BOTC - US Lacrosse Community Forum Forums NORTHEAST LACROSSE BOTC MAIN FORUM (LI, CT, WC) Are year round LAX players better?

or does it benefit the lacrosse player to be a multi sport athlete?


a lot of debate on this topic and I was wondering what the opinion would be here


does a lacrosse player that plays only lacrosse year round have an advantage ?

is the multi sport player , essentially receiving cross training at a disadvantage?

Just speaking from my experience let your son choose what he wants to play. My son plays football in the fall, runs winter track, lacrosse in the spring and travel lax in the summer. He has met a lot of great kids from other school districts playing travel and also experienced a variety of coaching personalities. I was told that the year round activities help to cut down on injuries. I feel the variety in sports helps to prevent lax burnout too.

I can see how in a sport like baseball where if you play year round you might stress your arm too much, but other than mental fatigue, I don't see how playing lax year round is any different physically than playing football, track and lax.

It still involves running, cutting (not track but football), etc.

Let your kid play what he wants - even if it is lax 24/7.

The vast majority of college coaches would prefer multi-sport kids and not ones that play 1 sport all year round. Go to the US Lacrosse website, there are articles on this all the time. Div I coahes say multi sport athletes develop all around abilities and athleticism. They come to college as stron athletes and grow as lacrosse players. The kids who play all year round, have peaked as lax players and generally either don't improve much, or burn out

I can see how playing different sports teaches a young athlete different moves and tactics, etc, but athleticism is inherent in some human beings. Playing multiple sports won't make someone athletic.

Completely disagree with a single sport athlete peaking before they enter college. This statement makes no sense and disconnects from the convention of what it takes to become expert at anything. You don't develop a high lacrosse IQ by only playing the sport in the spring.

If you play eight games of football in the fall, punish your body, and get a few concussions, come spring you will be a much improved lax player... Also, even though you couldn't do ANY of the things the Thompsons could do the year before, those eight games of football will magically allow you to then mimic exactly what they do by spring. Those injuries incurred playing football will also help you extend your playing career in college.
I say let the kid do what he wants, three sports or one sport, it doesn't matter. If the kid is happy that's what matters. I promise you if your son has the ability to play in college he will. If he is serious about playing at the next level I suggest a proven strength training program. If done right it will greatly reduce incidence of injury and will limit overuse injury by training under used muscle groups.

According to who? the guy whose kid isn't getting any college looks? My committed kid and most of his committed friends only play lax competitively. The kid who competes in more than one sport is the exception. Not to say my son does not like to kick around the soccer ball or play hoops with his buddies. This multisport thing is silly despite what article you cite!

I'm not sure which side of this debate is right tbh

on one hand, you would think that the more a kid is on a lacrosse field, the better he or she will become as a lacrosse player.

but something can be said for developing muscles that aren't used as much in lacrosse. if you do the same motion over and over your muscles will adapt and stop growing and getting stronger.


if a kid played basketball, all the leaping and jumping could benefit that player on the lacrosse field.

it could also be beneficial because basketball and lacrosse are so similar. dodge and find the open player. lets say if your a point guard you could be dodging/penetrating more than you would on a lacrosse field. so when you do get on the lax field, you will be that much more comfortable with it.



that's my theory. I mainly like the idea of basketball as an off season sport for lax. winter is a pretty dead season, and the plays are very similar.


I see multi sport All Americans quite a bit

The question is, does playing multiple sports make one an All American or is it the inherent athleticism? I lean towards the latter and think the multi-sport focus in lacrosse is strange and getting a bit carried away. If a kid just wants to play lacrosse, then let him do it. Likewise for multiple sports. Don't force a kid to do something they don't want to do. I agree with playing multiple sports because it's better to be a well rounded person. Plus, how does a kid know he really loves lacrosse if he doesn't try other sports. However, if the kid loves lacrosse and wants to play at a high level, he better have a stick in his hand more often than not all year long.

With the World Cup going on it's timely to think of the fact that soccer is the only sport kids play in many of the countries contending for the cup. I don't think Ronaldo was a multi- sport athlete, yet he defied the lacrosse world logic and became a top player. Go figure.

Surely Messi was playing American football to better himself at Soccer....

The only thing meaningful about being a multi-sport athlete is that it serves as a qualifier for athleticism to those who view it as such. Therefore, if Danowski, et al. like to see multiple sports, then so be it. You want to impress them, then play at least one other sport well. However, it really won't make someone a better lacrosse player, that's for sure.

