Volume:
1 Edition (2)
Posted:
Monday, February 27th
“Players
should expect the best - We can deliver”
News: “Get’n
Around, Get’n Known!”
Lacrosse
Nova Scotia has been very busy delivering just over 40 hours of school lacrosse
instruction to about 1,500 students in the HRM area since the New Year. Coaches
like Julie and Wayne Finck, Brendon Smithson, Dominic Nolasco, Craig Moore and
Sean Harrison have also added many extra hours to all-female programs and
sessions between Truro to New Glasgow. Two schools started their own in-school
lacrosse programs using the new FITS program (http://www.lacrossefits.ca).
With
each school visit we’ve been teaching the basics and giving the students and
teachers contact information to your clubs, so be ready to meet our newest
players and make sure your NCCP qualifications are up-to-date.
News: “School
First”
The
up-coming high school field lacrosse program is going great guns with its six
coach executive (Commissioner: Dominic Nolasco; Directors: Brendon Smithson,
Scott McMullen, Tom Hunt, Bryan MacEachern and Nick Mulligan). The executive is
looking for more coaches to work with the schools so if you’re interested,
contact Dominic (dominic.nolasco@gmail.com).
The
plan is to run a four team program in April-May, where each team will play each
other once and then go to a playoff tournament –leaving the players wanting
more. This initiative can only help but enhance the MMLL, the High School box
tournament and give Junior High school students something to look forwards to
after their Jr. High Interlax experience.
News: “Girls
Rock”
The
girls’ MMLL program just keeps on growing and news from MMLL’s Female
Coordinator, Julie Finck, is that “there will be Novice, Peewee and Bantam age
divisions (CLA age groups) this year. This will eliminate the former "Jr.
Girls" age group. "Sr. Girls" will be midget plus one year
(1997, 1996, 1995), and a new age division for the girls program will be Junior,
which will be (1994-1991) similar to the co-ed program.”
The
girls’ program just keeps on Rock’n!
Column: “Tips
from the Crease”
“Not so dodgy
a move”
Find
younger players have a hard time figuring out their right from their left?
Here’s a simple way to teach a roll dodge, a great boxla offensive tool,
without having to use these two key words.
First,
review the stick/ball defensive stance with players, where they keep their
stick and hands “tucked” behind their body creating a “shield” with their
leading shoulder and upper arm down to the elbow. With a ball in their stick,
remind them to keep cradling and get them to walk in this defensive stance.
Next,
get them set up in lines with an instructor about ten paces from the first
player. Instruct the players that they are going walk towards the instructor
(instructor must mirror their stick to the player’s) and bump shoulder-to-shoulder.
The shoulder being bumped should be the one connected to the hand that is
holding the butt of the stick. The player then rolls back-to-back with the
instructor using their back as a shield. Presto, a rolling dodge without using
the words left and right.
As
the players become comfortable with the drill, get them to increase their pace
and make sure they know how to tuck their stick towards their shoulder as they
move away from the instructor. This means that the instructor can poke at the
head of the player’s stick as they approach, and try to check the head of the
stick as the player moves away.
“Rolling with
those picks”
Picks
and rolls are fundamental to initiating strong offensive motion: a skill
players should master by the time they graduate from peewee (LTAD Standard). Try
this and see if it helps establish a strong pick and roll offense for your team,
whether they are learning it for the first time or brushing up during early
season practices.
Put
a strong passer (coach, assistant or parent) at both crease positions (low
pick) or shot position (high pick). Do one or the other and then have lefts and
right go to the opposite offensive position, shot or crease, respectively. The
players should have a ball each and one by one they will pass down to the
crease, head to the net with stick up, cut towards the passer, set a pick, then
roll to the net and receive the pass immediately and take a shot.
For
younger players, it may take some practice to catch these little flip passes.
Key also is to go over foot positioning at the time of the pick and stick
positioning when picking (a vertical stick protects against cross-checks and is
ready to catch). Next, make sure they pivot on the correct foot and face the
passer as they roll away. Take the time at first to establish these elements,
then work on speed.
Once
everyone has the hang of it, replace the coach with a players (divide the lefts
and rights in half). After the player has been picked, and passed the ball,
make sure they roll out in the correct direction.
You
step up this drill by providing one, then two defenders. You can also move from
low picks to high, or high picks to low depending on which you started with.
The key is to make sure the picker rolls, whether they receive the ball or not.
Finish on a short scrimmage where the ball can’t be passed until a pick and
roll is delivered.
If
you have any tips you’d like to share, email them to lacrossetechdirector@sportnovascotia.ca
Column: “Provincial
Scene”
It’s
official, this year’s Provincial coaches have been chosen. In the women’s box
program, Julie and Wayne Finck. In the men’s box program: Peewees - Ryan
Brewer, Bantams – Tyler James, Midgets – Sean Kent and Founders – Glenn Dunbar
and Rod Humphreys. Provincial Team ID sessions began in January at Exhibition
Park arena and will continue through to March. Check LNSS website calendar for
updates.
Column: “Sport
Nova Scotia”
“SNS teams up
with Health and Wellness”
On
Friday, February 24th, Mark Smith, SNS Director of Coaches, and Mike
Hudson, Health and Wellness, presented their work plan for supporting coaches
across Nova Scotia in every discipline. Early this spring www.coachesns.ca will go online and focus on two key streams, Participation and
Excellence. The former dealing with community sports like the MMLL and NSFLL
and the later regarding Provincial and National programs, Canada Games and the
Olympics. As about 90% of the province’s coaches fall within the community
development or competitive introductory level, these individuals will be the
primary target.
For
PSOs like LNSS, a strong take-home message was that block funding provided by
Health and Wellness/SNS will include the submission of an active coach list
every year as part of funding requirements, therefore, it is vitally important that
LNSS knows all active coaches.
Friday’s
meeting was also an eye-opener in understanding how far lacrosse coaching
initiatives have come within Nova Scotia and Nationally like NCCP training,
LTAD, 55 Links, FITS, coaching clinics, the coach database and LNSS’s grass-roots
initiatives like the school and club try lacrosse sessions.
Column: “Alumni
News”
Looking
for a Champion to help develop and grow the Alumni community into an active
social group of ex-MMLL and NSFLL players, coaches and officials. Strength and
vitality comes from those who have been there and give back their special
qualities and insights to the minor community. If interested, please contact lacrossetechdirector@sportnovascotia.ca .
News: “Next
Month”
Keep
track of up-coming events on LNSS’s website calendar. Click on date titles for
more information.
- Box officials clinics
- Coaching clinics, March & April
- 2011 Coach online workbooks deadline, March 31st
- Provincial ID sessions continued at Exhibition Park
- Seniors, Masters and Privateer’s continued at Exhibition Park
“Must Take
Action!”
For
those coaches who have not yet forwarded the following details to lacrossetechdirector@sportnovascotia.ca , please do
so as soon as possible. For those who have replied, thanks so much.
(For
emails that include several family members, please include all names in one
email response)
Name:
Preferred
email address:
Club
Association Name:
Level
of NCCP certification:
Possible
Teams you may coach in 2012:
Resources
worth taking a look at:
Watch
NLL box games online or TV
Watch
NCAA field games online
Free
Try Lacrosse for players and schools
CLA
minimum coaching requirements
Practice
planning resource at FITS
Nova
Scotia lacrosse updates on homepage newslider and calendar
* * *
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