Hit the Boards! It's Box Lacrosse

Ok, so you’ve caught the lacrosse bug.  You carry your stick with you wherever you go, you’re doing your stick drills, and you can’t wait for spring to come so you can hit the field.  Well, you don’t have to wait for the cold weather to thaw before you can play the game we love so much.  There is a version of lacrosse that you ought to try.  It’s called box lacrosse.

While lacrosse was invented my native Americans centuries ago, box lacrosse was created in the 1930’s by a bunch of Canadians.  You may not know this, but Canadians are becoming obsessed with lacrosse.  It was declared in 1994 as the official national summer sport, just as hockey is it’s official winter sport.  What does a Canadian lacrosse junkie do if they don’t play hockey?  It is a long wait in the Great White North before the lacrosse fields are free of snow.

Some enterprising hockey arena owners in Canada figured out that if you remove the ice from a hockey rink it makes a great place to play lacrosse anytime (and they could make more money, too!).  In the US it is typically a winter sport, but it is becoming more of a year-round game in Canada where it is a professional sport.

 

If you think lacrosse is a fast-paced game, box lacrosse is absolutely frenetic.   The rink is smaller than a regulation lacrosse field, so you only need six players.  Also, there is no out of bounds like field lacrosse unless the ball goes over the boards, and playing the ball (and other players!) off the boards is fair game.  Box lacrosse is a great workout and loads of fun. 

Wall Ball: Just Do It!

Lacrosse games are won or lost with ball and stick skills.  Period.

Everyone on the team must be able to quickly pick up the ball and reliably move the ball up the field and around the goal without dropping it or missing a pass.  While working with teammates during team practices builds ball and stick skills, team practice is not enough. To get to a competitive level, you need to practice on your own in between team practices.  Sometimes you can practice catching and throwing with a friend, but many times, when you are by yourself, you will have to turn to a tried and true technique: Wall Ball!

However, as effective as wall ball is at building your ball and stick skills it has a significant downside: it can get downright boring. :(  My high school coach recommended that we get in 100,000 bounces (or “touches”) on the wall during the off season.  How do you throw the ball against a wall 100,000 times over four months without giving up or going crazy?

1)Well, first try to bring music with you when you practice.  That by itself helps the time go by faster. And, it keeps your energy flowing.

2) Second, make challenges for yourself. See how fast you can do fifty right and left handed touches. Count how many times you throw and catch without a miss. Set personal records and constantly try to break them.

3)Third, unless all you have is one wall, there is no rule that says you have to stand in front of the same old wall to do your drills! Find a high school or college campus with multiple buildings with lots of walls and work your way around the building or campus.  These 11 year-old boys  have the right idea to turn a practice session into an adventure!

When you toss the ball, start with the basics. Throw right - catch right, throw left - catch left, throw right - catch left, and throw left - catch right. Once you have those down, why not mix it up more?  Flip the ball behind your back right - catch right and do the same with your left.  Move around and work around the wall.  Try throwing and catching with one hand.  You can even try throwing lefty with your right hand and righty with your left hand.  That's called a backhand "Canadian" pass. Build your personal throw-catch streak record.  Keep the music pumping, and you'll have 1000 touches in every time you play wall ball!