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Upcoming College Lacrosse Games

This weekend, both Men and Women teams at ODU will begin their season. Both of them are looking to have huge seasons featuring a lot of new faces, but also some veteran contributors.

On Friday, the Women’s Lacrosse team at ODU will go against national powerhouse Louisville. In a transition year from the CAA to the Atlantic Sun Conference, the Monarchs will look to rebuild to prepare themselves for conference play that will, no doubt, test them. Their first opponent, Louisville has just come off of an 18-1 victory over Detroit. Look for the Monarchs to be a formidable opponent to the Cardinals, as they too feature a line up of great players, including V3 coaches Theresa Brady and Kallie McCormack. If you would like to see the game, game time will be at 6:00pm at the L.R. Hill Sports Complex on ODU’s Campus.

On Saturday, the Men’s Lacrosse team at ODU will face in-conference rival, Longwood, at ODU. After finishing last season with a heartbreaking, one-goal loss in the first round of the playoffs, the Monarchs want to go even farther this year. They have the talent to do so with an incoming freshman class that the team has never seen before. Last year, the offense revolved around the attackmen. But after graduating two of the three starters at attack, look for the deep set of midfielders to play a huge role on offense. The ODU team also features V3 coaches Sean Cilimberg and Tyler Morgan. If you would like to see the game this Saturday, the game will be played at the L.R. Hill Sports Complex on ODU’s campus at 5:30pm.

If you have the free time, watching lacrosse being played at a high level will help you in learning your own lacrosse skill set. When watching the games, you can see the whole field and watch how each movement in each play can change everything from someone turning the ball over to scoring a game-winning goal. As the season goes on, we will try to post through social media when and where games are being played locally, so everyone has the chance to view some high quality lacrosse without having to go very far.

Why play games in a small-sized field?

Many of you may have questions on why we will have our Youth Recreational League play 6v6 lacrosse on a smaller field. Of course, the game will be a little different from full field action. However, at the early stages of developing Lacrosse skills, one key benefit of a small field is REPETITION. Repetition is vital to honing lacrosse skills at any level. But the fastest way to develop the skill handling, the passing, the shooting, and the movement of the game is to keep the field of play small. This will allow for shorter passes and shots, allowing kids to progress in their skills by perfecting these before hitting the big field. We simply can’t expect a beginner at any age to be able to throw a full field pass, or shoot a 14-yard bomb of a shot right off the bat! In time, these players could become the next Mike Sawyer or Paul Rabil with shots hitting the net at 115mph. For now, learning the fundamental shooting skills up close is of most importance. Another benefit is that the shortened field allows for less running. With Lacrosse being the “fastest game on two feet” lacrosse players must be able to run a whole field over and over again at full speed. Many beginners are not quite conditioned enough yet. That’s where it becomes beneficial to play on a small field, because now players can master running the short field and then progress to a bigger field gradually. All of these skills will be learned with more repetition, meaning more shots, more passes, and more tempo. Your player will be placed on a fast track to learning the game and will be playing at a higher level in no time at all! Now you’re probably wondering, “Why play 6v6?” A simple answer would be so we can accommodate for a small playing space. While that’s true, because full field Lacrosse in a confined area is one giant cluster, the most important reason could be that your player will get to play on both sides of the field. In full field Lacrosse, a team must have three players in the offensive zone and three players and a goalie in the defensive zone. However, in 6v6 format, the players will play on both sides of the field, learning both offense and defense as well as playing the transition game. I hope this helps guide you into how we will run our Youth Recreational League. As a parent, it is important to know what your player is doing so you can keep up with the support. Plus, the more you know about the sport, the better you’ll be able to explain to your kids if they every ask you questions about it. And let’s not forget, if you can follow the game well, you’ll never lose your player on the field when things get chaotic! Here is a link to a wonderful website where you can download a PDF file containing information on why Small Sided Games are so important. http://www.sullivanlacrosse.com/page/show/1081304-coaching-resources See you on the Field!

Spring Lacrosse - REGISTRATION OPEN - CLINICS OPEN

Learn to play lacrosse – Quick Start

For boys and girls in grade 2-8

No experience needed

Lacrosse is the fastest growing sport in the USA. It is fun to play and to watch and helps develop athleticism, agility, speed and hand-eye coordination like no other sport. If you are playing soccer, field hockey, ice hockey or basketball, then you already know a lot of similar tactics and the basic objectives of the game!

Getting started is easy - and the first step is...

FREE!

Step 1 - attend a Free Introductory Lacrosse Clinic [dates TBA SOON]

These sessions last approximately 1 1/4 hours and we provide everything the player needs. The Introductory Clinic does not require any equipment and your player will learn the foundational individual skills needed to start their path to success in lacrosse. Our US Lacrosse Certified, background screened and well trained instructors all played (or still play) lacrosse at the college level and they will teach your player the following skills:

An overview of the basic rules of lacrosse

How to hold the stick properly

How to keep the ball in the pocket (cradling)

Scooping to get the ball off the ground into their stick

Catching the ball

Passing the ball

Shooting the ball on goal

Dodging to get past other players

Defending a dodger

Pick a Date: Feb 3rd, 4th, 5th, 10th, 11th, 12th (subject to suitable temperature / weather conditions) (one free session per player please)

These sessions provide a quick start and during the session we can answer all of your questions about equipment, leagues & practices

Step 2 - attend an Individual Skills Clinic [dates TBA / Four 1:15 hour sessions]

The Instructional Skills Clinic sessions pick up with a review and practice of the individual skills described in the Introductory Clinic – but you do not need to attend the Introductory Clinic to sign up for this. Players will be taught in a progression format basic strategy while developing their individual skills. We start with single player drills followed by 1v1, 2v1, 3v2 and 3v3 strategy leading up to fun 3x (3 on 3) small field scrimmages that are fast paced and reinforce what they players have learned.

