In lacrosse the team is always the star. The players twinkle to make it shine.

Team Rock-it Pocket aims to make things easier for guys choosing the right components for their lacrosse stick, whether it is a shooter or mostly used as a weapon. It’s not easy to keep track of your modern day list of head models unless one is a total gear junkie guy. [...]]]> TALKING HEADS - 3/19/12

Team Rock-it Pocket aims to make things easier for guys choosing the right components for their lacrosse stick, whether it is a shooter or mostly used as a weapon. It’s not easy to keep track of your modern day list of head models unless one is a total gear junkie guy. There are plenty of them out there (heads, that is) to be had.

When talking heads Rock-it Pocket tries to limit somewhat the vast number of names and choices available, and hopefully narrow things a little to some of what we think are the very best options. Even with that effort there still are 42 heads to choose from today on the Rock-it Pocket web site alone, and that does not include the 7 goalie heads we offer. There are literally hundreds of head models on the market being manufactured by lots of different, or sometimes even the same companies, but that is another story.

Whatever model of lax head we string up, we aim to have the pocket sit in it comfortably, and not to force some preconceived notion on an unsuspecting head or player.

We like to attach the mesh to the head extra snug, especially at the top along the scoop for good release touch, and we make accommodations where needed with different heads to help protect the strings when scooping, etc.

DOWN IN THE POCKET VALLEY

The pockets here [...]]]> THE MESH WE MAKE - 3/21/2012

We like to attach the mesh to the head extra snug, especially at the top along the scoop for good release touch, and we make accommodations where needed with different heads to help protect the strings when scooping, etc.

DOWN IN THE POCKET VALLEY

The pockets here are made to flirt with illegal danger with the depth level for the ball, and sometimes the diamonds must move a little to help the overall depth cause, but the mesh always must retain enough fiber and ‘backbone’ to put roll on the ball so it will release precisely when the player needs it to.

The narrower or ‘pinched’ that a head is, especially at the bottom of the head, the easier it is to shape the pocket and create a good channel for the ball.

DIAMONDS AND PEARLS

We always use ten-diamond hard mesh unless a different option is requested. We weave 2 short laces in a V, then, we add two (2) more laces woven across the pocket just above that V. Up top there is a crossing shooter nylon that is adjustable. Tweaking that will make a difference in release point and with ball control during the ball’s release from the stick.

The bottom of the mesh is strung fairly snug to the head, again for throwing consistency. It is anchored to the throat with the same string used to attach the sidewalls. The string can’t slide around the holes, preventing an unwanted side effect factor that can be a cause of more rapid pocket wear and ultimately tear.

ONE GOAL TENDER FOR THE ROAD

We love goalies, and for goalies we strongly suggest the 12-Diamond GoalEx pocket. It stretches much more willingly than does the hard mesh type of mesh. Our 12-diamond goalie pockets are deep. ‘Save’ some time to check out our goalie stuff on the web site.

PLAY GREEN with MANY COLORS

Rock-it Pocket is very fortunate to have players at CSU as well as the Fort Collins Vipers, the Thompson Valley boys, and the thriving Windsor boys’ programs locally to help us find out which heads players like more and less and why. These guys see and tell us what heads break or break down and which ones don’t, and those are crucial bits of ongoing information out there to be found on the lacrosse stick information highway. What makes one player swear by an STX Proton U, while another of the same position thrives with a Warrior Cobra? They are so unlike in attitude. Handle feedback helps us, too. Which handles ding and which ones don’t (as easily). We try to use what we learn about stick components wisely to guide stick seekers to find just the right stick to suit their style of play. That is our goal for goalies as well. Different positions and roles impact stick choosing in many obvious and different ways.

DOIN’ MESH TESTS

We have been trying to advance our method with mesh and the material that goes in and around the weave, as well as keeping current with whatever the next thing might be. There are new and newer types of synthetics being used, and mesh pieces are [...]]]> MESH UPDATE - March 16, 2012

DOIN’ MESH TESTS

We have been trying to advance our method with mesh and the material that goes in and around the weave, as well as keeping current with whatever the next thing might be. There are new and newer types of synthetics being used, and mesh pieces are manufactured in various thicknesses as well as the number of diamonds can affect how stretchy the mesh is in a big way.
.
X MARCS THE SPOT

Marc Mesh is has been around as a Canadian company for almost 5 years. The claims are weather resistance, and that MM catches and holds like a soft mesh but still has the accuracy of hard mesh. The mesh is thick and soft for really great hold if you are looking for ball control characteristics as the top pocket priority.

‘Canadian mesh’ is generally defined as mesh that is thicker than the widely used hard mesh, but it is softer. It has a feel to it that some players really like. Sometimes Canadian mesh is coated with something to help in wet weather.

Several players and coaches around here have tried and or really used/tested the Marcs/Canadian styles out in a variety of head models. Many use them. There must be something great about the Marcs or so many players wouldn’t be such ardent Marc Mesh loyalists.

NINJA SNEAKS IN?

We are currently test-driving the new lightweight Ninja style of mesh and the ten-diamond option in a Warrior Evo 3, and others, too. This raw mesh has a waxy feel, as if the mesh were dipped in warm wax mixed with varnish, and then, when it cools and dries, it has almost a sticky feel to help the mesh surface get a good grip on the ball. You can smell it coming. When you rub the mesh a sort of stinky resin gets on your fingers and on your hand.

PAPER OR PLASTIC

The Ninja pocket material just looks like it sheds water like a duck.
The Ninja ‘performs’ very well. It is extremely lightweight for one thing.
In terms of being soft for hold and consistent in how it releases the ball. It is not the quickest release, and hard shooters will play that to their advantage.

We like the versatility a Ninja gives a player to perhaps use a little heavier handle while still maintaining an ultra light feel and balance in the stick.

It is possible that hot and cold temperatures affect this mesh more than rain or wind will. It is a little like plastic. It stays new looking a little longer, but white pockets will still eventually become darker, dirty, and that will soften it up more over time and use.

We really like this one in many ways and so far.

MESH LESSONS

We wanted to find out how regular 10-diamond hard mesh patterns would do if we really emphasized attaching the mesh in the scoop region of the head as tightly as we possibly could. We eventually ‘stretched’ that point to where we pulled the hard mesh 10-diamond the most in the center part of the scoop, even up onto the scoop, and the diamonds in the center became elongated or more ‘vertical’ at the top of the pocket, a ploy to help to lift the ball at release. There was some goalie-type technology used so that the mesh would be anchored tightly to the head on both the front and back sides of the scoop. The theory would add that there would be less pocket sag, too, and all of this might lead to more consistency throughout the life of any given piece of mesh.

