Welcome to the Monroe Lacrosse preseason guide! These are ways your player can get ready for the lacrosse season and this should always be fun. If your child gets frustrated, confused or doesn’t enjoy any activities below, that’s ok! We will do everything in practice and no athlete will be “behind” if they don’t do any of these activities. Same goes for parents. If this isn’t fun, don’t worry about it.
CONDITIONING
If your player isn’t in any running sports now, encourage them to start conditioning. Give them time goals based on their current fitness level. Try intervals of 20 second sprints and 20 second jogs. Each time encourage them to stay with it a little longer.
Lacrosse uses a lot of upper body work, their arms can be sore during the early season. If they have a lacrosse stick already, cradle for 2-3 minutes at a time, then take a break. Make it fun, it shouldn’t be unpleasant for them!
LACROSSE PRACTICE – What can you do now?
Cradling
Improve your cradle NOW and practice will be much easier. A good cradle looks like a bicep curl, wrist should be loose and a fluid motion. Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjYczl9wwc8
Catching/Passing
This is HARD, if your player is new and only catches 1 out of 10, don’t get discouraged, that’s a normal progression. This will be something that will be worked on all year, but lacrosse is a complex sport and work outside of practice at home is vital to skill development.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2232ghFXH48 – Passing
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IArlm1kMgeY – Catching
EQUIPMENT needed for boys lacrosse
What equipment do boys need to play lacrosse? Lacrosse Stick, Helmet, Gloves, Shoulder Pads (Must have NOCSAE label), Arm Pads, Athletic Cup, Mouthguard, Cleats (can be soccer, lacrosse, or football. No metal cleats)
* Note: Hockey Pads are not allowed for lacrosse.
For more information, please see USA Lacrosse’s Equipment Guide: https://www.usalacrosse.com/sites/default/files/documents/Safety/USAL-equipment-guide-low.pdf
**We have basic beginner sticks for the 1/2 and 3/4 grade teams should you not want to buy a stick immediately at this age and wait for summer clearance sales and increased used inventory. These beginner sticks are $50 (wholesale price to us).
Shop Around!
If you find something you like, try different online vendors. Prices vary along with shipping costs. You do NOT have to buy new. Used equipment can be cheaper especially sticks.
Local Shops: Play it Again Sports, Dick’s Sporting Goods
Online Vendors: SportStop.com, Laxsteals.com, Lax.com, Lacrossemonkey.com, Lacrosseunlimited.com, Universallacrosse.com, Dickssportinggoods.com
Thoughts on Dicks Sporting Goods…. Selection in store can vary, but they have a wide variety of good sticks online. Monroe Lacrosse has a 10% off coupon for any item in store and good at any location. Coupon: https://www.braveslax.org/Default.aspx?tabid=2755462
Notes on Lacrosse Sticks: Boys and Girls lacrosse use different sticks. If you find a stick with a thin shaft and very shallow pocket (netting) that is a girls stick. Boy’s have a thicker handle and deeper pockets to hold the ball.
Boys Lacrosse has 3 different types of sticks. Attack/Middie, Goalie, and Defense. Monroe Lacrosse provides goalie sticks and equipment. Defensive sticks have a 6’ shaft length and can only be used at the 5/6 and 7/8 level. Speak with your child’s coach before purchasing a defensive stick. Attack and Midfield sticks have a 3’ shaft length. If your child is a beginner find a complete stick (Head and Shaft together) that is $80 or below. For the 3/4 age group be careful not to buy mini sticks. These are recreational only and are more toys than sports equipment. They are not allowed to be used in our league. Be careful of advanced level sticks. These usually have a head that is noticeably narrower (Pinched) than other sticks. Without prior experience these sticks can be difficult to catch the ball with and ultimately frustrate players.
Mouth guards: No clear or white mouth guards are allowed, but other than that, there are no rules other than they must wear them at all times!
Please always have a backup, this is the #1 reason players arrive at games and can’t play. Every game someone forgets one. Monroe lacrosse club will try to keep some in the shed as backup, but they won’t be as comfortable as your own mouthguard and definitely won't be available for road games!
Cleats: Soccer and football cleats are fine! Don’t feel required to buy lacrosse cleats because they are always more expensive. The major difference is ankle support. Soccer cleats can be used for lacrosse, but lacrosse cleats can’t be used for soccer. So if you do both, buy soccer cleats. Football cleats provide more ankle support. Most football cleats are good for lacrosse grass fields. However, there is a slight increase of injury with some football cleats on turf fields due to different cuts lacrosse players make. This is more of a concern at the older ages (12+).
Helmets: There are many different lacrosse helmet manufacturers, just look for the NOCSAE and SEI certification sticker on the back of the helmet before buying. Single color helmets are less expensive then multi colors. Please stick with black or white if possible. My main advice is do not cheap out when it comes to your child’s head. While there is no contact with a player’s head in lacrosse it does happen. The most important thing to look for is the helmet fits comfortably, most have a dial or Velcro to make slight adjustments. and the player’s chin does not come below the bottom of the facemask.
Please reach out to Monroe Lacrosse or your child’s coach with any questions or recommendations.