At the conclusion of the Instructional Skills Clinic, most players will have the initial foundation needed to participate in the recreational league.

BOYS SKILLS CLINIC

GIRLS SKILLS CLINIC

Step 3 - register for the V3 Rush Spring league (recreational)

The Spring Recreational League is intended to help develop player skills with more emphasis on multi-player game strategy leading up to full field games. For younger players we will start with 3v3 on smaller fields and as their skill and size develops they will move up to 5v5, 6v6 and 7v7 format. For U11-U14 players (grades 5-8) position specialties will be introduced (defense, goalie, attack, midfield) as team’s progress to full field 10v10 games.

We emphasize use of proper skills and continuously reinforce proper technique and mechanics. Each player will get lots of repetitions as we follow our building block style “Progression” of skills and strategy. Our philosophy is based on teaching players the principles of play by breaking strategy down to 2 player and 3 player components and how to apply those principles in different situations. Lacrosse is an athletic sport but also requires the player to develop “lacrosse IQ” and how to innovate / create opportunities to score.

BOYS RECREATIONAL

GIRLS RECREATIONAL

About V3 Rush Lacrosse

V3 Rush Lacrosse is part of the VA Rush Athletic Club. VA Rush is a not-for-profit organization based at the Virginia Beach Sportsplex supporting over 5,000 soccer and lacrosse players in the Coastal VA region. We want to make it possible for young athletes to play multiple sports including soccer and lacrosse since the concepts are mutually supportive and broaden the skills of the players across each sport.

V3 Rush Lacrosse is a US Lacrosse Member organization. All players must joint US Lacrosse ($25 annual membership which provides player insurance and a subscription to Lacrosse Magazine).

All of our coaches, officials and staff members are US Lacrosse Certified and receive ongoing professional development training. We have more than 40 coaches across the boys and girls staff. We are continuously adding more qualified coaches as parent volunteers or part of our professional staff – let us know if you are interested.

Contact Information:

Rebecca Hartrum, Director of Coaching - [email protected]

REBECCA HARTRUM JOINS V3 LACROSSE AS GIRLS DIRECTOR OF COACHING

Hampton Roads Lacrosse Families, My name is Rebecca Hartrum and I joined V3 Lacrosse at the beginning of June. I was a three year NCAA Division I starter for the Old Dominion Lady Monarchs and I graduated in 2012. I am very happy return to Hampton Roads in my new position as Director of Coaching for V3 Rush Lacrosse ( http://www.v3rush.com ). My mission is the help grow the sport overall with a dedicated focus on girls programs. V3 is committed to providing the best training and coaching possible for the girls in our community as we support our local partners in lacrosse. We are a US Lacrosse Member organization and subscribe fully to their player development tenants. We focus on teaching proper techniques and mechanics and helping players develop their skills and "lax IQ" from the earliest beginners to the top Select players who seek to play at the next level after high school. V3 Rush is running a small group camp next week starting on Monday at the Virginia Beach Sportsplex. We have plenty of room and I invite you to send your player out to join us! The first session begins on Monday at 9:00 am.

We are offering both full and half day options, (9-12 half, 9-3 full). During the morning sessions girls will get most of their instructional type drills and skills and during the afternoon session we will focus on taking those skills learned and putting them into game type situations with small sided scrimmages.

If you are interested or would like more information please email back and check out our website at www.v3rush.com You can register at this LINK (under the Registration page on http://www.v3rush.com )

I'm looking forward to meeting you!

Thank You,

Coach Rebecca Upcoming for girls:

Summer Small Group Camp (July 15th-18th at the Sportsplex / main stadium)

Private and Semi-Private Lessons (Individual Appointment)

Fall Select team tryouts (August)

Southside Fall Lacrosse - Recreational League (for girls) - Mondays starting September 9th at the PAAC. Games Only - runs 8 weeks!

V3 Rush Girls Developmental League - Starts 2nd week in September, Instructional Format for beginners and less experienced players

Halloween Havoc 7v7 Tournament - Nov 2nd at the PAAC!

Fall Select Tournament teams - practices start September 8th at the Sportsplex

As a native of Springfield, PA I have been playing lacrosse since a very young age. After going through a well-developed recreational program and playing in middle school I started my high school career in 2005 playing for 4 amazing coaches two of which were former US world cup team players. I attended Springfield High School where I was a 3 year varsity starter and won 3 District One championships, going undefeated my junior year with a record of 21-0.

