Coaches:

In case you missed it, check out this blog post (http://www.uslacrosse.org/blog/enhanced-version-of-mobile-coach-launches) for information on the enhanced version of the US Lacrosse Mobile Coach.

If you have not done so yet, check it out! You can access Mobile Coach via your computer or download and install the app on your mobile device. There's some great stuff to make practice planning easier than ever. Enjoy!

Coaches:

This is a good blog post on using station-based practices: http://uslacrosse.org/blog/get-chunking-increase-efficiency-with-station-based-practices

This page has some coaching tools: http://www.uslacrosse.org/athlete-development/coaching-tools

I strongly suggest you download and use the FREE age-appropriate practice plans, and also take advantage of the new version of the Mobile Coach (download and install to replace the older version of the app).

Given all these resources, there are no excuses for us to ever come to practice without a plan.

Coaches:

Check out this blog post on using small-sided games. I really like what we are doing with the K-2 program. Would be interested in having a discussion on the lessons we've learned this spring.

http://www.uslacrosse.org/multimedia-center/blog/postid/1207/making-the-fastest-game-on-two-feet-faster.aspx

Mike Cross
PCLI Girls Youth Coordinator

Coaches:

As part of your US Lacrosse membership, US Lacrosse has multiple online courses. One of the newer courses is "LaxPrep - Lower Extremity Injury Prevention Training". This course is FREE for US Lacrosse members.

This course provides specific routines that any coach can apply. You do not need to have any other training besides this course.

This course is available at https://learning.uslacrosse.org/. Login using your US Lacrosse user name and password. Then navigate to the category "Coach Courses/Sessions". The LaxPrep course will be at the bottom.

Enjoy this course and be sure to apply it to your players.


Mike Cross
PCLI Girls Youth Coordinator

Coaches:

Register for this webinar by US Lacrosse on how to implement the Lacrosse Athlete Development Model:

http://www.uslacrosse.org/multimedia-center/press-releases-news/postid/1187/how-to-implement-the-lacrosse-athlete-development-model.aspx

Coaches:

Be sure to check out the information and resources available from both US Lacrosse and Positive Coaching Alliance.

US Lacrosse (http://www.uslacrosse.org/participants/coaches.aspx):

• Education (online courses, instructional clinics, etc., including a new course called LaxPrep which focuses on lower body injury prevention - very helpful!)
• Rules
• Resources (sample practice plans, drills, field diagrams, etc.)
• Mobile Coach (website and app for your phone with drills)

Positive Coaching Alliance (http://positivecoach.org/) and it's related site PCA Development Zone (http://devzone.positivecoach.org/) both provide helpful information for coaching, including topics specifically for first-time coaches, playing time, parent-coach relationship, etc. I'm a big proponent of the PCA and its mission.

Be sure to take advantage of this helpful information and put it to good use.


Mike Cross
PCLI Girls Youth Coordinator

Something to remember as you get ready to go to practice, especially if it's been a long, hard, tiring day: Practice checklist: Are you bringing energy and passion all the time?

Here is a good article about three ingredients for running fun and productive practices:

1. High tempo
2. Competitive drills
3. Resemble game-day action

Here is the full article: http://www.nays.org/sklive/for-coaches/three-must-have-ingredients-for-running-fun-and-productive-practices/

Coaches:

We've all had one or more kids in practice who are disruptive in one way or another, for one reason or another. This article provides a few tips for dealing with those kids in a positive manner:

http://devzone.positivecoach.org/resource/book/disruptive-kids-who-make-running-practice-difficult

Mike Cross
PCLI Girls Youth Coordinator

This article from Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) includes some tips/reminders that are valuable for both new and experienced coaches.

http://devzone.positivecoach.org/resource/article/11-tips-first-time-coach

Be the Best!

I saw on Lacrosse Coaching 101 (http://www.lacrossecoaching101.com/) a great tip/suggestion/rule called The Golden Coaching Rule:

AVOID THE 3 L'S: LINES, LAPS, AND LECTURES

• How would it feel being the twelfth kid in a line.
• No laps. Train sport specific.
• The kids came to play lacrosse. Not to hear a lecture.

Great advice to follow for youth lacrosse if you want to keep the players actively engaged and enjoying practice.

