Lacrosse - What Physical Skills/Attributes Are Emphasized?

[Anonymous]

My 9 year old son seems intent on participating in lacrosse.

From what I am told, and what I have seen, he does seem like a gifted athlete (he is very, very fast and has excellent hand-eye coordination). He is a standout at baseball and soccer, but now wants to focus on lacrosse as his main sport.

My big concern right now is my son's size. He has always been the shortest in his class, and I would be surprised if he topped out at 5'8 when all the growing is done.

How important is height in the sport of lacrosse? Will his speed and coordination make up for his short stature? Should he just stick to baseball and soccer where height is not a huge factor? Neither my son nor I harbor illusions (delusions) of him playing professionally or even at the college level, though high school varsity athletics is certainly something my son seems to be striving for.

[Anonymous]

Height is not a huge factor. Speed and agility are much more important in lacrosse than height.

[Anonymous]

Have you talked to his coach? Lacrosse is pretty popular in this area, I'd bet that coaches are pretty knowledgeable even at the junior level. Or heck, you could just cold call the coaching staff at Hopkins and ask for a minute of their time. They might think you're a little nuts, but hey, who cares?

I played women's lacrosse for a while and it's my sense that height isn't a necessity -- coordination (esp hand-eye) and speed are probably more important. And there can be an advantage to being shorter when you're going after ground balls, don't have to reach as far. But there's lots more body contact than in soccer or baseball -- they wear pads for a reason. So he'll have to be okay with bigger guys coming at him with body blocks, etc.

Best of luck, it really is a fun game, hope your guy has a blast.

[Anonymous]

Hello, everyone.

I'm not OP, but now that I think about it, the same "issue" presents itself in my parallel universe, i.e., I have a son who will not be very tall when he plays sports in high school (probably 5'6 to 5'8) but is almost always the fastest, pluckiest, and skilled athlete on the field/court. He loves lacrosse, but I am wondering whether all of the time and expense (clinics, camps, etc.) spent on this sport is misguided, and maybe we should just focus on what for many years was his sport of choice (soccer). Like OP, we just want to make sure that DS is in a sport at which he can excel, maybe playing at the varsity or jv teams in high school, but certainly a sport (like, for example, basketball) where lack of height makes it extraordinarily difficult to excel at the HS level and beyond.

I know that most of the readers out there are moms. For any moms out there who have no direct experience in the area (before I forget, thanks PP 12:18!), I would be greatly appreciative if you could check with your other halfs to see whether they have any experience/views on the issue.

Thx

[Anonymous]

Height is NOT important in lacrosse at all. Its not even that good to be tall. Average size is probably best. My 6 year old plays lacrosse. He has taken with Malcolm Letser at Sticks Lacrosse summer camp (St Albans coach), Headfirst clinics, and is currently at Next Level Lax Factor in Bethesda. All are great programs that will allow your son a chance to learn the game and see if he really likes it. Its a GREAT game.

[Anonymous]

Does anyone have a son or daughter that loves a particular sport that he or she is not a perfect match for, or is not the absolute best at, but still manages to get pleasure out of it? Or are school teams so competitive that it isn't really possible, and community leagues won't cut it? We are years away from dealing with this, but it's interesting to see the concerns out there and begin to anticipate them. I always figured I'd be happy to have my child play whatever non-lethal sport caught their fancy but I suspect I might be being a bit naive.

[Anonymous]

This is weird! I feel like you just described my brother as a kid. He too was great at baseball and soccer and also not that tall (still not, he's 5'9"). He was really good at lacrosse. He still has his lacrosse stick from when he was a kid hoping his daughter will play some day! Lacrosse is not about height, but I know his speed will be important. Good luck to him!

[Anonymous]

My DH refs high school lax (public and private), coaches a local youth league and plays on a local team. He played for UMBC. I'll see if I can get him to chime in. I know the camps/clinics can be costly. To be honest none of the boys on his youth team are tall (7th/8th graders).

[Anonymous]

At what age do kids typically get involved in lacrosse?

It's not like soccer, is it, where even the littlest of tykes are on a team?

Has my son missed the boat if he hasn't picked up the sport by 12 years of age?

[Anonymous]

No, not too late. My 7 year old has been playing for 2 years and recently met Jesse Hubbard at his HeadFirst program (Jesse is the most famous Lacrosse player - plays professionally on NJ team - went to St Albans and Princeton - amazing guy). Jesse commented to me how great and yet strange it is to see all these little kids playing lacrosse as he didn't even pick up a stick until much later (like 12ish). That was (and probably still is) the norm except in the mid-Atlantic region where kids have a special thirst for lacrosse. Also, my son only started playing with a helmet and pads very recently. He initially started in Malcolm Lester's Sticks program which is just pure fun for little kids with fiddlesticks and no gear. He fell in love with the sport and wanted more. Oh, Malcolm also coached Jesse at StA and knows how to instill a pure love of the game.

[Anonymous]

My daughter plays lacrosse - average height and size. She got talked into trying out by a basketball coach. Seems to be quite an overlap between basketball and lacrosse in skill set. She really enjoys it, although no one is going to offer college scholarship to her to play lacrosse!

If you son is passionate about the sport, that is 9/10s of the battle. After all, he is the one playing. I would rather shuttle my kids to sports they enjoy than to push them towards ones they are so-so about, KWIM?

[Anonymous]

I have a 14 year old playing JV Lacrosse in High School. He will be tall - but isn't yet. Yes - no matter what anyone says, height will be an issue. It's not as bad if they are playing attack, but it gets to be an issue in defense positions.

Keep in mind - they are hitting each other with those sticks as part of the game - not just hitting the ball. It is a tough and dangerous (but really really fun) sport and your son is going to get concussed and slashed and will eat alot of turf during the season. The smaller ones are at a disadvantage, but it's still a really wonderful sport.

[Anonymous]

PS - I am poster 12:42. This is my son's first year in Lacrosse (he's 14) and he made JV and the coach has told us that he will be Varsity next year. He played a little soccer, but not every season. He has alot of skills that he has developed by playing with friends on his own time and on his own schedule.

[Anonymous]

Lacrosse playing dad here. Former All-American. To OP, I probably have the same body type as your son, all grown up. Not too tall (5'7) but fast, quick, and excellent agility. If you are not too tall, but have these attributes and are physically strong, you'll do great. In other words, if you are on the shorter side and also slim, that's probably not optimal. But on the shorter side and built along the lines of a running back -- you'll rule. The other common thread among the not too tall lacrosse players that I've come across is that what they may lack in height, they make up for in a fierce and unrelenting style of play. I'm sure your child will enjoy the sport. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Lacrosse dad above sounds much like my husband. He's not very tall, but fast and muscular with good coordination. He enjoys physical sports. He still has his stick and is hoping our children will get into lacrosse some day.