Our 3 Favorite Summer Camp Games
Now that all the camps and tournaments are pretty much over for the summer and all our players are headed back to school soon, we want to look back at the drills and games our players requested over and over this summer!
If you're like us here at Lax Library, your summer was full of hot days in the sun playing games and having fun.
Summer is a great time to focus simply on fun and athleticism, instead of drilling stick skills or certain plays. We spent a lot of time this summer turning every drill or activity we do during summer lacrosse into a game.
"TEACH THEM HOW TO PLAY."
We really like to let our kids play, learn how to play the game, and let them make the plays instead of telling them what play to run, or who to pass to, or which hand to use. This is especially true when we get kids from many different teams that we've never worked with before, and we only get to work with them for a few days.
THE BEST THINGS TO FOCUS ON ARE:
- Fun
- Fundamentals
- Athleticism
- IQ
Even top college coaches like John Danowski (Duke) spend the summer all the way into the fall focusing strictly on Fundamentals and Athleticism. We've even heard Coach Danowski makes all his players play short stick in the fall to make mastering basic stick skills a top priority! 6-on-6 comes later.
You can use these three games at your next summer camp, in fall ball, or even any day at your regular spring practices!
Don't forget rule #1 - Keep it Fun!
THE TOP 3 GAMES FROM SUMMER LACROSSE CAMP:
#1 - THE BUCKET GAME
Use this game to teach your kids how to play good fundamental "Body Defense" by moving their feet first, then their hips, then their hands, stick checks come last!
Our kids always love getting out the old blocker pads from the football or rugby team to battle it out. You don't even need sticks for this game, just good old fashioned Defensive Footwork and Body Position!
#2 - "WEST GENNIES"
We couldn't believe how often our players asked if they could run non-stop for 15 minutes this summer!
The classic 3-on-2 West Genesee drill gives your players lots of touches on the ball, lots of reps getting up and down the field, and tons of conditioning.
So simple and so great, coaches have been using this transition drill for decades!
#3 - 3X LACROSSE ("THREE BY")
This is the best lacrosse practice game ever invented, no joke.
Any time our kids showed up early, got picked up late, or had their pads on first, they were stoked to play a few minutes of 3X.
It's like 3-on-3 basketball. Your kids can play anywhere- in the driveway, back yard, on tennis courts. Parents can play with their kids, siblings will play together. Get all the neighborhood kids together to play and you might be able to start your own spring team!
Use any of these games at your next practice to have Fun and improve FUNdamentals and IQ in your players!