Big Lacrosse Weekend – End of Winter and Start of Spring

Its that time of the year – the BEST TIME!

The Full Force Lacrosse winter team will play for its second Championship on Saturday night at ISP.  Exciting stuff!

Chiefs Lacrosse is also set to begin on Saturday with the first practice of the Spring season set for 2pm on the New Providence H.S. turf.

Time to get serious!!

Stats from Cranford game on 4/20/11

Coach Hannaford, who is also our statistician, could not make this game so the stats are based on my own memory.

Sloppy win on a sloppy field but a win is a win with the Chiefs prevailing over Cranford by the score of 5-2. 

Goals were scored by: Marenberg, Castagna, Argenziano and TWO for Henry Clyde!

Connor Morang was his usual solid rock in the cage with one of the two goals scored against him being on man-down.

We also had two goals erased due to penalties so that is something we will be sure to avoid in the future. 

Next game is tonight 4/21/11 vs. Summit at 6pm.

GO CHIEFS!

– Coach B

Location Change for Wednesday 4/20 vs. Cranford

Our game on Wednesday 4/20 vs. Cranford will be played at Sherman Park in Cranford.

Directions to Sherman Park: location.asp?url=chiefslax&Locationid=852117

All players should arrive by 4:45pm for warm-ups.

GO CHIEFS!

– Coach B

Sunday 4/17 vs. Basking Ridge – Game Canceled

Game canceled due to poor field condition.  Enjoy the day off.

(PRACTICE ON YOUR OWN!!)

Thursday Night’s Practice and Weekend Ahead

Thursday night’s practice will be held at the Snyder Field Turf from 5-7pm.

Saturday: Red & Blue squads vs. Millburn at 2:30 at GL

Sunday: Red & White squads vs. Branchburg at 10am at White Oak Park – Field #16.  NOTE: this is a change from the previously communicated field location.  Directions were sent in my April 7 email.

See you on the field!

– Coach B

“Are you doing everything that you possibly can to be the best lacrosse player that you can be?”

If you are anywhere near a regular reader of my blog you would know that I am a huge fan of the LACROSSE ALLSTARS (LAS) website at http://www.laxallstars.com.  The writers and posts on LAS are always top-notch.  The site is a must-read for any lacrosse player and fan!

Yet another fantastic article was posted yesterday.  It was a guest post written by Ryan Powell.  For those of you not in the know, Ryan is part of the triumvirate of Powell brothers (Casey and Mike are the other two) who were all All-American lax players at Syracuse.  Ryan currently plays for the  Boston Blazers of the National League Lacrosse.  He also owns and operates both Rhino Lacrosse and Powell Lacrosse.

In his post which can be accessed by clicking the link at the end of this paragraph, Ryan tells about how his Assistant lax coach, after a tough loss this week, asked the team “Are you doing everything that you possibly can to be the best lacrosse player that you can be?”  That question resonated strongly with Ryan and he proceeds to discuss his work ethic and what any lacrosse player must do to be the best he can be.  Discussing how important it is for lax players to work on their own when not at practice, Ryan says “I put in more hours on my own than I do at practice or in games. This is the time that lacrosse players can separate themselves from the rest.”  AMEN!! – My repeated protestations validated!! In his post, Ryan also provides a link to the Wall Ball routine that he has been doing 3-4 times a week for years.  Here’s the link to the article: ryan-powell-play-hard-work-harder .  If your son plays for me, I implore you to show him Ryan’s article!

Lastly, if you haven’t already seen it, read my earlier post immediately below this one for the opportunity to purchase a wicked pair of short that supports a great cause.

See you on the field.

– Coach B

Games Start This Weekend!

After a month of practices, our games finally start this weekend.  Everyone’s adrenaline should be sky high!

Half of our squad will play on Saturday vs. Old Bridge – 2:30pm at GL H.S.  Those playing on Saturday should arrive at GL no later than 1:45pm to warm-up, etc.

The other half will play on Sunday at 1pm vs. Bridgewater at Basilone Field at Bridgewater-Raritan H.S.  Those players playing on Sunday should arrive in Bridgewater by 12:15pm. 

Both games promise to be challenging and all our players need to rise to the occassion of the first game.

GO CHIEFS!   HONOR THE GAME!

NOTE: Saturday Practice Changed to Sunday!

We will not be practicing on Saturday this week but instead will have our practice on Sunday morning from 9:15am-11:15am on the indoor turf field at The Center Circle at 1255 Main Street in Rahway, NJ.   This is a great facility where the Chiefs have practiced in the past.  We will have the full field to practice on and will be able to scrimmage.   Please arrive by 9am to dress so we can take the field on time and get as much work in as possible.