After High school I attended Old Dominion University were I played Division I lacrosse for 4 years as a part of the Lady Monarchs under former US world cup team coach Sue Stahl. I was a 3 year starter at ODU and was named Captain my senior year. In our 2012 season I was the second leading scorer on the team with 29 goals and 9 assists, and was first on the team for goals scored on free position shots with 12. After graduating from ODU with a degree in Communications and Marketing I returned home to Pennsylvania where I continued to be active in the lacrosse community. I was named Women’s Lacrosse director at United Sports in Downingtown and was responsible for all girls lacrosse programming. I also took on a coaching position at West Chester East High School as the girl’s assistant varsity coach. Although I could not resist moving back to the Hampton Roads area to help develop, grow and strengthen the lacrosse players here. I am very excited to be joining the V3 lacrosse team and am excited to work to help bring V3 to the next level!! I look forward to meeting you all in the near future J

V3 Lacrosse / V3 Rush Lacrosse Summer Programs

CAMPS | CLINICS | INSTRUCTION Boys and Girls Summer Programs Open!

BOYS SUMMER ACADEMY

Ages: 7-9 (U11 born on or after 9/1/2001)

Dates: May 29th- June 30th

Location: Virginia Beach Sportsplex

Price: $225 (includes 8 training sessions & entry fees for 2 tournaments)

GIRLS SUMMER ACADEMY

Ages: 7-15

Dates: June 4th - June 30th

Location: Virginia Beach Sportsplex

Price: $125 (includes 8 training sessions)

BOYS U9 DEVELOPMENTAL

Ages: U9 born on or after 9/1/2003

Dates: May 29th- June 30th

Location: Virginia Beach Sportsplex

Price: $65 (includes 8 training sessions and 2 scrimmages with V3 Select Players in combined teams)

BOYS SUMMER CAMP I

Grades: 4-10

Dates: June 24th-27th

Times: Skills from 9:00-12:00, Multi-Player and Scrimmages from 12:30-3:00pm

Location: Virginia Beach Sportsplex

Tuition: $135 for morning or afternoon session, $215 for both sessions

Boys Camp Director: Jake Ashton, (JMU, Asst Coach Bridgewater College)

BOYS SUMMER CAMP II

Grades: 4-10

Dates: July 8th-11th

Times: Skills from 9:00-12:00, Multi-Player and Scrimmages from 12:30-3:00pm

Location: Virginia Beach Sportsplex

Tuition: $135 for morning or afternoon session, $215 for both sessions

Boys Camp Director: Jake Ashton, (JMU, Asst Coach Bridgewater College)

GIRLS SUMMER CAMP I

Grades: 3-11

Dates: June 17th-20th

Times: Skills from 9:00-12:00, Multi-Player and Scrimmages from 12:30-3:00pm

Location: Virginia Beach Sportsplex

Tuition: $135 for morning or afternoon session, $215 for both sessions

Girls Camp Director: Rebecca Hartrum (ODU ’12)

GIRLS SUMMER CAMP II

Grades: 3-11

Dates: July 15th-18th

Times: Skills from 9:00-12:00, Multi-Player and Scrimmages from 12:30-3:00pm

Location: Virginia Beach Sportsplex

Tuition: $135 for morning or afternoon session, $215 for both sessions

Girls Camp Director: Rebecca Hartrum (ODU ’12)

PRIVATE / GROUP LESSONS Contact us by email at [email protected] or call 757.561.2660

http://www.v3lax.com | http://www.v3rush.com

V3 Lacrosse / V3 Rush Lacrosse is a US Lacrosse Member Organization email: [email protected] | phone: 757.561.2660 twitter: v3lax | facebook: facebook.com/v3lax | tumblr: v3lax.tumblr.com

Virginia Rush Welcomes V3 Lacrosse

Last Updated on Tuesday, 04 December 2012 10:33

Virginia Rush Soccer club has joined with V3 Lacrosse and will now be known as Virginia Rush Athletic Club. See the full press release below for details.

Virginia Rush Soccer Club becomes Virginia Rush Athletic Club

In our continued efforts to meet the needs today to serve the youth in our community and change the landscape within the sports community throughout the Hampton Roads area, we are extremely pleased to announce the addition of lacrosse to Virginia Rush. The Virginia Rush Soccer Club becomes the Virginia Rush Athletic Club.

V3 Lacrosse, under the leadership of Frank Logan, has quickly become a leader in the lacrosse community. The staff of V3 Lacrosse has been highly passionate about elevating the level of lacrosse play and growing the sport throughout the Hampton Roads area. They have been committed to providing developmental players with the skills and knowledge of the game to compete at the upper levels. Presently, V3 Lacrosse has players from Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Hampton, Newport News and the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Effective immediately, all V3 Lacrosse player development, training and league activity will now become a division of the Virginia Rush Athletic Club called V3 Rush Lacrosse. V3 Lacrosse Regional Select Travel teams will be closely affiliated with V3 Rush Lacrosse.

Lacrosse is one of the fastest growing sports in our area and we have many players participating in both soccer and lacrosse. Too often our athletes are required to make decisions on what sport they will play too early in their lives. Many of our parents have children playing soccer, while siblings play lacrosse. The addition of lacrosse to our Club will hopefully reduce the stress on players and parents wanting to participate in multiple sports.

