Calling all coaches… is it me or are the players today lacking a lot of the fundamentals? Watching kids catch and throw the wrong way is becoming the norm. I remember my oldest daughter’s lacrosse team being very smooth, catching and throwing at ease when they were at the Midget level. Now my youngest is in this age and her teammates really struggle w/ the basics. They can’t catch. They don’t practice a lot on their own. Yet…they seem to play a lot of games, at least according to their parents. Maybe too many games and not enough practice?

Coaches all understand the balance between practice, where we build the fundamentals, and playing games, where parents get to see their children showcased.
It appears that the balance point between practice and games has shifted way over to playing games rather than practicing. Who has time to practice with so many opportunities to play in elite leagues and tournaments? There must be a reason why 10 year olds need to play 30 games a year? We’re too busy playing games to be able to practice.
As a result, our kids are lacking in the proper fundamentals.

Please note that Tiger Woods spent most of his youth practicing on the range than actually playing rounds of golf. It wasn’t until he acquired a certain mastery of a shot that he would even try to play it during a round. And where did he learn that mastery? Practicing… not playing. Perhaps the Tiger-esq training would better serve our players.