Positive Coaching Alliance is a national non-profit developing “Better Athletes, Better People” by working to provide all youth and high school athletes a positive, character-building youth sports experience. They have some wonderful tools for coaches that you should check out:

• Double-Goal Coach® Job Description
• Parent/Guardian Meeting Agenda
• Parent-Guardian Letter
• Parent Pledge
• Resources for Coaches to Help Prevent Child Abuse
• Positive Charting
• Sample "ELM Tree" Script
• Sample Emotional Tank Script
• Sample Honoring The Game Script

Mike Cross
PCLI Girls Youth Coordinator

Coaches:

Be sure to subscribe to the US Lacrosse Blog (http://www.uslacrosse.org/multimedia-center/blog.aspx) for news and tips about lacrosse. There is some very interesting and valuable information.


Michael Cross
PCLI Girls Youth Coordinator

Coaches:

Here is a drill for training offensive players to recognize a slide and pass to the open player. This drill works for both boys and girls. I'm seeing more and more teams pressuring the ball carrier, so we need to be sure to prepare our players accordingly.

http://www.championshipproductions.com/news/2015/10/13/train-offensive-players-to-recognize-a-slide/

Michael Cross
PCLI Girls Youth Coordinator
 

Coaches:

Here is a good article from Positive Coaching Alliance titled "4 Reasons Athletes Make Mistakes And How Coaches Can Help Correct Them". Be sure to download the PDF file at the bottom of the article.

This article reminds me to determine the REAL cause of a player's mistake rather than just making assumptions and losing my patience. Here are the four reasons:
 

1. They don’t understand what you have asked them to do.
2. They understand what you have asked them to do and choose not to do it.
3. They understand what you have asked them to do mentally, but they are in the early stages of learning where they are more likely to do it incorrectly rather than correctly.
4. They understand what you have asked them to do, but are not physically capable of doing it.

Hope you find this helpful.



Michael Cross
PCLI Girls Youth Coordinator
https://www.facebook.com/pittsfordgirlslax/

Boys Youth Coaches:

Andrew Whipple hosted a short coaches' clinic for the boys youth coaches last week. Chris Cummings, a volunteer assistant coach with the Pittsford boys varsity team, also participated as the defensive expert.

Coach Cummings provided a document of the basic defensive concepts used in the scholastic program. The document is available in the Documents area of our website (http://files.leagueathletics.com/Text/Documents/4924/56283.docx), as well as on the Boys Coaches page at the bottom (Coaches -> Boys Coaches).

Take a look at the document and start incorporating these concepts in every practice. We will continue to build on this knowledge over time, increasing the power of The Pittsford Way.

Andrew Whipple will be providing information on the offensive concepts shortly and I will upload to the same locations as the defensive concepts document.

Hope you enjoy this. Let me know if you have any questions.


Mike Cross

Coaches:

We have started updating the Pittsford Lacrosse website to make it more useful for coaches. The first few things we've done are:
 

1. Coaches section: Found on the top navigation bar. This section currently has two pages, one each for Boys Coaches and Girls Coaches, and each page has links to online resources. We will be expanding the content on these pages over time.
    
2. Hey Coach news bulletins: Found on the left navigation bar. This is a place for news bulletins for coaches (like this message). News bulletins are posted on the website, and the author can choose to have the bulletins emailed to people who are currently in the system as a Coach or Assistant Coach on a current team. The author has the option of choosing specific teams to whom to email the bulletin. The news bulletins will remain on the website until they expire.
    
3. Document folders for Boys and Girls Coaches: Found on the left navigation bar. This is where we can upload/download files such as glossaries, drills, practice plans, etc. rather than emailing them back and forth. My hope is that we will build a library of hiqh-quality drills and practice plans for different situations (e.g., indoor sessions with entire group of players have different plans than those for individual teams) that can be used by future coaches. All current coaches should have the privilege to upload files when signed in using the coach login and password.

Plans for future content include links to online certification courses and other educational resources, health and safety information, and anything else that we think might be helpful for all Pittsford Lacrosse coaches, both new and experienced.

I hope you find this helpful. PLEASE let me know if you have ideas or thoughts on what to include on the website.


Mike Cross
Email: mcross9095@yahoo.com