Danny Speight, the Executive President of Virginia Rush Athletic Club, says "The minute I met Frank Logan and discussed V3 Lacrosse becoming part of Virginia Rush, it was obvious he possessed the character and core values to assure success of this endeavor. I look forward to working with Frank as a Virginia Rush Board Member and advancing the success of sports throughout our area. This is a huge step for sports in Hampton Roads. I have always believed youth athletes should have the opportunity to experience and play multiple sports. This will hopefully reduce the stress on our parents and players making their busy lives a bit easier. Having played multiple sports throughout my life and playing soccer for the first time when I was 38 years old, we need to always think out of the box when it comes to our athletes."

Frank Logan, the President of V3 Lacrosse, says: “Soccer played a big role in the athletic development of my children and I have watched the tremendous progress that VA Rush AC has made over the past 10 years and the positive impact that they have had on our local community. When I started V3 Lacrosse four years ago, I had a vision of following a similar track in hopes of accomplishing the same for lacrosse. Now that vision has become a reality and I am very excited to join the Board of VA Rush Athletic Club. I absolutely agree with Danny that young athletes should be able to participate in multiple sports and the crossover between soccer and lacrosse is substantial. V3 Rush Lacrosse will help set a new example for others to follow. Upon meeting Danny and his staff, I found there was great chemistry and immediate enthusiasm within the group towards doing something big together.”

We welcome V3 Rush Lacrosse to the Rush family and look forward to continue our efforts to create the best possible environment for our members.

#V3 Lacrosse #V3 Rush #VA Rush Soccer #Rush Soccer #VA Rush Athletics Club #Virginia Beach Lacrosse

Bo Reichenbach Benefit Fund

Posted by: David Madeira Friends & Family,

Bo Reichenbach’s story has helped bring me perspective every day during this month of “No Shave November”, especially in light of some of the events we’ve had, whether it be Sandy, the election, Veterans, Day, Thanksgiving, Black Friday, or the excitement of the holidays.

For those of you unfamiliar with his story (http://www.thebofund.org/www.thebofund.org), Bo is a Navy Seal who lost both of his legs after getting blown up by an IED in Afghanistan this summer. Before he deployed he had been living in Virginia Beach, which is part of the Hampton Roads community where Ori and I currently live, and we share a couple of mutual friends.

When I first heard about Bo Reichenbach’s circumstances I was extremely impressed by his attitude and courage. I can’t even begin to imagine… but I do know I would welcome any support.

My office had already planned to raise money for Bo for No Shave November. I thought we could have a larger reach beyond Hampton Roads, so I called up my friend and HS lacrosse teammate, Dave Campbell (founder givingsomething.com) and asked if he could help. Dave made a website so that we could get out this story and so that it would be easier for people to donate. Dave has also been active in getting the word out on his “Another Best Day” blog.

Also, my brother-in-law, Evan Farley, made a logo for “The Bo Fund”, which I have pasted below. The efforts so far have been successful, and people from across the country have made donations of all sizes.

Below is an update that I sent out to my coworkers. Our goal was $20K for the month, and we might actually hit it, thanks to your support! I can’t say this enough; thank you for your support of the Bo Reichenbach Benefit Fund this month! However, while “No Shave November” is coming to a close, Bo continues on his path of recovery. We look forward to continue helping Bo any way we can.

Dave and I plan to visit Bo at Walter Reed Navy Memorial Hospital in Bethesda to shake his hand, thank him for his service, and also show him how he can use the blog to update his family, friends and followers with photos and video from his recovery progress (which is something that he has mentioned to me that he would like to do). We look forward to exploring other ideas as well. It would be awesome if you could pass his story along to others (you can send Dave Campbell’s blog post link below, or one of the many online articles linked on the website) and sign the guestbook on the website as a way to show support. If you haven’t donated and would like to, there is a PayPal button on http://www.thebofund.org/www.TheBoFund.org.

“Tis the season of giving!”

Thanks again. Happy Holidays,

-Dave

www.thebofund.org

facebook.com/thebofund

thebofund.tumblr.com

Current Total: $13,076

Check out Dave Campbell’s post on his “Another Best Day” Blog: http://blog.anotherbestday.com/post/36807676109/the-bo-fund

Dave has forwarded it to folks up in Boston, and they have passed it around to their companies, and we’ve already seen a spike in donations this morning from that.

Also, after being stagnant, there have been over 40 new likes on the Facebook page today. A bunch of them are friends and family of Bo’s. There have been some donations today from people unrelated to CBRE who found out about the Bo Fund through Facebook.

Let’s encourage folks, even if they can’t donate, to forward his story along, and comment on his guestbook and Facebook page to show support. After all, while November is almost over, Bo’s recovery will continue.

I also thought I’d share a touching note that a lady wrote in the memo line of her donation:

For Bo and his family. God Bless you and your service to our Country. Bo, I have known Lacy since she was a little girl. Her mother Paulette and I go waaay back. I have been following your story and praying for you and all of our troops. My heart goes out to you all, but your story has been inspiration for me as well. We sometimes feel sorry for ourselves during times of difficulty, then I see what you have done and continue to do and I tell myself to knock it off. So a big thank-you for keeping me in line! I will continue to pray for you and your family, especially little Landon who is about the CUTEST child I have ever seen :) Enjoy him, they grow fast (ask me, the last time I saw Lacy she was a little girl)! Perhaps we will meet someday if I ever get myself to Montana to see Paulette and family! God Speed!

