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John Desko of Syracuse announcing World Indoor Lacrosse Championships WILC 2015 heading to Onondaga Nation
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John Desko: Every Kid Should Play Box Lacrosse

When it was announced the 2015 World Indoor Lacrosse Championship would be played inside the world famous Carrier Dome earlier this year, the ambiance at the press conference was intense. It was the perfect opportunity for an ambassador of our game to step up at the podium and make a bold statement about the sport of lacrosse. Lucky for all of us, Syracuse men’s lacrosse coach John Desko effortlessly rose to the occasion.

I think all young kids should play box first.
– Coach John Desko

Speaking passionately about the differences between “field” lacrosse and “box” lacrosse, every word rolling off of Coach Desko’s tongue seemed authentic and unrehearsed. All-in-all, Desko made several points worth running passed anyone and everyone who’s ever had a preference (or will have a preference) for either style of the game.

[mks_icon icon=”fa-diamond” color=”#1e73be” type=”fa”]  The Many Benefits of Box [mks_icon icon=”fa-diamond” color=”#1e73be” type=”fa”]

With a 211-66 overall record, John Desko (Head Coach, Syracuse men’s lacrosse) has the highest winning percentage of any active lacrosse coach at the NCAA Division I ranks. Here are the many benefits of box lacrosse (also known as indoor) according to him:

[mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#1e73be” type=”fa”] Like hockey, the ball never goes out of bounds. It bounces off the boards and always stays in play.

[mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#1e73be” type=”fa”] Players get more touches and repetitions.

[mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#1e73be” type=”fa”] The ball moves faster, and there’s more flow to the game.

[mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#1e73be” type=”fa”] It’s more like basketball in terms of stoppage of play, whereas field lacrosse is more like football.

[mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#1e73be” type=”fa”] There’s more scoring. The games are more fun to watch because all of the goals.

[mks_icon icon=”fa-star” color=”#1e73be” type=”fa”] The 30-second shot clock speeds up the pace.

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By now, those who lead 24/7 lives as lacrosse professionals have accepted the “box lacrosse trend” as a trend-no-longer. We have finally come to recognize what box can do and has done for the game. After all, box lacrosse is the game just as much as its counterpart.

“Lacrosse,” as those outside our game see it, is just a sport like any other. But we all know it isn’t quite that simple – or at least we ought to all know that by now. There are such greater depths to which we must understand our game.

Call it the “box training,” the “hybrid,” or whatever-you-want-to-call-it model, but the fact always remains the same. Close-quarter training leads to faster skill improvement for a lacrosse player of any size, speed, or age.

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WILC Team News

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In my lifetime and, more specifically, over the past 10 years, I’ve rarely ever met someone of high esteem in the lacrosse community who differentiated between the styles of the game when he/she spoke. To me, that’s just been further validation that Box Lacrosse and Field Lacrosse are really just one in the same.

All kids should play this beautiful game!

[mks_icon icon=”fa-bullhorn” color=”#dd3333″ type=”fa”] Reserve your tickets to the 2015 World Indoor Lacrosse Championships now at WILC2015.com, and prepare yourself for the action! And hey, while you’re at it, follow the WILC on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.