NJ RIOT 2017

Big news on the horizon…..

NJ RIOT 2017 – check back here frequently for developing information and check the NJ RIOT page on Facebook

Your “Best Friend”

Your lacrosse stick is your “tool”. When you step out on the lacrosse field you have a role, a job, a responsibility to your team and yourself to play the best you possibly can. In the game of lacrosse you can’t do that without a necessary tool: your stick. Your stick should become your “best friend”.

For your tool and best friend to function as well as it possibly can, you need to take care of it!. It very often requires a fair amount of TLC. Don’t take it for granted. First off, you have to love it. If you are not happy with the way your stick is strung, have it restrung. Ask your coach or your teammates who are happy with their sticks and get their recommendations for someone to restring your head for you. If your top or side strings are torn – replace them. If your shooting strings have loosened and your passes and shots are not flying the way you like them too, then fix your shooting strings. Many times the weather doesn’t cooperate and we are forced to play games in the rain. Rain can really affect your mesh and the pocket in your stick. After a game in the rain, take a good look at your pocket and make sure you are happy with the way the mesh has dried. If you don’t like it, fix it – but fix it before the next practice or game! Different types of mesh are affected differently by the rain. Anyone playing with traditional stringing (bonus points for you! 😉 – on the right is the stick I am currently playing with) also knows that you need to care for your leathers and adjust them periodically. Additionally, make sure your pocket hasn’t sagged to a point where it is or is close to an illegal pocket. You surely don’t want your goal wiped out in a crucial game and your stick removed because of an illegal pocket that you could very well have fixed if you just gave your stick a little tune-up.  For some tips on getting a good pocket in your stick, see my post of February 23, 2011 Is Your Stick Ready?

Remember also, it’s YOUR stick. It doesn’t matter if your teammates think it throws badly, as long as it works for YOU. Everyone’s stick is different, but serves the same purpose. It’s kind of like the lacrosse flip flops all the players seem so fond of – even with the exact flip flops, two people will break them in differently, to make them uniquely theirs.

I actually started this article back in the Spring and shelved it when I got busy with work-related stuff.  As many boys (and girls) begin to get ready for tryouts for next summer’s elite teams, I felt this article was now timely.  Best of luck to everyone in their upcoming tryouts.

A big shout out to my friends at Lacrosse Allstars (www.laxallstars.com).  If you are not already doing it, be sure to find some way to Grow The Game!

See you on the field!

– Coach B

Coach B Is Back!

Hello everyone!  I’m back.  First I should apologize for my long absence from this blog.  Writing this blog has always been something that I truly enjoy doing.  It allows me to combine my passion for the sport of lacrosse and my enjoyment for writing.  There have been so many changes in my life since my last post back in March and those changes caused (forced?) me to lay off my writing to attend to so many other priorities.  New job, coaching a spring 7th grade Chiefs team of 40 boys, watching my daughter in her first year of lacrosse, etc.  Well, its summer now and Zander has already played in 2 of his 4 summer tournaments and I finally have some time to sit down and write.

I’ll spend some posts catching you all up on things that took place through the Spring and some posts on some new things.  Stick with me.  I hope not to have to take these extended absences again.

HONOR THE GAME!

– Coach B

Tomorrow – FALL FINALE CLASSIC

After a week with no power, no heat, nothing –  it will be nice to get out to watch the BBL Elite 2017 Fall team play in the Fall Finale Classic – especially after last week’s Brandywine Classic was canceled.

Full Force Lacrosse also gets back to business on Sunday with a game against Sparta 7 at FDU.

After the tryouts are over….

A few weeks ago I wrote an article about the realities of summer elite lacrosse team tryouts.  The article was very well received and generated a great deal of discussion.  I just read a fantastic article from Trevor Tierney entitled “Surviving the Cut”. 

For those of you who don’t recognize the surname, Trevor is the son of Bill Tierney, one of the greatest collegiate lacrosse coaches ever.  Coach Tierney coached Princeton to 6 NCAA Div. I Championships in the 90s and 2001.  Trevor played goalie for his Dad at Princeton and was on two of the aforementioned National Championship teams.  Trevor was also a two-time Team USA goaltender for the World Lacrosse Championships and a former All-World goaltender.  He is a three-time MLL All-Star and won a MLL championship.  Since retiring he has served as a defensive assistant for his fathers University of Denver team. 

Trevor is also the founder of TIER Lacrosse and recently launched an awesome website for TIER lacrosse (Tier Lacrosse).  His latest post on Surviving the Cut is here:  Surviving The Cut. It’s a must-read for any lacrosse player (and his parents) currently going through the trials and tribulations of elite lacrosse team tryouts.

HONOR THE GAME!

– Coach B

More Summer Lax Team Tryout Info – Tri-State

Tri-State Lacrosse has announced its summer team tryout information.

U11 tryouts will take place on Sunday 11/13 from noon – 2pm
U13 tryouts will take place on Sunday 11/13 from 2pm-4pm
U15 tryouts will take place on Sunday 11/20 from 1pm-3pm

All tryouts will take place on the outdoor turf at The Peddie School in Hightstown, NJ.  The tryout fee is $75.00.  Registration and additional info can be found here:  Tri-State Lax Tryout Info 

I wish you all the best of luck.  Go hard!