Improving Your Performance While Reducing Your Risk of Injury

How do you increase your performance and gain a competitive edge?

From youth sports to professional sports, this is the most discussed topics among athletic trainers, strength and conditioning coaches, sports coaches, and athletes. With so many different fad workouts surfacing, how do we really know what the best path to a successful training program is?

The first thing I always address with my athletes is injury prevention training. In order to optimally improve your performance, your body must be able to handle all the stress of your sport as well as the strength and conditioning program. I constantly see athletes come in our facility saying they can back squat three hundred pounds, but when I perform an injury prevention screen, they are unable to do a body weight squat with proper mechanics. I look at this as risk vs reward. Is squatting heavy weight to get your name up on the record board worth the risk of injuring your back, knees, or other parts of your body?

Whether running or jumping, sports demand many athletes to use single leg stability. Now, stand on your right leg and jump up and land in a base position. Can you land and hold it for a few seconds without compromising form. Single leg instability can lead to serious lower extremity injuries that can be season ending. I often see many young athletes jumping through 12” hurdles on a single leg when they can’t even balance in a single leg squat.

Focus should always be on injury prevention first and then address performance enhancement.

After ensuring that your movement mechanics are proper and you aren’t prone to injury, now you have to decide what program is right for you. This is going to come down to the sports you play. Many sports involve sprinting and a certain work to rest ratio. For example, many sports require a maximal sprint followed by a lower intensity rest or “recovery period”, and then another sprint.

So when athletes are conditioning it is more important to focus on your sprint work and less on long distance running. Research actually shows that long distance running can decrease an athlete’s power output which is a key driving force for performance on the field. Strength training often overlooked, but it plays a pivotal part in increase power and speed. A program should be periodized so and athlete can train for power, strength, and endurance, but also ensure they are peaking in performance at the time of their competitive season.

The most important part of performance training is “recovery”. Many coaches and athletes down play the importance of recovery. As sports are becoming more competitive year after year, everyone is looking for that “extra practice time”. More is not always better. Without proper rest between practices and strength and conditioning, athletes are very prone to overtraining. This condition actually leads to a decrease in performance that can last weeks to months if proper rest is not given to reverse the condition.

Performance enhancement training is an essential part of any sport and if done correctly can lead to improved performance on the field.

Wyle Maddox, ATC, CSCS, USAW, HSSCS

Sports Performance Coordinator

Bon Secours In Motion Physical Therapy and Sports Performance

#Lacrosse Injury prevention #performance training #InMotion

V3 Fall Select U17 Team @ 3dLacrosse Training Camp

V3 Lacrosse (Virginia Beach, VA) is taking 15 players and 5 coaches to the exclusive 3d Lacrosse High School Training Camp in Durham, NC this weekend (Sep 8th and 9th). This camp is limited to 80 elite level players and coaches and will challenge our players with a very high intensity immersion into the hybrid box/field system of play developed by coach Jamie Munro during his 18 years as an NCAA Division I head coach.

V3 Coaches will also participate throughout the weekend - 4 intensive 3-4 hour sessions total! This is a great way to jump start our fall Select team and set the tempo early on!!

The Denver/Canadian style of play emphasizes box lacrosse skills combined with motion offense and aggressive defense in a comprehensive way. V3 has developed a close partnering relationship with 3d Lacrosse and will participate in a number of other 3d sponsored activities including the 3d Blue Chip showcase events that feed the Nike Blue Chip national recruiting event.

Good luck players and coaches!

#3dlacrosse #box/field hybrid lacrosse #V3 Select Lacrosse

NCAA Coaches Recruiting from Box..

From www.stealthlax.com - full article HERE

“American field players would really help themselves if they were exposed to a steady stream of box experience.” – University of Virginia Head Coach, Dom Starsia

Even though field lacrosse purists continue to try, there’s no denying the impact of box lacrosse on the landscape of the sport as a whole. Box lacrosse players are consistently being recruited to play at the highest levels of collegiate field lacrosse, and with good reason. Box players bring a different skill set to the field game with superior stick skills, scoring ability and toughness.

It goes all the way back to the Gait brothers, who grew up in the boxes of Victoria, B.C. and went on to field dominance at Syracuse, more recently with players like Garrett Billings (two-time All-American at Virginia) and Kevin Crowley (All-American at Stony Brook), and continues today with Mark Matthews (All-American at Denver) and Kiel Matisz (All-American at Robert Morris).

The bottom line: the brightest coaching minds in collegiate lacrosse value what a box lacrosse player brings to the table, and they are actively searching for more players with box experience. Three such coaches – Virginia’s Dom Starsia, Ohio State’s Nick Myers and Hartford’s Peter Lawrence – gave their thoughts on the influx of box lacrosse talent in the NCAA.

“Box lacrosse is an extremely valuable background for a young player,” said Starsia. “We need to incorporate more of the indoor skills in to the field game. It is almost a requirement to have a top player with indoor experience on your roster right now.”

