot see you. 

6. You must move to the ball.
A player who is open and wants the ball should always move to the ball. This is particularly true when a player is (1) open on the backside (2) not being watched by a defenseman in front of him and (3) receiving a pass to shoot. A player who is not being watched by a defenseman in front of him should move to the ball because he can run right past the defenseman and get open. A player receiving the pass to shoot must always move to the ball lest he catch it, turn and get run down by a sliding defender.

7. Look to a spot behind the goalie when you shoot.

If a player is in possession of the ball in shooting position, he usually is being pressured if not run down. You must therefore automatically look first to the highest percentage spot to shoot. This spot is ‘behind the goalie.’ A spot behind the goalie is a spot out of the goalie’s momentum. Shooters must look first to a spot that is opposite to the direction in which the goalie is moving. If the goalie is moving to his right, a shot to his right is a shot into his momentum and flow. A shot to his left, however, forces him to change his momentum and go the other way. This is a difficult task even for the best goalie.

8. Shoot with a quick release.
Releasing the ball quickly when shooting on goal is an asset because (1) anyone in possession of the ball in shooting position is or soon will receive defensive pressure and (2) goalies move. Too many players develop bad habits, such as spinning their stick, taking more steps, or winding up before releasing the ball. All these actions use up valuable time that allows the defense to recover and the goalie to move. This is especially true when a player has just received a feed. If you develop the skill to release the shot at the moment that you receive the feed, you will shoot with less defensive pressure and at a goalie who has not been allowed to focus on the ball. The proper method of developing the quick release is to give with the feed and actually catch the ball in a shooting position.

9. Defense must have stick skills as good as or better than attack men and midfielders.
Defensemen must be able to clear the ball. Broken clears put teams in their most vulnerable position possible. The only way to ensure that clears do not fail is to make sure the ball does not go on the ground. That requires flawless throwing and catching.

10. Defenders must play defense like boxers box.

Too many defenders stop moving their feet when they make a check or they make a check and leave their sticks in places that do them no good. Boxers never stand still with reference to their opponent. They use their footwork to gain position and advantage. Neither do they leave their arm extended after throwing a punch. A defender should not leave his stick or his opponent’s hip. He must learn to move, check, and reload to repeat the process. 

11. Defenders do not have to take the ball away to play good defense.
The purpose of all defenses is to reduce the opponents’ scoring. That is accomplished by focusing on four factors and executing them. The four are (1) prevent high percentage shots, (2) hinder passing that allows opponents into the prime shooting area, (3) gain possession of loose balls, and (4) begin the transition game. Too many defenders measure their defensive prowess by their ability to strip the ball from an opponent. A defender’s primary concern should be to position himself so that when the player he is guarding puts both hands on the stick, he can check the opponent’s hands. The attributes that every defender must have are footwork, stickwork, anticipation and hustle.

MBSLA Pre-season Top 10

This evaluation is our best attempt at an MBSLA pre-season Top 10 ranking. We looked at last years performance, the number of seniors lost, top scorers returning from last year and returning all-state performers to come up with our rankings. This is a "best effort" and certainly not definitive. I would encourage comments and discussion on this blog regarding these rankings. Please feel free to comment!

MBSLA Pre-season Top 10:

1.  St. Louis Park - Defending MBSLA State Champion St. Louis Park clearly deserves to be the pre-season #1.  The Orioles return their top four scorers from last year including all-state performers senior Max Bergeron and senior Art Elmer, plus junior all-state D/LSM Sean Berens.  They also return sophomore goalie Will Harkema.  St. Louis Park is clearly loaded for another run at the MBSLA state title.

2.  St. Paul - Despite losing leading scorer and All-State performer Kieren Gallagher, the Celts return their #2 and #3 scorers in senior Jimmy Paenkhay and senior Jimmy Francomb.  They also return the 5,6, and 7 scorers on the team Tony Alexander, Alex Bernish and Alexander Berger.  Losing 3 all-state selections including goalie Keenan Lilyquist will hurt the Celts.  If they can't find replacements for these high level performers, we could see the Celts falling down the standings in a big way.

3.  Delano - We have a feeling Delano will make a big jump up the standings in 2011.  Looking at their young roster, they'll be returning their top 4 scorers in junior Drake Hunter, junior Chase Willette, senior Colton Homberger, and junior Jack Prinsen as well as junior goalie James Tilbury.  After a solid 2010 season, we're expecting big things from this young Rage team.

