Lacrosse is a high-intensity sport that is gaining popularity among high school and college students lately. Playing lacrosse successfully requires physical qualities like strength, agility, endurance, and flexibility. Practicing the game at lengths is the only way to ensure that you excel at it and minimize the risk of injuries. However, if you are starting out with lacrosse, or advancing your way towards professional gameplay, you must incorporate a few pro-tips that come handy. In fact, being the best player on the field is not all about throwing amazing shots or stellar stick handling abilities; it’s about being professional and sporty on the field.
In this article, we elaborate on some of the best tips for laxer that would help them leverage the best of their abilities to up the ante and be a better lacrosse player. The below-mentioned tips will not only make sure that they shape their skills the best way possible, but they will also make you learn more about the best ethics and practices on the field.
Understand the Game Inside Out
If lacrosse is giving you a hard time, you have probably not taken enough time to understand the game better. Laxers must always have an open mind towards learning more about the game. The same goes for lacrosse coaches as well. The reason why you are struggling to get hold of the game in the initial months of starting out is probably because you need to step back and analyze everything that you are required to do as a laxer and why. No one inherits the talent to be a successful lacrosse player right from the start. Taking a step towards betterment involves building the personality to play lacrosse. You can do that by observing professional lacrosse players and their gameplay.
The first step is to be familiar with the basics of how lacrosse is played. Take help from your coach or just read about the game to know more. In case you have a fair share of an idea about the game already, you can help your teammates to get a better grasp of the game.
Attitude Towards the Game
If you have a yen for improvement, you probably will achieve it. Every player, irrespective of their stage of gameplay, has to have the right attitude on the field to improve in the game. Besides being physically exhausting, Lacrosse is mentally challenging and having a positive attitude is the key to success.
It is important to learn and manage your feelings about triumph as well as failure in the game. If you are aiming to score high on the lacrosse scoreboard, you must be able to keep your head during the game. It is easy to contain your feelings and stay positive when you are winning. But you must have the right attitude towards the game, your rivals and teammates even when losing. Have an open mind to accept your flaws, study your mistakes and learn from them. Anticipation with a positive attitude in regards to each game is what contributes to improvement in the game. With the right attitude and positive outlook, you are capable of performing in the best way possible.
Communication Is the Key
No matter how good you are at the game, there is always a window for improvement in regards to communication on the field. Therefore, it is best to practice communication when you practice your game. It is necessary that you have an understanding with your teammates.
You can also ask your coaches for pro-tips on communication on the field. It is important to understand and make others understand the significance of continuous communication on the field. It promotes better understanding and greater team spirit among the players. Start with a strategy and keep the lines for communication open update your teammates on the same as the game progresses.
Work Ethic
Before you start practicing the game, you must be aware of the fact that lacrosse cannot be mastered overnight. You have to put in regular and constant efforts to excel in the game. Not to mention, there must be sincerity involved in the process. Of course, goofing around once in a while is okay but you must have a predefined practice routine.
Having a professional attitude towards the game must not be compromised. It is your responsibility towards yourself and also the team to be productive when needs to be. At the end of the day, it is you who decides whether you want to commit yourself to the task. Talk to your coach and senior players to build a set of rules or work ethic for yourself. Following the same, you can choose to invest your time and energies to move ahead of your likes in the game.
Stop Taking Things Personally
Stepping up the career ladder in lacrosse, you will find coaches who would drive you on the brink of madness. Besides all the hard work and breaking the sweat, you may as well be the target of some mean and nasty comment and occasional yelling that might be a tough thing to deal with. The key here is to focus more on the practice and have an open mind for learning without taking it personally. Sometimes, to make you get better at it, you need to hear bitter things about the game, which is fine as long as you extract the positive out of the same.
The same goes when competing against your rivals. Understand that it is normal for players to raise the voice on the field, considering the high impact game that lacrosse is. But it is important not to take things personally.
The aforementioned points highlight the areas of improvement for the players. If you have the knack to be better at lacrosse, you must keep these points in mind and take steps towards improvement. Remember, every match adds to your experience as a lacrosse player. Ergo, you are never really far from a win.