Box lacrosse is played in a much smaller space than it’s field counterpart. That space restriction creates a much faster tempo and requires quicker decision-making. Players in the box game grow more accustomed to handling the ball and scoring in traffic.

“The box game is played at a higher tempo than the field game and in a much tighter space,” said Myers. “This sharpens a player’s ability to react and you find that players with box experience, in many cases, have superior stick skills than those who have never played the box game before.”

When returning to the field, players with box lacrosse experience typically have an advantage with more time and space. Coaches at the highest levels of NCAA Men’s Lacrosse have taken notice, and encourage participation in box lacrosse to their players and recruits.

“The more a player is developed before they arrive at college the better,” added Myers. “We certainly value any player that has box experience and encourage our men to explore opportunities to play the game they love inside and outside.”

Box lacrosse players are being recruited more and more at powerhouse NCAA schools, and one reason for that is their ability to score around the crease and in traffic.

“The hardest thing to do in the field game is to score goals and good indoor players have a special knack for it,” said Starsia, who has had numerous Canadian box lacrosse players on his National Championship-caliber teams in past years, including one of the NLL’s premiere scorers in the Toronto Rock’s Garrett Billings. “[Box lacrosse players] have special skills around the goal and in tight spaces. Their skills are so special that we should be looking closely at the box method of shooting and scoring.”

The benefits of a box lacrosse background aren’t only showing themselves on the offensive end either.

“What has changed recently is that box players have begun to excel at the defensive end of the field as well,” added Starsia. “It used to be that you looked primarily for offensive box players. Now, a good, physical athlete with a box background can develop in to a special defensive player. They tend to be more aggressive checking, are very good at picking the ball up off the ground and think creatively in the transition game.”

If you’ve played any lacrosse, box or field, you are also aware of the importance of being a “smart lacrosse player” (every player at all levels has heard those words from a coach, just ask Stealth Head Coach Chris Hall).

“One of the biggest benefits of playing box for a young lacrosse player is in the development of lacrosse IQ,” said University of Hartford Head Men’s Lacrosse Coach Peter Lawrence. “Because everyone plays with a short stick [in box lacrosse], you have to focus on being a complete lacrosse player versus specializing as an attackman or d-man. That is how your IQ grows and skills improve.”

The proof is out there. These are the thoughts of just three coaches at the highest level of collegiate lacrosse, but there are many more examples of college programs with the same ideology throughout the NCAA Division I, II and III levels.

V3 Lacrosse works in collaboration with 3dLacrosse and has integrated a hybrid box/field system of training and play. V3 initiated the spring box lacrosse league at the Virginia Beach Fieldhouse in the spring of 2012. More indoor box lacrosse clinic/scrimmages will be announced shortly...

#box lacrosse #ncaa recruiting #v3 lacrosse

Sophomore Recruiting Trends

From INSIDE LACROSSE

Though there is a clamoring among lacrosse fans in particular for more regulation at the NCAA level, the tenor at the top levels appears to be going in the opposite direction. It'll be interesting to watch this situation in the next year or so. —G. S.

From championship glory to heartbreak losses and everything in between, there’s not much Boys’ Latin (Md.) head coach Bob Shriver hasn’t experienced in his 30-plus years coaching high school lacrosse.

This year, however, Shriver has been forced to deal with a brand-new dynamic: high school sophomore commitments.

The Boys’ Latin (Md.) program currently features five sophomores who have offered their verbal commitment to NCAA Division I programs, the first time any Lakers’ underclassmen have been officially tied to college programs. Three Lakers players have committed to Johns Hopkins, including IL’s No. 1 Sophomore Young Gun Shack Stanwick. Two of the five sophomores are not members of the 2012 varsity roster.

Boys’ Latin is a microcosm of the national trend. As of early May, 76 players in the Class of 2014 had offered verbal commitments to Division I programs, a massive jump from the year before, when a dozen sophs had verbally committed by the same time. And prior to 2010, sophomore commitments were also unheard of.

Full Article Here

#lacrosse recruiting

Mikey Thompson Joins V3 Staff

V3 Lacrosse is happy to announce that Mikey Thompson has joined our staff as a guest coach and midfield position specialist. He will be participating in practices, tryouts and clinics as his busy professional lacrosse schedule permits – please welcome him to our program!

V3 Lacrosse has done an excellent job growing the game in the Hampton Roads area. I am amazed by the number of kids that are out on the field working on their skills several days a week. The future of lacrosse in this area is bright!

I am also a very big supporter of the integration of box lacrosse into the youth leagues. Learning the rules and techniques of box lacrosse will undoubtedly foster a more complete game for all of the kids involved. Learning how to handle the ball in tight spaces is something that is often overlooked in the outdoor game. I look forward to continuing to work with the V3 players and staff in the future!

Mikey is the assistant Coach at Christopher Newport University and plays midfield for the newly formed Charlotte Hounds along with former UVA teammates Brian Carroll and Adam Ghittleman. His bio is located here:

http://charlottehounds.com/player/810/charlotte-hounds-mikey-thompson

V3 players are encouraged to check out Mikey’s summer camps at www.captainslacrosse.com he has a great lineup of professional MLL players coming to the CNU campus this summer (Steele Stanwick, Billy Bitter, Adam Ghitleman, et al) and V3 is planning to send a group.