4.  Orono -  Losing all-state performer and leading scorer Bo Maki will hurt Orono in 2011.  They'll also be losing #2 scorer David Stephenson and #4 scorer Alex Schroeder.  Returning will be #3 scorer senior Derek Alford and sophomore Alex Cross who scored 10 goals in 2010.  They'll have some big shoes to fill and will need others to step up if they want another shot at the MBSLA title.  On the plus side, Orono returns all-state honorable mention goalie, senior Wesley Kavanagh.  If St. Paul falters and Orono finds some capable replacements, they could easily find themselves jumping up to the #2 slot in 2011.

5.  MontiQuois - MontiQuois returns all-state performer senior Evan Hesse to a squad that finished last season 8-4.  They also return junior goalie Aaron Job.  Losing leading scorer Ben Brion and #3 scorer Cameron Christiansen will hurt.  Will they have enough players like senior Tom Bales to move up and replace that scoring, or will they drop in the top 10 once the games start?

6.  Shattuck-St. Mary's - Not much is known about this team, but they had solid wins last season including a 10-7 win over eventual state champion St. Louis Park and finished the season 6-0.  It remains to be seen who is returning and what to expect from them in 2011.  An April 25 game against St. Louis Park should tell us something about this team.  This team could make some real noise in the playoffs if their season didn't end so early along with the end of their school year.  Regardless of their participation in the playoffs, this team deserves to be ranked.

7.  Duluth - Duluth makes a jump into the top 10 for 2011.  With a very solid core of seniors returning in 2011, the Chargers hope to make a big splash in the MBSLA and a push into the playoffs.  Seniors Matt Jeanetta, Jack Maddy, Dan Padden, Zach Thompson and Ian Wieczorek will provide the offensive firepower while all-conference defenseman senior Nate Pratt will anchor a strong line of d-poles.  Throw in strong goalie play from senior Tyler Olson and you have the recipe for a strong MBSLA contender in 2011. 

8.  Hastings - Hastings loses quite a bit of scoring from their 2010 squad that won 7 games with the departure of #1, 3, 4 and 6 scorers through graduation.  Their hopes rest with the return of #2 scorer senior Andy Riveness and #5 scorer senior Corey Latuff along with junior goalie Leo Martineau.

9.  St. Cloud North -  St. Cloud North gamely battled undefeated St. Paul last year in the first round of the MBSLA playoffs, losing by a 1-0 score.  This is a young team that should be returning many of their top performers from last season.  If they can show the improvement in 2011 that they showed at the end of last season, this team will compete for a playoff spot out of the North division.

10.  White Bear Lake -  White Bear Lake had a very young and talented team last season.  Being a club team at a school with an MSHSL team, it's hard to gauge how many of those young, talented club players will be moving up to the varsity squad.  Because of this, ranking this team is difficult.  However, if top scorers like sophomore Seth King, senior Alexander Bocchi and sophomore Ryan Geary return along with senior goalie Matt Kinne, White Bear Lake will be a tough team to beat in 2011.

Honorable Mention (any of these teams can make a good argument for a spot among the top 10):

• Tartan - Tartan is a team that could improve over last season depending on the number of top scorers returning for 2011.
• Henry-Sibley - Henry-Sibley won 6 games last season and is looking to improve on that in 2011 and move into a spot in the top 10.
• Brainerd - Brainerd posted a solid 4 win season in 2010 which is very good for a first year team in the MBSLA.  They return top scorer and all-conference performer senior Zach Brown along with a host of strong seniors in 2011.  Look for Brainerd, with the toughest opening schedule in the MBSLA with back-to-back games against state champion St. Louis Park and state runner-up Orono to tell us a lot about themselves based on their performance in these two games.  Brainerd is hoping to make a playoff push in 2011.

*note - Buffalo was removed from the rankings because they have moved to the MSHSL for 2011 along with St. Cloud South.

Instructional Video of the Week: Wall Ball

NOTE: Always wear your gloves when practicing wall ball

Is It Too Late to Start Playing Lacrosse?

How late is too late for a kid to start playing lacrosse?  Can a kid who might be a sophomore in high school start playing lacrosse with any hopes of being good enough to play varsity in a year or two?  What about a junior?  Too late?  Not really...if they're willing to put in a little time.

Lacrosse is a skill sport that takes time to master throwing, catching, shooting and cradling.  But, if you're a good athlete and really want to play lacrosse, you can definitely do it.  And, after playing a little while, you WILL love the game and will REALLY want to play it!  Of course, starting in 2nd grade is the best option, but if that wasn't an option for you or your kid, they can still play this great game...and become pretty good at it if they're willing to work.

