Breaking out of B team cycle
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Anonymous
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Hi All!
Genuinely curious...so looking for helpful advice or please keep scrolling. Our DD is in 3rd grade on the B team with one local club. The coaches are unimpressive. Last year she was also on the B team for a different local club and the coaches were also unimpressive. Neither of the teams were parent coached. We've seen the coaches for the A teams and they seem so much better. I understand that our DD's skills do not match with A team players. But I truly believe if she was on the A team and got their coaching, she would become A team level. What are our options? We already switched clubs once. Do we just pay for lots of private help (with a local college kid or clinics etc) and hope eventually her skills catch up and she can make an A team? I just think that to become A team material she needs to be surrounded by other A team players and playing in A team games so she can learn and get more lacrosse IQ if that makes sense. She wouldn't be a starter and that's fine with me. Also...the other night our team was practicing next to a younger boys team. The coaches were focused and serious and the boys were scrimmaging. Meanwhile the girls on DD's team were just goofing around and the coach didn't seem to be able to get their attention. They didn't scrimmage. They did goofy drills. I know we all know how expensive lacrosse is. Our DD loves it. I'm not expecting college scholarships or anything at all. I'm willing to pay this money gladly, but I want actual serious coaching to be happening. Even if she is on the B team. I guess a secondary question is...if she is stuck on the B team track, where the f are the good B coaches most likely to be found?? What are solid clubs for girls lax in this area? We aren't ready to commute too far yet. We've tried BLC and M&D already. Does it just depend on the year and the luck of the draw with coaches? Thank you for any advice or insights! |
Anonymous
| Might want to think about soccer or softball. |
Anonymous
| Look at good summer camp options. |
Anonymous
A suggestion for a different sport is literally the most unhelpful comment. Wow. My daughter plays many other sports already. |
Anonymous
| Get your daughter as fast as possible and get your daughter on the wall 15 minutes a day so she can catch anything. Kids who outwork will win in the end, in all aspects of life. Also just have your kid practicing and playing in the backyard. It’s their journey and they have to want it. Coaching is a pretty small part of it honestly. |
Anonymous
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There aren't great coaches for B teams in this area. Where are you located? MD or VA?
Maybe try Rebels? A few things...is your daughter enjoying her B team or are you the one who wants her to move up to A? Again, where do you live? MD or VA? Are you a public school family or private school family? If public, does your kid live a W cluster or Sherwood cluster? If not, maybe B team is good enough for her future high school career especially if she enjoys her team? |
Anonymous
| There's A girls on B teams. There’s B girls on A teams. The girls that can't keep up in A level get cut, girls that are real good find a way to get into A teams. Your DD is a B girl not because of the team. She has to put in the work to be an A level girl. |
Anonymous
| Stick skills are the main separater at that age, because none of them have gone through puberty yet to truly know what their athleticism will be like. Have her work relentlessly on her stick skills. Right and left handed. Show up at summer tryouts with better stick skills than the girls on the A team. |
Anonymous
| Thank you all! This has been helpful!! |
Anonymous
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Most A team coaches aren't developing players - they assemble talent. Players get better and develop because they work/train on their own: stick skills, shooting, speed and agility. Nothing stopping her from doing this.
It does help to play with better players so your daughter is missing out on that. She should sign up for camp/clinics and target the ones the better players sign up for so she can get exposure playing with/against better players. |
Anonymous
MD Public W cluster |
Anonymous
100% correct advice. We were in this boat too and started doing a wallball routine a few time a week with the kiddo. The difference in her stick skills is really amazing even after 2 months. This first time it took about an hour to get through and I did it with her. Next time 45 minutes etc. And going into the spring she’s looking good! If you don’t have easy access to a wall, get an inexpensive bounce back. They have some decent options that don’t cost $1000. |
Anonymous
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Speed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I saw many a girl with great stick skills literally fall behind because they couldn’t keep up. Speed kills get with Coach Tee and get her as fast as possible. |
Anonymous
Who is Coach Tee?? |
Anonymous
I agree that stick skills are crucial here. Having excellent stick skills can help her get a foot in the door with an A team, and playing at a higher level will further enhance her abilities. This isn't a minor matter. Practicing consistently against the wall is hard and needs to be done daily. Don't focus on the "get fast" idea. Speed is largely genetic and only marginally trainable. You either have natural speed or you don't. It's not worth investing heavily in speed training at this age. Focus on the wall ball. |