There was some extensive ‘research’ done on this mesh method with one particular Warrior M-80. It played great, and it had great hold right in the center middle of the head for winding up, and it could also fire quick wrist passes from the ear, too. There seemed to be great promise. Not that far along, however, the tester, and he is a teenaged lax rat to be sure, so it was used and played with intensely and constantly. The pocket eventually ripped at the top of the mesh in the middle of the scoop, so we had our answer. The way it tore was definitive and it happened far sooner than we had hoped. Careful what you stress for.

Mesh stress and wear happens differently in various places in the pocket, that’s for sure….

For us at Rock-it Pocket mesh-fits-the-head-right is job one and our first step with building any pocket. Head shape and dimension tell the stringer where the pocket works best. Or, the player has a style of play that calls for a special head design that works extra [...]]]> KEEPING YOUR HEAD ON STRAIGHT – 3/20, 2012

For us at Rock-it Pocket mesh-fits-the-head-right is job one and our first step with building any pocket. Head shape and dimension tell the stringer where the pocket works best. Or, the player has a style of play that calls for a special head design that works extra well using a certain pocket placement.

TUXEDO POCKET

We have fooled around with having just the mesh piece strung to the shape of the head, and with no cross strings or laces at all to start with. The shape of all the mesh diamonds and how they look inside the head are crucial elements for obtaining the best pocket performance possible. We throw the ball endlessly at our angled, high bounce very hard, very concrete rebound wall that we have inside the outer Rock-it Pocket walls. We are always looking for a feel or a channel with every toss. Cross lacing, etc. is added as needed.

LACING UP

We have tried lace segments that come in from the side but stop so the ball tracks through that opening space on the mesh in the center.

Rock-it Pocket has done some of the horseshoe style laces, but also thinks they make for a ‘sloppier’, less consistent pocket. They do offer more whip….

GOOD OLE’ JIMILAX

Many who have used some of the other styles of custom mesh often ‘return’ to regular hard mesh with 10 diamonds because of the feel they get with that mesh set up just the way they like. Discussion on the pros and cons of mesh of different sizes and hardness appear around the site. Feel free to poke around.

DO THE WORK

The good thing is that pretty much every human playing the game of lacrosse is indeed ‘gifted’ with enough ability to stay balanced as long as the brain feeds the right information to the feet.

You don’t have to be a great defender to play great individual [...]]]> Feb. 24, 2012

DO THE WORK

The good thing is that pretty much every human playing the game of lacrosse is indeed ‘gifted’ with enough ability to stay balanced as long as the brain feeds the right information to the feet.

You don’t have to be a great defender to play great individual or team defense.

HAVE A POKE CHECK IN THE BAG

Effective poke checks make it so that a player can be a good defensive player in almost any defensive system and situation where he is playing on the ball, as long as he always has good position and never lets the stick head travel more than 6″ or so, and by the way this holds true for almost any kind of check you might want to land.

SHUFFLE, SHUFFLE, POKE

No lunging or lounging are aloud when poking. The top hand remains quiet, like using a pool cue stick. With the poke check in lacrosse the bottom hand throws a hard jab to the other guy’s hand, the glove cuff if possible. Good footwork and balance are key elements for pecking, poking, and putting a little sting on the hand (etc.) of your opponent.

Sidewall stiffness in the head is good for poke checking. This type of defense is not the hammering slamming approach to dislodging the ball from the opponent. This is more for getting in his head. A poke from a harder head is going to hurt a little more and be a little more effective. When you are delivering a poke check or a ‘small hurt’ in the form of a short, effective poke check you have more power over the momentary lacrosse dynamic while you give no ground.

When and wherein the poke is put in just the right place it can lead to egregious errors made by the guy you are defending. Even on the shorter poles a poke check can create good things for the defense. Ball carriers don’t enjoy getting poked at, but they are looking for a commitment (from you). Don’t give them one (over-commitment by you) to work with and a chance to bust a move (on you).

A player has been testing out pockets and giving me feedback. Here is an email exchange –

Flip, I got the head today, It looks great. Thanks so much. I think with this 2nd (Warrior M-80) head, I am going to put the pocket about an inch lower just to help [...]]]> Feb. 24, 2012

A player has been testing out pockets and giving me feedback. Here is an email exchange –

Flip,
I got the head today, It looks great. Thanks so much. I think with this 2nd (Warrior M-80)
head, I am going to put the pocket about an inch lower just to help with
shooting accuracy but still similar so I can alternate with both. I will
keep in touch.
Matt

My reply:

Matt:
You got it. Center/middle pockets are the best when all is said and done. That place can vary a little with different heads, but in my opinion all heads have a sweet ‘spot’ where the deepest part of the pocket will be, and where the ball should always sit when cradling, or even moving. In most cases that place is pretty much in the middle part of the head.

I will be interested in your take on the M-80 stick performance overall, and how hopefully more durable than mesh pockets strung by others. Good luck as you get into your season. The M-80 is definitely catching on in popularity. Players like it.
Flip

This is pretty much the most important player on the field by position definition alone in my book. The Goalie can and often should have more impact on your team than any other. As a coach, you want to get and be close to your goalie. That relationship needs to be [...]]]> Ah, my favorite subject.

This is pretty much the most important player on the field by position definition alone in my book. The Goalie can and often should have more impact on your team than any other. As a coach, you want to get and be close to your goalie. That relationship needs to be be special, almost sacred. It must be rooted in mutual respect that hopefully grows into a mad love affair.

Great goalies are not simply born. They are definitely made. It is always wonderful to have any player with athletic gifts, but many non-gifted athletes have been all-time great goalies. Goalie impact is valued in many different ways, and its power has almost no limits.

Physical skills and quickness are obviously things that anyone would want in a goalie. The two most important characteristics for a goalie might be: He must not flinch or duck, not ever! And He must have the passion to play the position!

A coach should share the growth of the goalie process. The more he gives, the more he will get in return.

THE MEANING OF ROUTINE

As a goalie coach, the greatest thing you can do for any goalkeeper is not an ancient Chinese secret. Get that jump rope thing going, and make him/her/them get good at skipping on it, like boxers do, where it looks almost like a dance. The hand/eye/body connection can be profound.