It's really all about touches.  Coach B on his Coach B's Lacrosse Blog explains, "I talked to a coach one time that had success converting baseball and football players to lacrosse as late as the varsity level. He basically figured out how many touches his experienced players had in their life time and came up with an approximate number.  If a kid has been playing lax since 5th grade, it is safe to say he's had 15,000 touches.  His plan - get the new guys to "catch up".

Coach B goes on to say, "30 sessions of wall ball with 500 touches = 15,000.  If you start a player indoor in November with only 2 sessions a week he will have 15,000 by March 1st.  If he gets 3 sessions in a week with 500 touches a day that's 24,000 touches.  500 touches can be done in a relatively short time."

So, if you're new to the sport of lacrosse, or even if you're not, get in your touches!  It will make you a better player, allow you to catch up to those who have been playing longer than you, and help you succeed as a lacrosse player.

Check out Coach B's Lacrosse Blog.

Homegrown's First Day in Duluth

From Homegrown Lacrosse Blog

Today's classes were similar to day one of any Phy. Ed. unit but as always, they possessed a unique routine. I worked at Lowell Music Magnet Elementary School with Mrs. Bergerson and her student teacher, Mr. S. Chaun taught at Lincoln Piedmont and from what I hear, the kids loved it. Assisting me, was Alex McNamara, a junior attackmen on the UMD squad. In 2008, Mac worked as an LDP counselor at the first ever Homegrown Summer Camp I ever worked. In 2009 and 2010, I played against Mac, two times each year. Today, we were working to introduce our sport to the students in Duluth, with the goal of facilitating the continued growth of lacrosse in the area.

Day one is always interesting. Some of the kids are intently focused on observing every detail of the introduction, while the rest of the kids can barely sit still, impatiently waiting to get their hands on a lacrosse stick. Either way, our sport is growing with the one by one accumulation of ambassadors to the sport. For every student who has a great experience with lacrosse (especially for the first time), we've developed a constituency who will positively advocate for the sport.

Read the rest at Homegrown Lacrosse Blog

Minnesota Lacrosse MSHSL Preseason Rankings

Quite a bit of information can be found on the Inside Lacrosse forums regarding Minnesota High School lacrosse. The folks posting in that forum are very knowledgeable lacrosse fans who watch a lot of lacrosse in the Twin Cities and have good opinions regarding the top high school lacrosse teams in Minnesota. The forum is "Twin Cities-centric" and the majority of the top teams are found in the Twin Cities metro area. Our 2011 Minnesota High School Lacrosse Preseason rankings are based on a compilation of rankings found in the Minnesota High School forum on Inside Lacrosse. Teams that were ranked first by forum readers received 20 points, second, 19 points and so on. Teams that were mentioned as potential top teams also received 1 point to round out the Top 20. Based on those forum rankings by avid Minnesota lacrosse fans here is the 2011 MSHSL Preseason Top 20:

1.   Eden Prairie  289 points
2.   Benilde-St. Margaret's  287
3.   Blake  251
4.   Minnetonka  209
5.   Wayzata  163
6.   Burnsville  75
7.   Stillwater  62
8.   Eastview  56
9.   Centennial  16
10. Blaine  13
11. Totino Grace  13
12. Eagan  12
13. Woodbury  12
14. Edina  11
15. Maple Grove  10
16. Rosemount  8
17. Mahtomedi  1
18. Apple Valley  1
19. Prior Lake  1
20. Chaska  1

This is the WestsideLAX.com pre-season top 10:

1.  Benilde-St. Margaret's
2.  Eden Prairie
3.  Eagan
4.  Blake
5.  Eastview
6.  Edina
7.  Stillwater
8.  Wayzata
9.  Minnetonka
10. Blaine

In a couple of days we'll release our MBSLA pre-season Top 10 and see where the Northern Minnesota teams might stack up.  Let the season begin, and the rankings shake out!

Early Season Northern Lacrosse Games to Watch

A quick review of team schedules (no information yet on Grand Rapids' schedule) reveals a few games to pay attention to in the early northern lacrosse season.

April 9 - Brainerd vs. St. Louis Park - in only its second season of varsity play, the Brainerd Warriors lacrosse team is jumping into the 2011 lacrosse season with both feet.  In a very early season test, Brainerd will take on the defending MBSLA state champion St. Louis Park Orioles.  How Brainerd comes out of this early season match-up should tell Northern lacrosse observers an awful lot about the scrappy Warriors.

