- THE GREATEST CAMP TOOL OF ALL -
 I run a summer lacrosse camp on a college campus for usually about 150 kids, and I have found that there are many great coaching tools to make a camp fun and successful. Having big name players is one draw, and I believe that in our case a great staff and preaching our “camp family” theme is another. We want every kid to get hands on coaching for individual skills. We want to teach them concepts that allow them to find their roles on any team and how to be a good teammate. But the greatest tool of all that we use at Ram Camp is the game of Chumash lacrosse.
THE SKINNY
 Chumash is a lacrosse game of 3 vs. 3 with two subs. There is one goal placed in the center of a field that only uses less than ½ of the regular field size. (see photo). One team shoots from one side and the other shoots at the other side of the two-sided net.
Like three v three basketball, there is a line to take the ball back to when there is a change of possession.
The rules are basic lacrosse rules with a few exceptions. There is no goalie and no long sticks and there are two creases, each with different guidelines.
IT TEACHES WHILE IT PLAYS
The game has some great advantages. It teaches players the basic rules of and good habits for playing the ‘big’ game of lacrosse. At the same time it is so simple to grasp the game that players learn much about the 'big' game well, and with no coaching. As a college coach I can’t count the number of great players that have come through my program over the years from the Denver area that have early and strong memories of their 5th or 8th grade Chumash experiences in Vail and Chumash as a lacrosse teacher in general.
FAMILY
Another great part of Chumash Lacrosse is that the field is small and you can basically fit both teams and the goal in a good-sized SUV and you can play the game almost anywhere. Because it is so intimate by nature, the parents have always loved it as well. They can be very close to their kids and watch them from up close, not from afar.
 HOW CAN YOU RUN A CAMP WITHOUT IT?
When we play Chumash each night at our camp, and I see 150 kids all playing and having fun and with no one sitting around, I often ask myself, “How can you run a camp without this game?” It uses time, they have big fun, and it automatically teaches players the game as it goes. It also literally cultivates good habits for young players.
The hardest part is the bracketing of the tournaments for all the teams we have playing at once. No one is just watching. Everyone is either playing or waiting to go in the game.
CALL ROCK-IT POCKET FOR CHUMASH PACKAGES, RULES, GOALS, ETC.
1-800-374-7468. WE CAN SET UP AND RUN CHUMASH EVENTS AS WELL.
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