Goalies perform on-field tasks that are quite different from their on field mates. The way they get ready to play on any given day can make a difference in their confidence level every single day. Goalies do not necessarily have to be warming up as one of the team for the entire pre activity time. They are getting armed for a different kind of combat. Goalies need to create that place where they prepare.

Goalies need to stretch a lot before they get in the cage and take live shots. Nimbleness and confidence travel the same path.

DARE TO PREPARE – FUN IN THE BUN

Pre practice and or pre game hand passing and other drills and exercises using props like tennis balls and sun glasses make the process of improving continuously an evolving game itself and fun for two, or even more to play. Made-up games like these are not ‘won’ or ‘lost’. They are definitely ‘win-win’ deals.

Goalies at higher levels can also use this type of ‘play’ to measure things like reaction and coordination as well as to warm up and to get their goalie body GAME ready.

WARMING HIM UP

If possible, the coach should warm up the goalie every day. Obviously if you have 5 goalies you might want to rethink that. By the way, it’s amazing what this will do for the coach’s stickwork, but more importantly it gives you one on one time with your goalie every day. The goalie is a tool for the coach to plant the seeds he wants his team to grow.

The warm-up is for him, the Goalie. Work a progression that is allowed to change but has a consistent, basic structure. Make sure he is seeing the ball come out of your stick. Work the pace that works best for him. When he lets one by, throw the next one to the same spot. Let him make the adjustment for himself if possible.

SEND A GOALIE MESSAGE TO YOUR DEFENSE

The entire defense must be centered and focusing on protecting the goal in some form, and ultimately HELPING THE GOALIE MAKE THE SAVE. For example: your defender does a good enough job defensively on a shooter inside the chosen defensive system and if he can get a little lift check at just the right time which takes 5 mph off the shooter’s shot, that can enable your goalie to make a “great” save. Everyone feels good in these types of situations except for the team that is shooting of course.

Protecting the goal is the concept for defense that must be mantra and that makes the goalie Buddha.

The goalie, as the eyes for his defense, must always be in position to see as much as possible. It is not easy to cover 360 degrees of potential enemy all the time.

When your team is in any situation, settled or chaotic, protecting where the ball goes in must be the instinct. This will help a team to always be stingy. You are not worried about some guy on the other team “going off” on whoever he is matched up with because everyone is looking to help protect the goal and the goalie. Yes, some guys can just score, no doubt, but a solid defense led by a capable goal tender can make a difference that ultimately keeps the ball out of ‘our’ goal.

IT’S IN THE GAME

Everyone on the team should know and reaffirm the importance of the goalie position. Always make the distinction that it is the position that is important, not only the individual who plays it. Hopefully, as a coach you have goalies that are able to rise to lofty kinds of expectations and play the position with leadership and passion. All the best goalies that I have known have been, shall we say, somewhat ‘quirky’, some more than others. Do not be frightened by this. In most cases it will work for your team in one way or the other. Where many players can be given something to work on that will keep them busy for days, a goalie really needs to be nurtured every step of the way.

TEAM STUFF

Try to have the goalie be part of some kind of “live” drill during a good portion of practice. 3 on 2′s, 4 on 3′s, fast breaks, etc. We find these and variations to be more valuable than too much scrimmaging. In a 2 on 1 drill with a goalie and 1 defender, the goalie becomes the focal point and is making saves in live situations. Sometimes, especially early in the year, scrimmaging can be kind of a mess. When they start playing better and catching the ball all the time, a team can do more 6 on 6 scrimmaging. The team needs to earn scrimmage time. You want a goalie to keep things in order and coaches have to build that with the way they build their practices.

The goalie is the heart and soul of the defense, and also its eyes and ears. He is also mostly the last person protecting the goal. He is the player that often starts the offense as well by how well he can get the ball to the attack. He might even take it over the midfield line himself once in a while, although you don’t want to encourage your goalie to get too far away from the goal unless he’s got a gift.

We often ask our teams not to elect the goalie captain. He is a captain just by his position. By not electing him captain, however, he never has to leave a warm-up before the game to go flip a coin. Also, he might not be the one to lead the team in stretching and plyos every day at practice. We like to get our goalie warm-up started as early as possible. This way he will be good and warm by the time the team is finished with stick drills. It also encourages the goalie to work on his own preparation and to begin building a ritual that prepares him to play this most demanding of positions.

BUILDING AN ARC

This arc may be spelled more with a K rather than a c. It might even be flat-lined to a large degree, but the steps that the goalie learns to take inside those sacred six feet will serve him as ark and anchor in angry seas that are attacking in waves. The area immediately around the goal is turbulent and it is shark infested with those who wish to take a bite out of your defense. When the goalie learns to order opposing chaos for his team it is amazing how much you can keep out of your net.

The goalie should have already jumped rope and stretched before he ever gets in the goal. He needs to have his heart rate up a bit before his warm-up begins.

We will talk about goal line extended throughout this book. Always think about what it is and remember things you learn from it.

Start with the ball in your stick at the goal line extended on goalie’s right. You are at 9:00 (X, or center behind = 12:00), about 15 yards from the goal with the stick in your right hand. Being farther out helps both coach and goalie more easily see the arc. Walk [...]]]> GOALIE WARM-UP SUGGESTION

Start with the ball in your stick at the goal line extended on goalie’s right. You are at 9:00 (X, or center behind = 12:00), about 15 yards from the goal with the stick in your right hand. Being farther out helps both coach and goalie more easily see the arc. Walk counter-clockwise, show him the ball. Don’t throw it. Walk slowly. Take note of how much goal net you can see. As you reach the top of the arc in the center of the field (6:00), the goalie must be centered at the top of his arc whether on the goal line or out from the goal. It is not important how far out he comes if he is comfortable. It is much more important that the coach take note of how much net is shown, and begin to help the goalie sense how to take that away. When you get around to 3:00, turn and walk the arc back, this time with the left hand. Make sure the goalie is lining up with the ball, not the man who has the ball.

Keep moving this time, going all the way around the 360 degree circle. When the ball goes behind, the goalie wants to turn and face it with his stick above the crossbar (top hand slides down to center of handle-bottom hand on butt) for a possible pick of a pass. He should be out from the goal a bit, where he can take a large pivot step and get himself tucked on the pipe on either side when the ball comes around. Practice his move to the pipe from behind the goal a lot.

Inside his steps inside the crease is where the goalie must be in control.

Try to get the goalie to just take comfortable steps, not too big or small. Especially when on the pipe the goalie can get the best push from his back leg. Things happen fast in a game and he needs to build a pattern of smooth steps right from the beginning. Calm amidst chaos. It rubs off on a team.

