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Don’t run out of gas… know your fuel source and why it works

A good article on nutrition and fueling your body from StikGuru Lacrosse.

Lacrosse nutrition and carbohydrates… fueling the motor of success…

Lacrosse nutrition, it seems that every time we look into getting into better shape or training for lacrosse we are overwhelmed with information about how much protein or muscle triplicator bars (movie quote - anyone recognize it) you need to drink or eat to be successful. What about fueling your body though? You won’t get far on just eating candy bars and throwing down a protein shake after a workout.

So, I want to talk with you about carbohydrates and how they affect your body. Carbohydrates are the “fuel” that your body runs on and while you can get by without a lot of protein for a short time you cannot get by without the proper carbohydrate intake. To short yourself on the proper fuel for your body on practice days or more importantly on games days is asking to perform poorly and finish weakly.

Having poor diet habits are like entering your race car in a 500 lap race with only enough fuel for 450 laps. You may look good almost to the end, but almost is no where near the finish line. As a coach I repeatedly see athletes play well for the majority of the game and start to falter towards the end. It is almost unnoticeable for some athletes until you take their whole performance into account. It most often shows in decision making such as passing or shot selection and will also be apparent when that last charge of effort is needed and they just jog or stand there and watch the play. What causes an otherwise dedicated and fit athlete to make this mistake?

see the rest of the article here…

Goalie Intangibles…

Being a good goalie goes far beyond stepping in the right direction or making the twentieth save of the night when your defense is struggling. Goalies are a rare breed; at least, good ones are. We’re the crazy ones, the ones that purposefully put themselves in harm’s way, and the first ones on the field and the last ones off.

We’ve all worn ugly purple bruises proudly as evidence of a game well played, and can recount the fastest shots in a pain-filled slow motion. But the real badges of courage aren’t as quickly earned or easy to display. To be a great goalie, you’ve got to master not only the skills, but the mental fortitude it takes to play this 90% mental 10% physical position.

First and foremost, goalies are the leaders of the defense. It’s their voice that calms the confusion during an action-packed play, and their reprimands that keep the defenders on the tip of their toes and the top of their game. Most goalies understand the role they need to play during the game, but in order to field a defense that will listen, their leadership has to start during practice. They’ve got to lead from the moment they pick up their sticks to the moment they leave the field.

It’s easy to goof off during practice, especially if your team doesn’t staff a goalie coach, but in order for your fellow players to take you seriously, you’ve got to take practice serious as well. If you let in easy shots during practice, your defenders won’t have confidence that you can stop the hard ones when game time rolls around.

If you don’t talk when you’re in the cage during practice (calling out ball position, slides, etc.), your defenders will be unused to hearing your voice and won’t respond to it while they’re under pressure during the game. Condition them to seeing you play your best, and they’ll have a reason to protect you. Direct them, respectfully and confidently, and they’ll respond with equal respect and obedience.

Drop by next week to hear more about what it takes to be a great goalie!

Women’s Lacrosse and How to Cradle Under Pressure

I watch a lot of women’s lacrosse games since I umpire them (they pay more than men’s lacrosse) and I am always surprised to see how often the ball is dropped when a player receives pressure. Most often it is due to where the players top hand is located.

Often when a players hand is lower on the stick you will notice the stickhead is higher over the head. When pressure is applied from an attacking defender an offensive player tends to draw the stick closer to them and often will lean back to get away from the defender. This brings the stick back over their head and the ball falls out. See Fig 1. To stop the ball from falling out you can move your top hand up which will lower you stick head and prevent the ball from falling out due to a poor cradle under pressure. See Fig. 2

A natural reaction is to lean away from defensive pressure and this will cause you to lean your stick back also and the ball will most often fall out because of gravity…

Fig 1.

By holding you hand higher on the stick you will notice that there will be less of a tendency to lean back. You will find youself dodging to the left or the right and tucking your cradle in to avoid a check instead of leanin back.

Fig. 2

The Amazing Growth of Lacrosse

Lacrosse has grown at a high level since records have been kept starting in 2001 by US Lacrosse. While the majority of lacrosse is still played on the East coast lacrosse is still making inroads in the Midwest, South, and the West coast.