#mikey thompson #v3lacrosse #captainslacrosse.com

Coaching: Two Man Game – Pick or No Pick?

By Mike Muetzel, LaxCoachMike.com It is hard to watch any of the NCAA games on television without hearing the commentary regarding the infamous "two-man" games. Maybe it is a return to the old school, or maybe it is all something new, depending on how old you are, but clearly there are many new wrinkles. For 30 plus years, I have been an "anti-pick" coach for reasons that might surprise you. In interviews with college coaches, we often discussed the fact that for the last five years college lacrosse has changed. The settled scenario offenses were driven more from up top by middies, and only a few programs really maintained a focus on the 'pick' game. Then as the season gained momentum in 2010, we saw a real switch back to picks in offenses. Now I can offer a lot of good reasons why I have not been a huge proponent of 'picks' or 'screens' in the past. For our teams, they seemed more often than not to result in a moving pick call and rarely created a true scoring opportunity. And I came to realize that the primary reason we were never good at setting picks is that we rarely ever practiced them in scrimmages. But at least I had a good reason for not including them in the practice plans; they are tough to practice. Please stay with me here. We like to have constant motion in practices with a clear focus of a fast pace for drills. And practicing picks just seemed to slow thing down, or we had many players just stranding around, both of which drive me crazy. Another reason had to do with priorities. If we were to take the 20 or 30 minutes a week needed to get proficient at picking on and off ball and instead focused on stick skills or shooting or manufacturing transition scenarios, which would be a better contributing factor to scoring more goals and winning more games? So I always chose the second option. But I was wrong. If it is good enough for Syracuse, Princeton, and Penn State, it is probably something I should re-consider. Now I have come to realize there is a way to meet both objectives. Like many college coaches, we run a lot of 4v4 drills in practices, and we now have 14 or 15 variations (see the earlier article, The Best Single Drill). But with just a little creativity, we have integrated this increasingly popular offensive philosophy into our 4v4 as well as many other drills. We can begin a 4v4 drill by insisting that two of the three players off ball need to pick off ball. Or conversely, we may require that the drill begin with at least two on-ball picks before we take a shot. The same concepts can be integrated into 6v6, although we rarely run this in practice or in our 10v10 work when not in transition. We found players loved the concepts, as they now had to really think in these drills to facilitate the picks.

V3 Middle School Lacrosse (JJV)

V3 Lacrosse now has a spring middle school / JJV lacrosse team. The first game is scheduled for Monday 4/9/12 at Nansemond Suffolk. Additional games coming up with Norfolk Christian, Ware Academy, Warriors, the William School and more in the queue!

#JJV lacrosse #v3 middle school lacrosse

V3 Select Summer Travel Teams - Update

The weather looks iffy for tomorrow (2/18/12) practice and rolling tryouts. We will make the weather call in the morning.

Our 2012 summer boys youth teams are shaping up nicely!

U15 - we have a few defender slots, 1 goalie slot, 1 attack slot and 1 middie slot open

U13 - team is full based upon pending commitments. Starting a wait list to see if there is enough interest for a second team

U11 - open tryouts have just started, great interest so far and we may have two teams

U9 - open tryouts will begin shortly. We have a very strong nucleus already!

V3 U11, U13 and U15 players will be participating in the HR Select league - quite a few games are lined up already and schedules will be firmed up in early March. U13 will travel to OBX next Saturday for a pre-season scrimmage.

#hampton roads select lacrosse #757 lacrosse #V3 lacrosse #Select lacrosse

MLL Television Schedule Posted...

MLL and CBS Sports Network Announce 2012 Television Schedule CBSSN to Televise 14 Live Games and all 18 Episodes of 'Inside the MLL'

BOSTON, Mass. (February 2, 2012) - Major League Lacrosse (MLL) and CBS Sports Network (CBSSN) announced Thursday the television schedule for the 2012 season. The network will air live 14 nationally televised games in addition to all 18 episodes of 'Inside the MLL,' the League's 30-minute magazine show.

"We are very excited about this new partnership with CBS Sports Network," said MLL Commissioner David Gross. "We're thrilled to bring 14 live games to fans in addition to our magazine show 'Inside the MLL,' which will give viewers a behind-the-scenes look at Major League Lacrosse and its star players."

The first nationally televised game of the season will be Friday, June 1 featuring a matchup between the MLL Champion Boston Cannons and the Rochester Rattlers at Sahlen's Stadium in Rochester, N.Y. The game will air live at 7:00 PM, ET on CBS Sports Network. CBSSN will feature several high profile games this season, including the Denver Outlaws' annual fireworks game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on Wednesday, July 4. The Outlaws will play the expansion Ohio Machine at 9:00 PM, ET. Additionally, CBSSN will televise a number of games featuring two of MLL's 2012 expansion teams, the Charlotte Hounds and the Ohio Machine.

In addition to regular season matchups, CBSSN will also air the second Semi-Final Game on Saturday, August 25 during the 2012 MLL Championship Weekend in Boston, Mass. The No. 2 seed will play the No. 3 seed at 4:00 PM, ET.