After you have done this for a couple of minutes, start taking easy shots on the goal. Only high shots, but both left and right. You’re trying to build a rhythm, so you must be accurate. Speed of shot is not important right now. Tell him to “Step to the ball” every time someone shoots. Also tell him always to “Lead with your hands.” These coaching cues will become automatic as you teach.

Begin running the ball around as you shoot. Move faster, but don’t start shooting harder. You want the goalie to make as many saves as possible. Don’t get in the habit of going out there and trying to beat your goalie. You want to be able to throw the ball in good spots so he can learn how to make good saves. The coach must hit spots for the goalie to learn how to defend them.

ALWAYS START WITH BABY STEPS

There is a line down the middle of a goalie’s body. If the ball is coming on his left side, then he must lead with his left foot. Right side, right foot. This is simple, but important. Step to the ball, and step through as the catch is made and the goalie looks to pass the ball. Get him to start looking right away. Put a traffic cone at the center of the field in early season warm-ups so that he can really always think about the fact that HE is the center of the field and will move and direct his defense accordingly.

FOLLOW YOUR (stick) HEAD

When the shot comes high to the goalie’s off-stick side, the stick should cross straight in front of his face. No twirling or rolling the stick head. His stick head should move in a straight line as much as possible, not a parabola, and towards making saves.

GOOD POSITION DEFINES YOU AS A GOALIE

If the goalie gets way out of position, simply stop and let him turn around to see where he is. He will correct himself. This kind of coaching is really fun. Remember that more than anything, goalies are trying to take as much of the net out of the shooters view as possible. Also, it is hard to overemphasize the pipe. The more time a goalie spends on pipe as the ball moves around the better. For one thing, when the goalie is on pipe, there is no guesswork as to where the next movement or step will be. He should always come away from the pipe almost reluctantly, though.

THE NEXT STEP

As the ball location moves the goalie foot steps, pushed from the back and then the other foot follows and slides into position. No choppy steps. Feet should not be more than shoulder width when in position. A goalie’s weight should be on the balls of his feet, ready to pounce on the ball, ready to move to the ball, wherever it comes from.

Make sure the steps are smooth. Ideally, it takes the goalie only 2 or 3 steps to get to any position he needs to defend best from, and the same to get back tucked up on the pipe from anywhere in the crease area. The movement of the goalie in the creases can sometimes be more up and back than it is side to side. Have him hug the pipe until the ball is well above the goal line extended. Again, stay on the pipe as long as possible so that there can only be one direction the goalie will have to move. This will help him learn to anticipate, without going too early. It will also assist in teaching your entire defense how to differentiate “easy” saves from “hard”, and how he can help the goalie make more easy ones.

MAKING CONNECTIONS

To find the pipe it is okay to tap the pipe with the handle of the stick or somehow use it as a spacing tool. At any rate it is not okay for goalie to to turn around and look for the pipe. Some coaches say it isn’t good to tap the goal, because he might be tapping when the shooter is shooting. I agree. Don’t tap the goal while the shooter is shooting. I also say that within the confines of good self-discipline, the more “style” shown by a goalie, the better. You don’t want your goalie to be a clone but rather you want him to be the guy that can lead your team on the field and in the most difficult of jobs, that of preventing scores.

IN THE FINAL ANALYSIS – GOALIE STOP BALL

The goalie must learn to trust his footwork and that ability to help him make saves, because it will. He must work to be agile enough to ‘own’ his crease. Sometimes it’s a dance, maybe a waltz, sometimes a jitterbug. It can be a slam dance or a hip hop festival in front of and around the goal. Prepare him for all situations by preparing him for all situations.

Poke checks are easy to teach and effective when used right.

As a defender you want the guy carrying the ball to be out of rhythm or somehow annoyed by the way you are playing him. You don’t want him to feel comfortable or worse, confident. [...]]]> A LITTLE POKE CAN GO A LONG WAY

Poke checks are easy to teach and effective when used right.

As a defender you want the guy carrying the ball to be out of rhythm or somehow annoyed by the way you are playing him. You don’t want him to feel comfortable or worse, confident. Things like controlled and timely poke checks help make the defensive package better. You do not have to gifted to poke, but you do need to be focused.

SHUFFLE, SHUFFLE, POKE

No lunging or lounging are aloud when poking. The top hand remains quiet, like using a pool cue stick. With the poke check in lacrosse the bottom hand throws a hard jab to the other guy’s hand, the glove cuff if possible. Good footwork and balance are key elements for pecking, poking, and putting a little sting on the hand of your opponent.

They talk about being a triple threat as a lacrosse player. It usually refers to offense and scoring, but truthfully if a player is athletic and smart he can be a triple threat defending the ball as well.

This generation of player gets the whole ‘poke’ concept, right? Well, effective poke checks make it so that you as a player can be a good defensive player in any defensive system as long as you always have good position and never let the stick head travel more than 6″ or so, and by the way this holds true for almost any kind of check you might want to land.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY – POCKET TALK

I have always thought that the center of the pocket should be located in the center and also in the middle of the head. For the majority of sticks that I have ever held in my hands, the ones I like the most usually balance best [...]]]> 2/2/2012

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY – POCKET TALK

I have always thought that the center of the pocket should be located in the center and also in the middle of the head. For the majority of sticks that I have ever held in my hands, the ones I like the most usually balance best with the ball most comfortable sitting in the center of the head and the middle of the pocket. The feeling of balance I’m looking for is the one I get when my top hand is on the top of the shaft and just below the plastic of the head.

In recent lacrosse times the plastic head technology has led to trends of change and movement of the pocket placement. Some players like to have the ball sit up high in the head. Some others, especially those who like to carry the stick straight up and down prefer a pocket that is built lower in the stick, down near the throat of the head. Things have always pretty much been this way.

Know what kind of player you are/he is. Coaches can have great effect on shooting discipline.

HIGH POCKETS

Many heads, especially some of the current STX models are designed to have the pocket sit very high in the head. There are a few potentially great advantages to having a high pocket. The ball stays in the stick longer during the throwing and shooting motions. That makes for a longer stroke, so the potential for speed is greater. This high pocket dynamic not only allows the player to shoot generally harder, but to also use optimum wrist control to get the right touch on his passes, long or short. When you can make little changes late into the throwing motion and or throw fakes you are more versatile as a player. When tweaked just right the top pocket makes the stick feel like a gun and all you gotta’ do is pull the trigger.