– Coach B

Summer Team Tryouts – UPDATE – East Coast & Team Turnpike

Team Turnpike and East Coast lacrosse have  announced their tryout information:

Team Turnpike Lacrosse: Sunday 10/30 from 7-9pm at East Brunswick H.S. turf field: Info/Register here:  Team Turnpike Tryout Registration  Tryout Fee: $50.00

East Coast Lacrosse: Saturday 10/22 from noon-2pm at Wardlaw H.S. in Edison, NJ.  Info/Register here: http://www.eastcoastconditioning.com/academy-lacrosse/tryouts.php   NO TRYOUT FEE

Good Luck!!

Lax Continues to Grow (plus BBL tryout info)

The Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association has released its extensive study on team sports in America.  The most noteworthy piece of info (but which we all already know) was the following:

“Lacrosse is the fastest growing sport in America. There were 1.6 million people who played lacrosse last year, a 37.7 jump. Lacrosse participation is up 218.1 percent over the last 10 years.”

Nice to see the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association is (finally?) realizing this.

Also, in supplementing my post of September 25th (below) with regard to tryout dates/times for Summer 2012 lax teams for Chiefs/Full Force players, BBL has announced its tryout info (all tryouts in the Copper Springs bubble:

6th Grade tryouts: 10/20 – 7:30-9:30pm
7th Grade tryouts: 10/23 – 7:30-9:30pm
8th Grade tryouts: 10/23 – 5:00-7:00pm

Once again, good luck to all at their tryouts.

– Coach B

Tips for Summer Elite Team Tryouts

Summer 2012 select/elite team tryouts start THIS week in New Jersey!  For those of you trying out (or who have sons trying out), the following is some advice I can offer as a long-time lacrosse coach and from my past experiences attending these tryouts with my son:

1)      You have 2 hours (or however long the tryout is) to make the best impression possible.  It is not a long time so give it your ALL.  Psych yourself out from the start.  Bring your “A” game and give 100% effort from start to finish.

2)      If you get beat, fall down, make a mistake – get right back up and right back into whatever you are doing. Do not dwell on the mistake.  Recover and move on.

3)      Show your skills but be a team player as well.  If you knock a guy down, help him up and pat him on the back.  Cheer on other players.  Being a “team player” can be very important to some coaches/evaluators.  Your attitude, character and enthusiasm is very important to coaches.  Make it abundantly clear to all that you “want it!”

4)      There will be many coaches at these tryouts and they are all watching you (even when you think they are not).  If you are waiting online for your turn in a drill, don’t be talking or laughing it up about anything.  Look straight ahead and be ready to go when its your turn.

5)      At the 6th and 7th grade level, don’t dwell on which team or league is “better” than the other – at this point in time you should just be focusing on playing and improving yourself as a lacrosse player.

6)      Don’t be nervous.  Its lacrosse.  You play it because you love it and want to play it as much as possible.   Most of you have been playing lacrosse for years now.  Its nothing new.  Have fun.  If you are having fun you will do your best.

7) If a coach is speaking directly to you, respond with “Yes sir”, “No sir” or “Yes Coach”, “No Coach”.  When the tryout is over, approach each coach to say “Thank you” and shake his hand.

If any parent or player has any questions or wants to talk with me prior to tryouts I invite you to call or e-mail me.

I wish you all the best of luck!

Honor the game!

– Coach B

Preliminary Schedule of Summer 2012 Lax Team Tryouts for 7th Graders

For my Chiefs and Full Force 7th grade players (as well as other 7th grade laxers in the New Providence/Berkeley Heights/Summit NJ area), below is some information (in no particular order) regarding upcoming Summer 2012 travel team tryout dates.  I will update regularly with new information that I receive.  Check back regularly for my advice for performing at these tryouts.

If you have any questions about any of these teams or the tryouts, do not hesitate to contact me.

– Coach B

Patriot Lacrosse: 9/27 from 6-8pm at Indoor Sports Pavilion in Randolph.  Info/Register here: http://www.leagueathletics.com/Registration/Default.asp?snid=jHMD%5E3I0%5E&n=&org=patriotlax.com&cat=Tryouts-Patriot%20Elite%20Teams  Tryout Fee: $50.00

2 Knights Lacrosse:  10/29 from 3-5pm on the turf at the Soccer Centers in Somerset, NJ.  Info/Register here: http://2knightslax.com/selectteam2012tryouts.html  Tryout Fee: $75.00

Leading Edge Lacrosse: Two tryouts for new players take place on 10/22 and 10/23 from 3-5pm at Watchung Hills Pope Warner Complex (new players need only attend on one of the two tryout dates).  Tryout Fee: $50.00

Trilogy Lacrosse: If you are interested in trying out for Trilogy Lacrosse, you must visit the following website and complete the requested information to receive an invitation: http://www.trilogylacrosse.com/njessex2012teams

Morris Select Lacrosse:11/9 from 5-7pm at FDU turf in Madison.  Info/Register here: http://www.morrisselect.com/events.php?event=20  Tryout Fee: $50.00

Tri-State Lacrosse: Tryout dates have not yet been announced

Building Blocks Lacrosse: Tryout dates have not yet been announced.

Jersey Jets Lacrosse: Tryout dates have not yet been announced

East Coast Lacrosse: Tryout dates have not yet been announced

Team Turnpike Lacrosse: Tryout dates have not yet been announced