THE BIGGEST ADVANTAGE IN YOUTH LACROSSE (AND WHY IT'S NOT SUSTAINABLE)

From USLACROSSE.ORG

By Gordon Corsetti |  @atlantayouthlax

I consider U13 the hardest age group to officiate for one reason: puberty. I read a long time ago that puberty is the biggest advantage in youth sports, and in my youth coaching and officiating experience, I would agree.

Each spring season, most of our boys entering the U13 age group seem to have sprouted a foot in height since I last saw them in the fall. The growth of these players always takes me by surprise, and the varying rate of physical development creates a few games where the matchup looks like a battle of Davids against Goliaths.

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Last year, I officiated an excellent game between two U13 teams of near equal skill, but one team was slightly further along the transition from boy to man. One of their attackmen stood a foot taller than all the defenders and probably outweighed the closest defender by at least thirty pounds. This attackman held the ball during the last two minutes to secure a one-goal victory for his team.

The issue in youth sports is that many coaches don’t coach beyond the physical attributes of their star athletes. I see this same game plan executed by youth teams every year: Get the ball to the bigger and stronger midfielder, and everyone else clears space. While that may be an effective strategy now, it’s not sustainable because it doesn’t account for varying rates of development.

An interesting document compiled by USA Swimming and the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association titled “The Young Athlete’s Body: Physical Development” details the differences between early maturers and the late maturers.

“The early-maturing individual is bigger, stronger, and quicker, acquires sport skills faster, and has more endurance potential than his or her peers. Thus, the early maturer can be expected to be a star grade school and junior high school athlete. A major problem is that the early maturer enjoys outstanding sport success during elementary, middle, and early junior high school simply because of the physical advantages he or she has over his or her teammates and opponents. With the elaborate sport programs available for very young athletes in most communities, the eight to twelve-year-old can readily become a true sports star.”

It is very difficult for a youth coach to refrain from tailoring a game plan around simply putting the ball in the hands of an early maturer. I know because I’ve been there. The physical gifts of such a player allow him to move around defenders as if they’re standing still. The problem I’ve run into and seen other coaches run into is an over-reliance on physically gifted players.

Boil down all the movement in lacrosse and you’ll find that it's all about exploiting 2-on-1 matchups. When the only game plan is getting the ball to the bigger, faster player and having him run over defenders, it will fail as the player gets older and his opponents continue to develop physically.

I watch players that breezed by defenders in U13 panic in U15 when they get double-teamed by opponents that are now as strong or stronger than them. The lack of field awareness by these players in U15 is a direct result to them being told, “Go to the goal!” every time they had the ball while playing U13. Most are stripped on the double and left staring at the clearing defenders while trying to figure out what just happened.

I have a soft spot in my heart for the late maturers, because I was one of them. I didn’t reach my adult height until junior year of high school and I didn’t crack 150 pounds until college. I earned playing time by being quick and knowing where the ball would be.

The biggest physical discrepancy I see at the U13 level is between defenders and attackman. The typical defender is tall and lanky for greater distance when throwing checks, while the typical attackman is shorter to give defenders less to check at when dodging. These attributes get seriously pronounced at the U13 level. There’s no disputing that different rates of physical development create advantages for larger players and their teams, but it’s been shown time and again that ball movement can negate size, strength, and quickness.

Coach your players to move with their heads up and to find the open man after drawing a double. This works to the advantage of the early maturer, who learns that because he draws so much attention from the opposing defense, he can be an offensive threat as a goal scorer and a passer. Focusing on ball movement also works to the advantage of the late maturer, who is often only two passes away from scoring a layup goal on the weak side.

There will come a time when the physical playing field is level and skill is the defining factor. Youth sports focus on building foundational skills because coaches at the higher level don’t want to waste time teaching players how to look for the open man.

I’ll close this post with a pertinent quote by Duke assistant coach Ron Caputo, as told to future U.S. team All-World midfielder (and noted late maturer) David Lawson:

“The difference between you and me is I don’t forget how good you are, but you do.”