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Maximum Lacrosse Camp NYC
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Maximum Lacrosse Camp – NYC: Day Two

Pier 40 NYC
What a venue! What a day! Pier 40 NYC

Day two of the Max Seibald’s Maximum Lacrosse Camp in New York City is in the books!  And what a day it was.  The threat of rain never really materialized (although some of the other coaches said it rained.  How did I miss that?) and we got a nice mixture of clouds and sunshine.  Max led the day with lots of energy and the kids answered with vigor!  Plus some sweet camp video at the end of the post!  Don’t miss that…

I ran the show for the young guns and for the morning, we again focused heavily on stickwork, and guess what?  We switched it up on the campers again!  This time we did some quick line drills where we focused on over the shoulder catches, flip passes and communication.  Then we broke up and did some of Ryan Powell’s Root-22 system training and the kids went nuts for it.  We allowed them to attack the drills at their own comfort levels, and by doing so, we saw kids try things they might not have tried if we had it mandatory.  Guys were getting creative, and forming a relationship with their stick.  It was a thing of beauty.

Maximum Lacrosse Camp NYC
Did someone win a red chrome Nike head? I think so!

Then, I got really gutsy and decided that my 2nd-6th graders were ready to run the Star Drill.  And initially, they weren’t.  But we kept at it and didn’t give up and after about 10 minutes they started to get it more and more.  About 12 minutes in, one of the kids remarked, “man, this drill is impossible if you don’t communicate”.  And BAM, we had achieved success.  The star drill isn’t that hard, IF you can communicate.  By the end of the session, we we running it pretty well and the kids were louder than they had been all camp.  It’s about instilling good traits at camp, and this one has definitely been a success on that front so far.

Maximum Lacrosse Camp NYC
The campers LOVE lunch time.

The afternoon saw a good deal of one on ones, two on twos, shooting and more.  We even got in some competition time where the prizes were all Nike heads and shafts, which the kids went crazy for.  Makes sense, I go crazy for that stuff too.

Maximum Lacrosse Camp NYC
Coaches Levine, Levine and Seibald strategize.

The most noteworthy tangent of the day was the mention of Nike and Under Armour entering the lax world.  Every kid was well aware of the Nike involvement in the sport.  Duh.  But one kid said UA was now making lax gear, some other kid said no way, and then I stepped in and said, yes, UA was entering the marketplace.  They laughed because I said marketplace.  I guess that was funny.

Back to the point…  Under Armour, and even more so, NIKE, have the biggest opportunities to make huge leaps in the lax industry.  Why?  Because they are simply the two most popular sporting brands.  There is no other reason than that.  UA and Nike could absolutely take over lacrosse if they made the proper investment, and these kids getting SO exicted about UA lax gear that they haven’t even seen is all the proof I need.  Add on the fact that on Day 1 a ton of kids looked at the Nike pinnies and thought they were so sweet, merely because it was Nike Lax, and I think I make my point.  Those brands have caché with consumers.

I grew up on STX, Brine and Warrior.  After years of great product, I trust those companies and know they are legit.  But someone new to the sport?  Probably not.  They’re going to trust Nike, or Under Armour, because that’s who makes their sneakers, and their shorts, and their moisture-wicking shirts.  Nike and UA are in football, basketball and every other sport under the Sun, so it only makes sense that they will be new participants’ first choice when buying gear.

Anyway, the camp has been great, and it’s got me thinking about lacrosse even more, and in a whole new way.  The campers have been attentive, and they have worked hard so far.  The coaches have been dropping knowledge at a torrid pace and taking the time to address campers’ individual questions and needs.  It’s the kind of camp where players emerge better on the field, more knowlegable about the sport, and with a greater love for the game.  Just the kind of camp I love being a part of!