Travel time to the facility is about 30 minutes.  Directions can be found here: http://www.thecentercircle.com/Code/GeneralDirections.asp 

IMPORTANT: NO CLEATS – SNEAKERS ONLY on Sunday

Lax Season Is Rapidly Approaching. Will You Be Ready?!

The start of Spring lacrosse season is rapidly approaching.  Now is the time to start getting in shape!  I realize its cold out and snow is on the ground but trust me when I say getting fit now will benefit players immensely when practices start in March.

Year after year I see many players come out on the first day of practice with the intention of starting their “getting in shape” at that time.  Rest assured the coaches will get our players in shape for the season but those players that have worked out over the winter will be at an advantage and will have made things much easier for themselves.  First off, they will not be huffing and puffing through conditioning and drills since they will already have worked to build up their cardiovascular stamina and endurance.  Second, since they will be “in shape,” they can progress quicker to spending more time working on their stick skills and other lacrosse skills.

Lacrosse is a high-speed multi-directional sport that requires a high level of agility and footwork while placing high demands on multiple energy systems of the body.  An off-season emphasis on speed development and agility mechanics will allow athletes to be explosive and give them the ability to change direction in an efficient manner while reducing the risk of non-contact injuries.  Those that participate in winter lacrosse and other winter sports (e.g., basketball, wrestling, soccer, swimming) should have an easier transition into the Spring lacrosse season training.

I do realize the difficulties that the winter weather presents to outdoor training and conditioning but there are a number of ways for a youth lacrosse player to condition in spite of the weather limitations.   Thirty minutes each day of some relatively strenous exercises (push-ups, crunches, jumping jacks, lunges, etc.) in the garage or basement of your house is better than nothing at all.  If the roads are clear or the snow has melted in your backyard, do some sprints or head out for a bike ride.  Jumping rope is another great exercise for working on foot speed and cardiovascular endurance.  Additionally, 15-30 minutes of cradling with a ball in stick (strong side and weak side) is also extremely beneficial.   Playing with your stick for 30 minutes a day will go a long way.  The more you focus on technique, the more you’ll get out of it.  If a player has not picked up his stick since the Spring or Summer, becoming comfortable with cradling in advance of the start of practices will be a significant advantage. (Note: all stick work should be done wearing your lax gloves.  The game is played with gloves so practice with gloves as well.)

If the weather permits you to do some stick work on a wall, do it.  Take advantage of every opportunity to do this.  You can do this in your backyard if you have a Lax Wall or head to a school or building where you can throw against a brick wall.  On the top of this blog I have uploaded an example of a Wall Ball workout (See “Individual & Parent- Assisted Drills for Players”).

There is no excuse for a lacrosse player to be a Winter couch potato.  Turn off the TV, put down the video games and do something physical.  Anything to get yourself in shape.  Trust me – it will pay off come the start of lax season!

Lastly, watching your diet by eating healthy and getting enough sleep is also important so be sure to get enough protein, fiber, fruits/vegetables and healthy fats and get enough rest every night.

REMEMBER – THE FIRST DAY OF PRACTICE IS RAPIDLY APPROACHING.  START PREPARING NOW!

TEAM THUNDERSTRUCK – Ready to Strike!

Our schedule is now set and we are ready to ROCK!!  As you know, all our games are on Sunday afternoons and all games are played at FDU (where the tryout was held).  Games are played on one of three fields at FDU.  Click link for map of fields:  FDU Fields Map

9/19/10 – 4pm vs. Summit on Field 3
9/26/10 – 5pm vs. Madison/Chatham on Field 1
10/3/10 – 6pm vs. Maplewood on Field 1
10/10/10 – 4pm vs. Sparta/Devils on Field 3
10/17/10 – 5pm vs. Ridge on Field 1
10/24/10 – 4pm vs. Summit on Field 3
10/31/10 – 5pm vs. Madison/Chatham on Field 1
11/7/10 – we will play at 3pm, 4pm or 5pm depending on our record up to this date.
 
Games start promptly at the specified time and we take the field immediately after the prior game ends.  All players should be at the field ready about 30 minutes prior to game time to loosen up and get some pre-game instruction.
 
If your son will be unable to play in any of the above games, please let me know in advance of gameday so I can adjust the lines, etc.

HONOR THE GAME!    GO THUNDERSTRUCK!