With a high pocket in the widest part of the head it is possible to create a really deep pocket with great hold, as in hard to knock the ball out. The ball can sometimes move side to side and for the most part it always stays tucked in just under the throw/shooting strings.

The possible ‘down’ side to the up pocket is the same reality that the ball stays in the stick longer. This means that the pocket might take a little more maintenance with the string tension and adjustments because the pocket will tend to be a little more temperamental in its release action. Players who use high pocket placement for the game plan can often shoot harder than the other guy, but sometimes they have to wind up just to make a pass, and that can slow down the whole offensive machine.

Having the deepest part of the pocket in the widest part of the opening makes it (pocket) more prone to being or playing ‘sloppy’. It is easier for the ball to move around and away from its nest or its channel. It also puts the ball in the most open place so a well-placed check is logically going to have a higher degree of probability for dislodging the ball.

The Rock-it Pocket style that fits this category is the DOG.

LOW POCKET

The other way pockets have traveled over time is down, as in the biggest part of the pocket is placed near the lowest or narrowest opening at the throat on any given head, a little more standard old school style. With more pocket where there is less opening, the ability to hide the ball while in the pocket is increased, and as in it is hard to knock the ball out of the stick. A bonus feature with ball retention in the low pocket is that the player can keep the cradling motion down to the minimum. He can protect his the ball well with the body and not expose too much of the stick to checks.

The low pocket, particularly the Rock-it Pocket version known as “POOKIE” makes for pockets that have a lightning quick release. With the POOKIE and other low pockets the ball will leave the stick well before it reaches the top of the head. This can be great for the feeder Attack man who wants to fire off a feed quickly and with little motion while he has the ball and it is sitting very near his ear-hole as he works. When he sees the open lane to pass through it can be almost just a flick with the perfect POOKIE styled pocket. This low pocket placement also makes the pocket easier to maintain and very reliable and a little more weatherproof.

The low pocket has its “drawback” in the fact that you can’t get that big windup going as effortlessly because ball delivery might take place before you want it to, and we all know how ugly that can be.

Many head models work well with this low ball concept, but I would also say that no head designs are out there that really play to the low pocket, but models with the foam stop raised like the Warrior Cobra and many others are suited well for low pockets.

MIDDLE OF THE ROAD

What I like about having the pocket in the middle of the face opening of most heads out there remains a fairly simple concept for me after all these years. As stated earlier in this M80X review, the natural balance of any stick tends to lend itself to the ball being at rest in the center of the head. Better balance can only help with cradling or stick handling, as well as for passing and shooting. By not having the ball sit up quite as high it has a chance to get rolling and ready for its release. The more the ball rolls the easier it can be lifted out of the stick. On the same throwing thought track, the more spin put on the ball, the faster the speed it is likely to travel.

When the pocket is in the middle you can get a versatile stick that can easily wind up and shoot hard while maintaining the ability to make short, quick passes.

STICK RELIGION

When the stick feels balanced and the ball feels centered, the cradling motion can be more powerful, too, thus empowering the player. The better you cradle the ball in the pocket, the better you are as a player.

When the ball sticks in the pocket in any way, or when it slides rather than rolling, release consistency will suffer.

Ultimately what any player really wants to do is to just follow his stick around when he is playing the game. If the brain thinks right the stick will take the proper action. Trust your stick and you can just follow it.

A goalie can dictate what happens during transition, and how to connect the clearing dots. Goalies can do this with leadership that for the most part only Goalies tend to have. It comes from the brain, of course, with some coach added [...]]]> 2/1/2012
GOALIE THOUGHTS – CLEARING YOUR BRAIN TO CLEAR THE BALL –

A goalie can dictate what happens during transition, and how to connect the clearing dots. Goalies can do this with leadership that for the most part only Goalies tend to have. It comes from the brain, of course, with some coach added in like a little bird sitting on the shoulder, and it is manifested by both body language of and what comes out of the mouth of the Goalie.

THE PATH IS WHAT GETS YOU THERE

Lest we forget, the lacrosse Goalie is player who must find ways to make getting repeatedly stung all over his (or her) body by a very hard rubber ball that makes for black and blue moments aplenty, or worse, he has to turn around and pick the ball up out of the goal after a score. The challenge is to relish the road because the surface can get a little bumpy.

IT’S ALL ABOUT TEAM ENERGY

Make only smart passes from the Goalie Position that will teach players on the team exactly what choices are the good ones. Situations repeat in lacrosse as they do in life, and the quicker a player can recognize the familiar the better he is equipped to create good fresh stuff for his team.

Clearing is more than a plan. It is an attitude as well, as in something like, “Here we come, and you can’t stop us!”

A LITTLE MATH CAN TAKE YOU FAR

Always never, throw a pass without good geometry. Got it? Get it more.

In all clearing situations, inbounds and or dead ball, the Goalie that has the ball can also have the keys to the car. Be sure players move toward the Goalie to get the ball thrown to them, and square up, too, even though they really want to take the rock all the way the other way. A fast break can never happen when the ball is sitting or bouncing around on the ground.

FINDING AND USING THE 2 ON 1

With the Goalie position itself, all teams clearing the ball have a built-in 7-6 man-up advantage on the defensive half of the field. It is up to the Goalie to work his team to find the place and time when the best advantage presents itself, and to make numbers work in the best team way. Break it down all the way to the 2 on 1 whenever possible, even if that ends up being on the far end of the field. It’s 7 on 6, to 6 on 5, to 5 on 4, to, well, you get it.

ONLY AS STRONG AS THE WEAKEST LINK

As a Goalie, look for guys to connect easily or well with and really look for that guy or those guys at certain kinds of moments. At the same time a Goalie must also be versatile enough to run a defense and to clear the ball with whoever might be on the field with the same colored shirts just then.

SAFETY FIRST

Make sure that whoever carries the ball over the midline during a clear is not just the ‘Christian’ being thrown into a lion’s den furnished all nice by the riding team and a long stick or two. The Goalie has that kind of potential power over the game. Remember that the clear isn’t really a clear until the offense gets a chance to do some work.

YOU PRACTICE HOW YOU PLAY AND YOU PLAY THE WAY YOU PREPARE

How, where, and who a Goalie passes to during a clear is something that should be orchestrated in certain familiar ways that have real, fundamental guidelines. The clearing process is a beautiful part of the team game to watch, and when woven just right it can also showcase, and or bring out the best in individual players and the particular skill package they might bring to the game.

