The biggest mistake in youth lacrosse
The biggest mistake adults make with young lacrosse players is treating them like small high school players.
K-6 athletes do not need complicated systems, early position labels, or pressure to look polished too soon. They need movement. They need a stick in their hands. They need confidence. They need games that make them solve problems without realizing they are learning.
USA Lacrosse's Athlete Development Model emphasizes physical literacy, age-appropriate skill development, creativity, and station-based practice design. That matches the Forge Future Ballers philosophy: build the athlete first, then build the lacrosse player.
Let kids learn the sport better, love it more, and play it longer.
1. Fundamentals are not basic. They are the base.
When a young player can scoop, cradle, catch, throw, dodge, run, stop, and turn with confidence, everything else becomes easier later. When those pieces are skipped, bad habits follow the player into middle school and high school.
Future Ballers focuses on simple skills taught with high energy: ground balls, soft hands, athletic stance, partner passing, dodging into space, and competing without fear.
- Scoop through the ball.
- Eyes up after the pickup.
- Soft hands, loud feet.
- Run to space, not to traffic.
- Try the skill before you judge the result.
2. Movement literacy matters
Before a player can be a midfielder, defender, attackman, or goalie, he has to move like an athlete. That means running, stopping, skipping, shuffling, backpedaling, jumping, landing, turning, and changing direction.
Physical literacy is a core concept in modern athlete development. For young lacrosse players, it reduces frustration and gives them the tools to learn more complex skills later.
What Forge builds early
- Balance and body control.
- Change of direction.
- Hand-eye coordination.
- Spatial awareness.
- Confidence moving with a stick.
3. Small games beat standing in lines
Kids learn lacrosse by playing lacrosse-shaped games. Lines, lectures, and long waits kill development. Small-sided games create more touches, more decisions, more ground balls, and more chances to compete.
At Forge, we use small games to teach spacing, teammate awareness, simple passing, defensive positioning, and transition. The players think they are competing. The coach knows they are learning.
More touches. More decisions. More confidence.
4. Do not specialize too early
A third grader does not need to be locked into close defense. A fifth grader does not need an adult offensive package. Young athletes benefit from trying many roles because each role teaches a different part of the game.
Playing defense teaches footwork and patience. Playing offense teaches creativity and timing. Playing midfield teaches transition and effort. Trying goalie, even briefly, teaches courage and vision.
- Do not rush the position label.
- Build the athlete first.
- Let confidence grow through repetition.
- Reward effort, listening, and courage.
- Keep the game fun enough that they want to come back.
5. Confidence is a skill
Beginner players often need permission to fail. They are learning a hard sport with a stick, a ball, movement, teammates, and pressure. Confidence grows when the environment is demanding but safe.
Future Ballers uses no-contact, high-rep, age-appropriate sessions so young players can build confidence before the game feels too fast.
The Forge Future Ballers standard
We want young players leaving the field sweaty, smiling, and better. If they love the game and build the foundation, the advanced skills will come.
Move well. Handle the stick. Compete with joy.
That is how Future Ballers become future players.
Coaching reference notes
This article is original Forge Lacrosse Performance coaching content. It was developed from Forge's coaching framework and informed by current public coaching and athlete-development resources, without copying protected drills, manuals, or proprietary training plans.