April 18 - Brainerd vs. Orono - did we say the Warriors were scrappy?  Scrappy, crazy, confident, maybe all three as they travel to Orono to take on the state runners-up Orono Spartans in their second game of the season.  That's the toughest opening schedule in the MBSLA.  Brainerd had a very solid first varsity season winning 4 games and playing competitively in the majority of their games.  They return a strong senior laden squad led by all-conference attackman Zach Brown.  How they fare in their first two games will tell us something about this team and how they'll compete in the MBSLA North Division.

April 22 - Fargo vs. Brainerd - the new Fargo lacrosse team opens their season against a good Brainerd team.  This match-up should tell us something about where the Fargo program is at in their first season of MBSLA play.

April 25 - St. Cloud North vs. St. Paul - St. Cloud North, with the second best North Division record among the remaining teams, has a score to settle with St. Paul after dropping a quarterfinal game last season in the state playoffs against the Celts by a 1-0 score. The Knights should provide a good glimpse of what they can achieve in 2011 if they can come away with a win against a tough St. Paul team that finished the regular season last year with an undefeated 10-0 record. 

April 30 - Duluth vs. White Bear Lake - the Duluth Chargers first real test of the season may come against a White Bear Lake team that made the state tournament playoffs last season.  Duluth returns a strong senior laden team that finished second to St. Cloud South last season in the MBSLA North, with South being their only conference loss of the season.  Led by the likes of all-conference d-pole Nate Pratt and a host of solid senior scorers in Ian Wieczorek, Zach Thompson, Matt Jeanetta, Jack Maddy and Dan Padden, the Chargers may be the pre-season favorite in the MBSLA North.

April 30 - Duluth vs. Brainerd - In the second game of the day, Duluth takes on a Brainerd team that should be much improved in their second MBSLA season in what could be a battle for supremacy in the MBSLA North.

May 1 - Duluth vs. St. Cloud North -  This game pitting the top two remaining teams could decide who wins the MBSLA North Division and should be a good battle between two established northern lacrosse programs.

Practices begin next week for some northern lacrosse teams.  Looking forward to seeing how these games play out in the MBSLA North.

Practices Begin Tomorrow!

Lacrosse practices for some Northern Minnesota schools begin tomorrow.  Get ready!

Instructional Video of the Week: Power Shooting

Homegrown Lacrosse to Spend Week in Duluth P.E. Classes

Homegrown lacrosse, a world class non-profit organization dedicated to growing the sport of lacrosse in Minnesota and encouraging positive change in the lives of youth lacrosse players, will be bringing their In School P.E. Program to Duluth elementary schools during the week of March 14-18.  The In-School P.E. Program is a week-long unit that introduces elementary, middle school and high school students to the sport of lacrosse.  Students are taught the history of the game, the evolution of the game, and lacrosse basics with both boy’s and girl’s lacrosse sticks.  The innovative program gives girls and boys a chance:

• To discover something new
• To be part of an emerging sport
• To be engaged
• To have fun  

Homegrown measures their success by the students’ and teachers’ enthusiasm, as well as by the number of students who want to participate in after school lacrosse programs.

Along with the in-school programming, Homegrown will offer two after-school youth lacrosse clinics during the week.  The first youth clinic will take place on Wednesday March 16 at the downtown Duluth YMCA starting at 6:00 p.m.  A second clinic will be conducted on Thursday March 17 at Lowell Elementary school also at 6:00 p.m.

Homegrown is providing Northern Minnesota with a great opportunity to grow the sport of lacrosse in the Duluth area.  Homegrown's efforts should significantly help the area youth lacrosse programs and give them a major boost in numbers.  In Minnesota, we're very fortunate to have an organization like Homegrown Lacrosse working hard to grow the sport of lacrosse across the entire state.  Please visit their website, check out the wide array of things they're doing and consider donating a little to them if you feel strongly about the growth of lacrosse in Minnesota.

Duluth Defenseman Nate Pratt Named "Top Player" in State by Westside Lacrosse

In a Minnesota State High School season preview, Duluth Chargers defenseman Nate Pratt was named to the list of the the state's Top Players by WestSideLax.com.  While this list may have missed other top Northern Minnesota lacrosse players, it's nice to see a Northern Minnesota lacrosse player recognized among the state's top players.  Congratulations to Nate Pratt!