AVOID GOING OVER DISASTER PASS

Goalies also have power in the passes that they don’t or won’t throw. Goalies can make it so players can catch the ball successfully and move it up-field at a much higher rate when they decide who gets the ball and the way they are moving when they get the ball. It’s great to pass to someone that is coming with the stick squared up as a target that is ready to receive the pass. Moving to the ball naturally creates good team flow. As a Goalie, almost never throw the pass to any of that infamous ‘herd of turtles’ running away from you and all hoping for the same heaven sent fast break pass from the Goalie.

Goalies should know if the pass they are about to make has a chance to be looked back on later as a stupid one and act accordingly by being smart.

JOHN WOODEN,

As a Goalie, be quick but never throw the hurried outlet pass. If the quick outlet doesn’t happen, stay calm. There is plenty of time on any current clock rule used out there in Lax Land to get a clear comfortably done. Especially nix the bad pass idea that could possibly in any way end up putting the ball down in the middle of the field not that far from the goal your team is defending. Dangerous. making good clearing choices are a huge part of team smart.

MEET BOBBY KNIGHT

After all, what is worse than a misconnection on an over-the-shoulder outlet pass to a guy that would catch maybe 2 out of 100 just like it? You get what you deserve, and way too often that ‘my bad’ turns over and into a ‘pick six’ for the other guys, an interception for a touchdown as it were, or however one may want to describe that next series of ugly events that follow a kind of a ‘stupid pass’ selection? This ultimate “My Bad” is seen at all levels of play, not just lower ones Sometimes the truth is not about that HE should have caught it, and it is much more about the pass that shouldn’t happen at that place and in that moment. Games can turn on those moments.

THROW IN A LITTLE SPIELBERG

The Goalie has the lead to orchestrate the ball movement proceedings and he can make his own version of The Clear, the movie, into an ‘Oscar’ winner by how he picks the kinds of clearing passes that he, or even another is throwing. If a goalie will only throw the ball to a player if that player is doing the ‘right’ thing, that player will do the right thing and bark like Pavlov’s dog every time.

BECAUSE IN THE END IT IS ONLY THE LONELY GOALIE

Never forget that in many, many ways Goalie Man must get things systematically across to the team in front of him that is helping to keep the ball out of ‘our’ goal. That part of communication really needs to be on point. When the Goalie trains them well on defense and on the clear as well, they in turn will be obedient, cohesive defenders. Team success will fall from a loaded wagon.

When learning how to really use the lacrosse stick it is of course great to play as many games of catch as you can anywhere and anytime you can. Playing games, and particularly smaller ones, like 3 on 3 Chumash, help players to improve their stick skills and learn the workings of the game [...]]]> 11/21/11

When learning how to really use the lacrosse stick it is of course great to play as many games of catch as you can anywhere and anytime you can. Playing games, and particularly smaller ones, like 3 on 3 Chumash, help players to improve their stick skills and learn the workings of the game of lacrosse pretty quickly. They are having so much fun from pretty much day one. If you get it, the game will come and get you. Then the game teaches you while you are playing it. What’s better than that?

PERFECT STICK WORK IS LIKE TWO TINKERBELLS 

There is no ceiling that limits how high the stick work can go or how far that fact can take a player and or a team.

WALL BALL

Good, solid, steady stick work enables a player to break the game action down by letting him see more of what is around him. A very fun and very beneficial path to a better stick takes the progressing player on frequent pilgrimages to ‘The Wall’, and rocking the Wall Ball Workout to the max while there, at the Wall. I became a humble Wall disciple very early in my lacrosse career and all the hundreds, oh God, maybe even thousands of  hours (I’m ashamed to say) that I spent ‘on the Wall’ do not include even a single minute of regret or the hint of a thought that I wasn’t somehow better for whatever time me and my stick had just spent with a Wall and a lacrosse ball.

BANG BANG

I am talking about thick and solid walls, the kind where the ball comes back hard and fast and you can operate angles. I am not referring to ‘rebounders’ that you take out of box, and set up in the back yard and that make that trampoline sound thing. That ain’t it. If there is space to move as you throw on the Wall, that is even better for ‘making it real’. Finding the Good Wall can sometimes be hard, but wherever you are in the civilized world, there is always some Wall somewhere nearby.

Personal Wall time is actually very demanding, and not just helpful in that warming up kind of way. You can build a player with a few good Walls, brick by brick. With good habits, anyone can piece together good stick work as a hallmark of their lacrosse character, and when you can work it like a wand, impossible really can become nothing for you as a lacrosse player.

WALL WORTH IT

When you play catch with a hard rubber ball and a truly worthy Wall, the ball comes off fast, and often with more spin than it had going in. This fact adds challenge, and alas, the extra spin can also put a little extra wear and tear on the pocket. If the Wall surface is on or adjacent to pavement the erosion factor is even greater as the ball picks up even more spin when it bounces. It is worth it.

NOBODY KNOWS……(too much TV)

The Great Wall offers lots of catching and throwing repetitions as part of the curriculum. That’s always a good thing. and then there is potential to develop good habits that come with being focused in an extreme way. The Wall can give you a glimpse of  how to get to the next step on the way to becoming the player you want to become.  Wall time always=Zen time for me. Rather than confining, the Wall experience was always and only enhanced by the games that we came up with to play with it.

IT’S IN THE BALL

The Wall game has an intensity, a bit of an edge built right in because of the almost defiant ‘spirit’ of the ball. It (ball) is the ironic confluence of really dense and heavy rubber shaped in a sphere, but it can move like a missile. Wind can influence it, but it is dense enough and usually going fast enough as to not have its flight effected a lot. You can play and also play with the winds. When ball hits cement wall flush it looks and sounds cool and unique. The lacrosse ball has great capabilities, including the ability to bounce very high and to spin really fast. The lacrosse Ball is also absolutely 100% waterproof.  Come to think of it, it is pretty much the definition of waterproof. 

Gravity is always a worthy ‘opponent’ dropping ball height in a hurry. Much of Wall ball includes scrambling to get the stick catch-ready and set up to do the next thing right away and pronto after throwing the ball TO the Wall.

WAX ON WAX OFF (it never ends, but rather comes round and round)

There are lots of Wall Ball drills and they are easy to make up, too. As the years went by, I know my ‘to-do’ list for the Wall got pretty big, and I know the Wall helped me to learn and grow as a player, and I can even say that the Wall itself offered me some really good lacrosse lessons along the way. The Wall always leaves improvement in its wake. 