Play by play announcer Dave Ryan and analyst Evan Washburn will call the MLL action. Both Ryan and Washburn were announcers for the Rochester Rattlers last season. Washburn also will be the host of "Inside the MLL," along with features reporter Chantel McCabe.

CBS Sports Network is seen in 45 million homes and is available to 98 million households across the country. The Network is available through local cable and video providers and nationally via satellite on DirecTV Channel 613 and DISH Network Channel 152. CBS Sports Network is also available in Canada on the following video providers: Bell TV, Eastlink, Cogeco, Rogers, Bell Aliant, and Sasktel.

For more information and to access the CBS Sports Network channel finder, go to www.cbssportsnetwork.com.

2012 Major League Lacrosse Schedule on CBS Sports Network

Date

Game

Time (EST)

FRI 6/1

Cannons @ Rattlers

7:30 PM

SAT 6/2

Nationals @ Hounds

7:00 PM

SAT 6/9

Lizards @ Cannons

7:00 PM

SAT 6/16

Cannons @ Hounds

7:00 PM

SAT 6/16

Rattlers @ Outlaws

9:30 PM

SAT 6/23

Nationals @ Rattlers

7:00 PM

WED 7/4

Machine @ Outlaws*

9:00 PM

FRI 7/6

Lizards @ Rattlers

7:00 PM

THURS 7/19

Outlaws @ Cannons

7:00 PM

SAT 7/21

Nationals @ Lizards

7:00 PM

SAT 7/28

Hounds @ Lizards

7:00 PM

SAT 8/4

Lizards @ Bayhawks

7:00 PM

SAT 8/11

Cannons @ Machine

7:00 PM

SAT 8/25

MLL Semi-Final*

4:00 PM

*Machine @ Outlaws = Fireworks Game

*MLL Semi-Final = No. 2 seed vs. No. 3 seed (Boston, MA)

Inside the MLL Broadcast Schedule on CBS Sports Network

Episode

Air Date

Time

SUN 4/29

5:30 PM

SUN 5/6

5:30 PM

SUN 5/13

5:30 PM

SUN 5/20

5:30 PM

SAT 6/2

6:30 PM

SAT 6/9

6:30 PM

SAT 6/16

6:30 PM

SAT 6/23

6:30 PM

SAT 6/30

6:30 PM

FRI 7/6

6:30 PM

SAT 7/14

6:30 PM

SAT 7/21

6:30 PM

SAT 7/28

6:30 PM

SAT 8/4

6:30 PM

SAT 8/11

6:30 PM

SAT 8/18

6:30 PM

FRI 8/24

6:30 PM

SAT 9/1

6:30 PM

#MLL schedule #MLL ABC

Introducing Three-By to Hampton Roads!

Three-By – Hampton Roads Rules

3x (or Three-By) is becoming increasingly popular as a fun way to help lacrosse players at all levels develop their touch, lax IQ and overall skills. It is easy to setup and works at a fundamental 2v3 ball movement. 3x appears to have originated in the Denver area, but variations of this have been around for a while.

Key benefits:

· Any age can play

· Any skill level will benefit

· Co-ed play or boys/girls teams

· Very little equipment required

· Only need 6 people to play

· Coaches can jump in (and should)

· Mixed age groups can play

· Perfect for backyard pickup games

· Much better developmentally compared to STX ball (or SoftStick) since real sticks are used and players can actually pass/catch

Areas of the player development /skills that can be improved faster than other conventional drills:

Offense – use of both hands, finishing, quick-stick shooting, quick stick passing, fakes and deception, off ball movement, on ball movement, keeping your stick in the box and making feeds to the outside, backside cutting.

Defense - Covering more than one opponent, working a modified zone defense, defensive movement and positioning, recognizing and covering higher threat player

Here are the official Hampton Roads 3x rules v1.0.

· Three players to a team

· Goals are 3x3 (Mylex sells these with cheap fiddlesticks) 4x4 box goals may also be used

· Field dimensions not critical – the play is close in and very quick

· All players use short sticks only – younger players can use quality fiddlesticks

· Eye-guards suggested, but not required

· Pads are optional, but not required at basic fun level

· Shoes are optional, but all players should either have them or not

· Game is initiated with a “draw” like girls lacrosse all other players are on GLE

· Play is similar to half-court basketball. When possession changes the team in possession needs to check the ball to a predefined point (like clearing) – about 15 yards from the goal.

· One player must goal tend on the defensive team

· Goalies can use their hands

· Goalies must stand on two feet other than in transition making a save

· No hard shots on goal

· Intentionally shooting hard at or near the goalie is a turnover and the person committing must become the goalie for his team

· No checking (unless game is modified for higher level play/practice)

· Soft ball is used – tennis ball (possibly wrapped with athletic tape) is standard. But,, a soft indoor lacrosse ball is acceptable.

· No refs – players call fouls while honoring the game

· Dunking the ball and hitting the goalie in follow through or excessive roughness invalidates the goal and is an automatic turnover

· Uncontrolled sticks always result in a turnover

· Variation for advanced teams – full pads and normal checking. Use a 4x4 box lacrosse goal. Still use a light/soft ball.

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