#16 Utah Stuns #8 UMD

by Tim Haslem CollegeLAX

The No. 16 Utah Utes beat No. 8 Minn-Duluth on Sunday in Salt Lake City by the score of 13-5 as UMD dropped its second in a row during a disappointing road swing in Utah.

Both teams started the game with long possessions which led to the first goal of the game at the 10:30 mark in the first quarter for Minn-Duluth. The Bulldogs scored just seconds later to take a quick 2-0 lead.

Utah (4-2) scored a man-up goal with 3:32 remaining in the first but Minn-Duluth answered right back and lead 3-1 after the first quarter.

Utah scored two goals in the beginning of the second quarter to tie the score at 3. Minn-Duluth answered back to regain the lead but it would be the last time the Bulldogs were ahead. Utah went on a 4 goal run which included two man-up goals to take a 7-4 lead into halftime.

Utah didn’t let up and poured on a 5 goal third quarter and held the Bulldogs scoreless, giving the Utes a 12-4 lead.

Minn-Duluth (2-2, 2-0) scored at the 12:56 mark in the fourth quarter which gave the Bulldogs new life but the Utah defense wouldn’t give way. Utah tacked on one more goal midway through the fourth en route to the victory.

“We had a plan on things we wanted to do and I think we did them well,” said Utah Head Coach Craig Morris. “It’s great to go up against really great lacrosse teams because they keep pushing us to get better even though we got them today.”

Utah was led my Senior Attackmen Mark Manning who had 2 goals and 3 assists. Utah narrowly won the face-off battle, winning 10 and losing 9.

Minn-Duluth had 10 penalties overall which led to 3 man-up goals for Utah.

“We just didn’t execute,” said Minn-Duluth Head Coach Frank Clark. “They hit their shots and we didn’t. That team that showed up today can’t show up. If we don’t learn from this game then we won’t get better. If we get better from it then the game was worth it.”

Utah will face No. 6 Colorado on Friday in a key RMLC match-up. Minn-Duluth will travel to Oregon in two weeks to face No. 24 Oregon on March 18 and No. 6 Colorado on March 19.

Brainerd Warriors Season Schedule

Brainerd Warriors High School Season Schedule

April  9, 1:00 pm, Brainerd vs. St. Louis Park in Orono
April 18, 7:30 pm, Brainerd vs. Orono in Orono
April 22, 5:30 pm, Brainerd vs. Fargo in Fargo
April 28, 5:00 pm, Brainerd vs. Grand Rapids in Grand Rapids
April 30, 11:00 am, Brainerd vs. Duluth in Duluth
April 30, 2:00 pm, White Bear Lake vs. Brainerd in Duluth
May 2, 5:30 pm, St. Cloud North vs. Brainerd in Brainerd
May 12, 5:30 pm, Brainerd vs. St. Cloud North in Sartell
May 15, 2:30 pm, Brainerd vs. Delano in Delano
May 19, 6:00 pm, Grand Rapids vs. Brainerd in Brainerd
May 21, 11:00 am, Duluth vs. Brainerd in Brainerd
May 21, 2:30 pm, Fargo vs. Brainerd in Brainerd
May 22, 12:00 pm, Shakopee vs. Brainerd in Brainerd

Bulldogs Take First Loss; Come Out on Short End in Thriller Versus BYU

From CollegeLax.com

March 5th, 2011

The No. 4 BYU Cougars let a five goal lead slip away but were able to get the win against No. 8 Minnesota-Duluth on Friday night in Provo, Utah.

“One of our goals coming into the game was to be able to have four full quarters,” said BYU Head Coach Matt Schneck. “We didn’t accomplish that tonight. We had a great first half and we got into the second half and honestly I think that some of this a little reminiscent of other games in the past. We felt since we were up by 5 goals at the half that we were on the same path as our other games.”

BYU (6-0) jumped out to an early two goal lead before Minn-Duluth (2-1, 2-0) pulled one back midway through the first quarter. BYU kept gaining momentum and dominated the face-offs allowing them to notch two more goals to Minn-Duluths one goal in the first quarter.

BYU went on a three goal run in the second quarter and didn’t allow Minn-Duluth to score, giving the Cougars a 7-2 lead going into halftime.

Both teams traded goals before Minn-Duluth went on a three goal run late in the third quarter. Minn-Duluth then scored four goals to BYU’s one goal in the fourth to tie the game at 10 with 1:20 remaining.