ME AND MY WALL

For me as young laxster there was always the extra ingredient of urgency added that got me in the truck and off to the Wall, because I started playing lacrosse a little late, coming over from baseball, and, as a collegiate player I only needed to look around me in order to see those who had more big time lacrosse  experience than I had. The end result was that I became a complete maniac about going to the wall and I remained that way well into my 40′s/ later playing years.

SHANGRI-WALL.A.?

Sea Walls make for great lax Walls because they are made of the thickest and best concrete pretty much known to man, and my Dad was a concrete guy, so I can pick out a good wall. 

I spent many years in California at a time when my still burgeoning, almost single-minded brain was in full lax go mode and a beach of some sort was never very far from my doorstep. There are concrete sea Walls at the top of practically any Pacific beach front that is close to any kind of  coastal civilization.  The Walls aren’t all the same everywhere and they aren’t all just straight up and down either. There is much fun and Wall variety to be had on the California coast. There are beaches all the way up and down the California coast, of course, and my quest for the perfect lax Wall was constant and covered many years and had many different kinds of criteria taken into consideration. At the end of the day I have spent some time at pretty much any California beach you can think of, and I never went anywhere, let alone a beach without my trusted lacrosse stick and hopefully more than one ball. 

With beach sand as the playing surface you can go barefoot and dive for the ball, too, while playing some really fast-paced ‘catch’ with yourself on sea Walls. The tides can add fun and challenge as well, churning the beach back and forth from hard pan to soft sand. Treachery can abound at high tide, because lacrosse balls don’t float and the ocean tends to eat them in a most unforgiving way. Playing on the beach in general you are often contending with sea monsters that try to pirate your ball and take it to the bottom of the ocean faster than you can say Charlie the Tuna. On top of that your pocket will also perish at a faster rate with the salt and sand that is part of the beach mix. I went anyway. I always rinsed after.

BLADE STYLE

My personal favorite Wall was on a little beach near Carpenteria, and just north of a pretty famous surfing destination known as Rincon. Thick, wooden railroad ties make steps that take you way down from where you park to the beach area and sea level. Then, if you walk up the beach to the west for quite some distance there is a section of Wall that is literally to die for in terms of best Wall ball spot in the history of Wall ball. So why did I hike in so far to play at this special Wall? It was fun and exciting because the sand conditions were  always changing and challenging. The top of the wall was flat and very high so you could/can throw the ball ‘far’ and hard and it will come all the way back. The really cool part was that the the bottom of the Wall flared down onto the sand. The result is that you can throw the ball hard and low, and it will bounce back higher in the air and a lax kid can have truly a ball with all that geometry.

I AM NOT CAPABLE OF MAKING THIS STUFF UP

The kicker to this little story is that this ‘perfect Wall’ is (was) on the far side of the “nude beach” all sanctioned by state-park-ness. That’s fine in and of itself. Been there, done that, and that in no way offends my politics even slightly, but I was never prepared to play any kind of buck naked, fast paced Wall ball. Too much hanging out don’t you know. Apparently volleyball is fine, but I digress.  Anyway, I always felt like I was going through the gauntlet as I strolled past the Nudies with my shorts ON in order to get to my perfect place on just the other side of Nudeville. Somehow I always felt awkward for not being naked. And by the way, it’s not all just exactly Ken and Barbie out there naked at the nude beaches. Do they even still have those things?

Never take any catch for granted, not now, not in practice, not on ‘the wall’, not ever! Always help your stick to perform well. It will do the same for you. Maybe it can do even more.

Catching is part of the game that players can have a great [...]]]> THOUGHTs FOR ANY DAYs – 11/20/11

Never take any catch for granted, not now, not in practice, not on ‘the wall’, not ever! Always help your stick to perform well. It will do the same for you. Maybe it can do even more.

Catching is part of the game that players can have a great deal of control over. They need not be gifted with anything more than the passion to make catching a big deal.

LOOK THE BALL INTO YOUR POCKET

If one really looks the ball into the strings when catching or going for it, the reward is that things will happen in a more controlled environment, and with extra time that will empower one to see things that might be trying to hide in some remote corner of the eye. 

Well, how exactly does that happen? It happens when a player catches the ball cleanly, or he picks a loose ball up off the “floor” the very first time, and at just the right time. What does that mean? Well, what things can happen when the opponent is nearby and a player is not smooth on a pass reception? What if maybe he doesn’t get the ball cleanly the VERY first time in any kind of loose ball scrap? Even if the pass is ‘only’ bad because it was to his off-stick side, doesn’t it throw the team off-tempo? All lax players have some version of this metroplex full of movie picks in their mind’s eye. A seemingly small bit of ‘action’ could in reality be a potential horror show, and it can be all too easy to come up with X-rated sequels if one is not due diligent in his pursuit of perfection.

JUST CATCH THE BALL!

Isn’t the game of lacrosse at its most beautiful when the ball is being moved cleanly from one to another and all movement is flowing and makes creative and fundamental sense to all doing and anyone watching? Smooth play is like overdrive, it gives the team a next gear to go to.

GOING DEEP

The mesh stick set up has made catching simple because there is so much give to the mesh pocket. A deep pocket down in the narrowest part of the head opening holds the ball about as well as legal depth limits will allow.

A goalie can dictate what happens during transition, and how to connect the clearing dots. Goalies can do this with leadership that for the most part only Goalies tend to have. It comes from the brain, of course, with some coach added in like [...]]]> GOALIE THOUGHTS – CLEARING YOUR BRAIN TO CLEAR THE BALL -

A goalie can dictate what happens during transition, and how to connect the clearing dots. Goalies can do this with leadership that for the most part only Goalies tend to have. It comes from the brain, of course, with some coach added in like a little bird sitting on the shoulder, and it is manifested by both body language of and what comes out of the mouth of the Goalie.

THE PATH IS WHAT GETS YOU THERE

Lest we forget, the lacrosse Goalie is the player who must find ways to take getting repeatedly stung all over by a very hard rubber ball that makes black and blue marks on the body, and morph those minor and major tortures into a fun and pleasurable overall lacrosse experience.  

IT’S ALL ABOUT TEAM ENERGY

Make only smart passes from the Goalie Position that will teach players on the team exactly what choices are the good ones. Situations repeat in lacrosse as they do in life, and the quicker a player can recognize the familiar the better he is equipped to create good fresh stuff for his team.

Clearing is more than a plan. It is an attitude as well, as in something like, “Here we come, and you can’t stop us!” 

A LITTLE MATH CAN TAKE YOU FAR

Always never, throw a pass without good geometry. Got it? Get it more.