As athletes continue to grow past 7 feet in basketball and 300lbs in football is no big deal it is interesting to look and see who is playing lacrosse. A lacrosse player is seldom over 185lbs for a men’s lacrosse player and 150lbs for a women’s lacrosse player. Now before any women’s lacrosse players feel like I am calling them fat I am just using what I have personally see to be the average.

With lacrosse in its infancy (still) in has become the sport for the average joe who has not played sports all their life therefore cannot make the elite teams of other sports. Although we are seeing a good cross section of athletes from other sports as lacrosse starts providing a larger pool of scholarships to a smaller pool of players.

Below are some number from the US Lacrosse web site that show the growth of lacrosse over the last several years.

Fitness for Lacrosse

If you were looking at lacrosse from any other sport and you would have to realize that fitness is paramount in playing the “fastest game on two feet”. How often do you see lacrosse players over 200lbs? Not often.

Along with fitness comes the need for an understanding of nutrition and what affects it can have on you as a players. Both protiens and carbohydrates play an important part and know how much to eat of each one is needed.

Below is part of an article taken from StikGuru Lacrosse and has some good information in regards to carbohydrates and how much you need to fuel your body.

Carbohydrates = Fuel = Performance

Carbohydrates are the main fuel for muscles and the brain. Carbohydrates = Energy. There are two types of carbohydrates. Simple and complex. Simple carbohydrates are candy, donuts, soda, and fruits. Simple carbohydrates provide energy for short amounts of time while complex carbohydrates such as pasta, whole grain cereals, bread, rice, and beans provide a balanced energy output over the long haul. Now, what about carbohydrate gels and drinks for lacrosse nutrition? These are very helpful for all athletes and should be considered in your plan for fueling your body. They are quick and easy to use before, during, and after your exercise, practices, and games.

Research says that your intake during heavy exercise should be .5 carbohydrates per pound of body weight per hour. See the example below. Taken from www.latriathlon.com website. To read the entire article click here.

Research shows that a carbohydrate intake of roughly 0.5 gram per pound of body weight (1 g/kg) during each hour of exercise improves performance by providing muscles with extra energy. For example, a 121-lb (55-kg) female athlete should ingest around 55 grams of carbohydrate per hour of exercise, while a 198-lb (90-kg) male athlete should ingest roughly 90 g/hour. That carbohydrate can come from sports drinks, carbohydrate gels (with sufficient water; about 16-oz water per packet of gel), or other sources of carbohydrate. There is no benefit in exceeding 0.5 grams of carbohydrate per pound per hour (1 g/kg/hour) because the body has a limited capacity to burn the carbohydrate ingested during exercise. As a means of comparison, one quart (~ 1 liter) of Gatorade or Gatorade Endurance Formula contains 60 grams of carbohydrate.

Fall Lacrosse Tournaments

I have been searching high and low for a decent website that has a list of both men’s and women’s lacrosse tournaments for HS players. I have found very good information on tournaments along the East Coast but very little from the Midwest and over.

I anyone has a good website or would like to put together a blog that I will post of tournament websites then let me know. I will give credit and post a link to your website/blog if you would like.

Summer Lacrosse

Even though lacrosse is the fastest growing sport in the United States there is one thing that lacrosse has not conquered. The summer. It seems once summer finally arrives lacrosse takes a siesta till the fall. Having been a football player in the days before men’s and women’s lacrosse came along I remember the entire summer being an extended preseason training camp.

I did grow up in Texas though and that might explain some of the fanatical year round obsession with playing. Although I am hoping that lacrosse takes on the same characteristics when it comes to its fan base.

Possibly one of the reasons lacrosse is not an off season sport, at least in Texas and some of the midwest, is that a large part of the lacrosse movement is made up of cross participant athletes.

Unlike football you will seldom see a lacrosse player over 200lbs. In men’s and women’s lacrosse a player can expect to run 3-5 miles most often at a sprint. In football you are pretty much relegated to run 7 seconds and rest 45 seconds. No wonder lacrosse is such a draw for athletes involved in soccer, basketball, and football.

Lacrosse has the perfect combination of all the most popular sports. No wonder the growth is phonomenal and the fan base is growing just as fast. Who wouldn’t love to see soccer, football, and basketball played all at the same time for the same price?

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