Minn-Duluth won the ensuing face-off and took it down into their zone but gave up a quick turnover. BYU successfully cleared and BYU Senior Midfielder Tyler Monteath was able to get a goal with 53 seconds remaining, giving BYU a one goal lead.

Minn-Duluth won the face-off and took it into their zone and called a timeout. After the timeout, the Bulldogs tried to run a play but the BYU defense didn’t give up any ground. With about 5 seconds remaining, Minn-Duluth was forced to take a bad shot which trickled out of bounds with 2 seconds left in the game. Minn-Duluth called a timeout to setup one last play. When the whistle blew, Minn-Duluth threw a lob pass into the middle of the field and caught it, but it was too slow as time had run out, sealing a BYU victory.

UMD Bulldogs Hit the Road

After recording two solid UMLL conference victories to start the season, the UMD Bulldogs lacrosse team hits the road for an important western swing that will provide MCLA lacrosse fans a glimpse of the true nature of this years Bulldog squad.

UMD started the season with a 13-6 victory over UMLL rival Marquette and a convincing 12-3 victory over conference foe Minnesota State University - Mankato the following week.  Senior midfielder Brandon Nispel (Wayzata, MN) led all scorers with 8 goals over the two games while Junior goaltender Joey Slattery (Wayzata, MN) posted a sparkling  76% save percentage.

The Bulldogs now head west for a matchup against 4th ranked BYU (4-0) on March 3rd and a March 5th tilt against 16th ranked University of Utah.  The BYU matchup will provide the Bulldogs with a stern test and a good gauge of what this team can do come May.
 
Bulldog coach Frank Clark had this to say; “BYU is a great team and we are looking forward to the challenge that they will present.  In the past we have had some very competitive match ups and we don’t expect this to be any different. They are well coached and will have played some very good teams already at that point in the season”  Coach Litman had this to say about Utah: “Utah is a very strong program with a lot of talent on both sides of the field. Every time we’ve played against one another it has been a battle. I expect the same from Coach Morris and his team in this game.”

The UMD Bulldogs are currently ranked #8 in the MCLA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll.  University of Michigan Wolverines sit atop the MCLA Division I rankings.

March 19th UMD-Colorado Game to be Streamed Live

CollegeLAX will be offering live video streaming of the March 19th game between the UMD Bulldogs and Colorado Buffalo in Lake Oswego, OR.  

In the 2009 Quarter Finals of the MCLA National Tournament, Colorado stole a 13-10 victory.  In 2010, the Bulldogs traveled to Boulder, Colorado and escaped with an 11-10 win over the Buffaloes.

“The Bulldogs came into Boulder last year and handed us a close loss right after we beat Michigan,” said Colorado Head Coach Mike Ryder. “We have a bitter taste from that loss and will be looking to avenge them this year. No doubt they will be a top team as this season unfolds.”

The match-up between these two teams is quickly becoming a great rivalry.

“The last two games we’ve played against them have been very competitive games,” said Minnesota-Duluth Head Coach Frank Clark. “We’re looking forward to the challenge and we think they’re one of the top tier teams out there. It will be a good test to see where we are at that point.”

CollegeLAX will provide the ultimate platform for the game to be seen.  “The chance to be live streamed online through CollegeLAX says a lot about where the MCLA is going,” said Ryder.

“It’s a great opportunity,” said Clark. “The more lacrosse that’s out there, the better.  It will help grow the game and grow the MCLA brand, which I think is very important."

The game between the Colorado Buffaloes and the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs on March 19, 2011, will be streamed live on www.collegelax.us

For more information, stay tuned to CollegeLAX.

Fargo High School Season Schedule

The Fargo team will consist of any high school player (junior high players may also try out) in the surrounding area of Fargo-Moorhead.  Try-outs will be conducted in the near future.  The schedule is:

April 22, 5:30 pm, Fargo vs. Brainerd in Fargo
April 23, 3:00 pm, Fargo vs. St. Cloud in Fargo
May 7-8, Grand Rapids Tournament
May 14-15, Fargo-Moorhead Tournament
May 21, Noon, Fargo vs. Duluth in Brainerd
May 21, 2:30 pm, Fargo vs. Brainerd in Brainerd
May 22, Noon, Fargo vs. Grand Rapids in Brainerd
May 22, 4:00 pm, Fargo vs. St. Cloud in St. Cloud
May 31 or June 1, Northern Conference play-in game (if necessary)
State Tournament (16 teams), Date TBD