In all clearing situations, inbounds and or dead ball, the Goalie that has the ball can also have the keys to the car. Be sure players move toward the Goalie to get the ball thrown to them, and square up, too, even though they really want to take the rock all the way the other way. A fast break can never happen when the ball is sitting or bouncing around on the ground.

FINDING AND USING THE 2 ON 1

With the Goalie position itself, all teams clearing the ball have a built-in 7-6 man-up advantage on the defensive half of the field. It is up to the Goalie to work his team to find the place and time when the best advantage presents itself, and to make numbers work in the best team way. Break it down all the way to the 2 on 1 whenever possible, even if that ends up being on the far end of the field. It’s 7 on 6, to 6 on 5, to 5 on 4, to, well, you get it.

 ONLY AS STRONG AS THE WEAKEST LINK

As a Goalie, look for guys to connect easily or well with and really look for that guy or those guys at certain kinds of moments. At the same time a Goalie must also be versatile enough to run a defense and to clear the ball with whoever might be on the field with the same colored shirts just then.

SAFETY FIRST

Make sure that whoever carries the ball over the midline during a clear is not just the ‘Christian’ being thrown into a lion’s den furnished all nice by the riding team and a long stick or two. The Goalie has that kind of potential power over the game. Remember that the clear isn’t really a clear until the offense gets a chance to do some work.

YOU PRACTICE HOW YOU PLAY AND YOU PLAY THE WAY YOU PREPARE

How, where, and who a Goalie passes to during a clear is something that should be orchestrated in certain familiar ways that have real, fundamental guidelines. The clearing process is a beautiful part of the team game to watch, and when woven just right it can also showcase, and or bring out the best in individual players and the particular skill package they might bring to the game.

AVOID GOING OVER DISASTER PASS

Goalies also have power in the passes that they don’t or won’t throw. Goalies can make it so players can catch the ball successfully and move it up-field at a much higher rate when they decide who gets the ball and the way they are moving when they get the ball. It’s great to pass to someone that is coming with the stick squared up as a target that is ready to receive the pass. Moving to the ball naturally creates good team flow. As a Goalie, almost never throw the pass to any of that infamous ‘herd of turtles’ running away from you and all hoping for the same heaven sent fast break pass from the Goalie.

JOHN WOODEN,

As a Goalie, be quick but never throw the hurried outlet pass. There is plenty of time on any current clock rule used out there in Lax Land to get a clear comfortably done. Especially nix the bad pass idea that could possibly in any way end up putting the ball down in the middle of the field not that far from the goal your team is defending.

 MEET BOBBY KNIGHT

Goalies should know if the pass they are about to make has a chance to be looked back on later as a stupid one and act accordingly by being smart. After all, what is worse than a misconnection on an over-the-shoulder outlet pass to a guy that would catch maybe 2 out of 100 just like it?  You mostly get what you deserve, and way too often that ‘my bad’ turns over and into a ‘pick six’ for the other guys, an interception for a touchdown as it were, or however one may want to describe that next series of ugly events that follow a kind of a ‘stupid pass’ selection? This ultimate “My Bad” is seen at all levels of play, not just lower ones Sometimes the truth is not about that HE should have caught it, and it is much more about the pass that shouldn’t happen at that place and in that moment. Games can turn on those moments.

THROW IN A LITTLE SPIELBERG

The Goalie has the lead to orchestrate the ball movement proceedings and he can make his own version of The Clear, the movie, into an ‘Oscar’ winner by how he picks the kinds of clearing passes that he, or even another is throwing. If a goalie will only throw the ball to a player if he is doing the ‘right’ thing, that player will do the right thing and bark like Pavlov’s dog every time 

BECAUSE IN THE END IT IS ONLY THE LONELY GOALIE

Never forget that in many, many ways Goalie Man must get things systematically across to the team in front of him that is helping to keep the ball out of ‘our’ goal. That part of communication really needs to be on point. When the Goalie trains them well on defense and on the clear as well, they in turn will be obedient, cohesive defenders. Team success will fall from a loaded wagon.

I’m not sure if Ben’s use of language exactly fits the sports mentality of today, but I have always believed that a few really important rules work much better for a team than too many do. By the same token , if there are too few [...]]]> “Laws gentle are seldom obeyed: too severe seldom executed.”

I’m not sure if Ben’s use of language exactly fits the sports mentality of today, but I have always believed that a few really important rules work much better for a team than too many do. By the same token , if there are too few rules it is very hard for a team define itself and relate to ‘the plan’, whether it be a big plan or a smaller one.

Mine, too, and I like to do that by things like not letting the seniors treat the freshmen [...]]]> “My goal as a coach was to find a structure that would empower everybody on the team, not just the stars, and allow the players to grow as individuals as they surrendered themselves to the group effort.”

Mine, too, and I like to do that by things like not letting the seniors treat the freshmen as second class citizens and other things like that. I guess I feel that if the guy farthest down on the bench can add to our success then he is a valuable member of the team, and I’m sure that is the main reason why I have never cut players as a college lacrosse coach. I want every part of the big picture to have a chance to help us, even if it is just ‘bench energy’ or giving us the numbers to have decent full field scrimmage. That is not to say that I won’t try to scare off the ones that might ‘poison’ the family I am trying so hard to build.

I love John Wooden and would recommend reading anything he has ever uttered or put in print. I have used this one a lot over the years. For me and my teams it means always play with pace, but never play with panic. These two things will lead a team [...]]]> “BE QUICK BUT DON’T HURRY”

I love John Wooden and would recommend reading anything he has ever uttered or put in print. I have used this one a lot over the years. For me and my teams it means always play with pace, but never play with panic. These two things will lead a team in opposite directions. If you practice with rhythm and pace the situation will always be easier to handle.

The harder we practiced today the harder it rained. When we finished a huge wind started to howl. Then they all did push-ups and sit-ups together while being pelted with cold raindrops hurled from the black and gray clouds that were by then not far over head. Where would you rather [...]]]> From the Journal:

The harder we practiced today the harder it rained. When we finished a huge wind started to howl. Then they all did push-ups and sit-ups together while being pelted with cold raindrops hurled from the black and gray clouds that were by then not far over head. Where would you rather be? Having done push-ups and sit-ups in the driving or the freezing or whatever when you really didn’t feel like it is something a coach can draw on to motivate his players. It is all about doing the work. If the day is ugly, but the team believes it is perfect weather, that concept will buy a lot of performances from a group of committed people