This is a petty argument. The elite kids play lax all year while playing other sports also. Why can't a kid play football but also train lax during the week too. Find something else to nit pick about

Play multiple sports bc it is fun. Will playing lacrosse year round make you better yes, enough to get you on the roster at Duke probably not. Chances are if you are talented enough to play for Duke working on your stick sticks year round and playing in the spring and summer while playing something in the fall and winter would be enough.

I see too may one sport kids that are average in their chosen sport but would help out teams in other sports.

Your athletic career is so short and only a chapter in your life. Play everything hard and enjoy it while it lasts. If you have the athletic talent they will find you. If you want to play something year round because you love doing it...fine. If you are doing it with the thought that it is going to get you that spot at Duke.... YOu better have the talent to back it up or you are wasting some great opportunities in your life that you WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO GET BACK!

Whats the point? Of course concentrating solely on Lacrosse will certainly make you a better lacrosse player but not necessarily a better athlete. Does your inherient athleticism make you a better athlete in any sport? Absolutely. According to statistics most of these kids will not be playing lacrosse at the advanced level even though according to posters on this board every kid is getting a scholarship. Even so, "Lacrosse Player" is not a profession and Playing D1 sports becomes a full time commitment. Playing multiple sports may make your kid a better athlete if not a more well rounded person. And that may be more important. It may result in them not burning out from one sport. Let them choose to play the sports they want. Let them enjoy this time. Its too short and life will have them consumed soon enough. Parental expectations are not the kids problem. Help them build memories, they last longer.

Silly only because it was not your experience but the majority of college coaches do prefer multisport athletes as a general rule. Sounds like your son is an exception but that does not discount what the general consensus is. Both basketball and soccer are known for helping with defensive skills and also for developing the field sense of lacrosse players. Many lax coaches will tell boys to play basketball in the off season for this reason. There is absolutely no reason that elite players can not also play other sports in fall and winter if they chose and if they happen to be focused on a college program that the coach encourages and looks for this, then good for them. Often times the problem with the "elite" clubs is that they do not allow it which is a personal choice for a family to go with that club because there are many many elite clubs that have no issue with it. If you take a look at D1 commits, the majority (not all) are multi sport athletes.

how does a 2019 or 2020 get into hockey

When a Di Lacrosse coach says they prefer multisport athletes, what they really mean, I believe, is that multisport athletes have more room to grown, skill-wise, when they get to college, where they will receive the best coaching in the world, be competing against the best, and focusing on the sport year round. D1 coaches have to choose amongst many dominant HS players. The HS player who plays only lacrosse year round has probably peaked (or nearly so) skill wise. The player who only plays in the spring and summer, while playing soccer in the fall and bball in the winter, will get better in college. If they are both dominating in HS, the D1 coach will prefer the later kid.

I have a family member who was a D1 basketball coach his whole life. He said recruiting is simply about getting the best athletes. Once on campus, the coaches will coach them up. Lacrosse, I am sure, is no different.

I had the pleasure recently of having dinner socially with someone who recruits for D1programs. This was sincerely just a social dinner.
As with any event that puts parents together who's kids have a sport in common the conversation naturally turned to lacrosse.
This is what he told us...
Your son will be looked at INDEPENDENT of who he plays for. The coach will never ask what his travel teams season record was or what tournaments he played in. They want to know YOUR SONS SKILL LEVEL.
Additionally they want to know your sons GPA in HS and what his course load was. He also wants to know what he does off season. He did not mean off season training but what your son is involved in that he is committed to, I.e. community service.
He will also inquire about the parents and the family.
So here I s the take away... Have your son perfect his game, be a team player not striving to be a superstar at the expense of his team, have him involved in outside interests that relate to community service, he needs to be a student athlete, and you as his parents should not be a ball and chain of embarrassment around his neck.
All of that said >1% of lacrosse players will play at a D1 school. The above applies to DII schools as well.

Simply put, be the best player in your age group at camps, tournaments, and be athletic, hustle and be consistent and you will get plenty of chances to play beyond high school. The big D I schools recruit the best players at their age groups and they start to get verbals from 9th graders who are much better than the other 9th graders and the rest of the players filter down to other programs as time passes just because your 9th grader isn't verbally committed if he's good enough he will play somewhere.

Again, lets be honest. Everyone thinks they are D1. But In reality that is a finite and very limited number. How many of these kids are really going to play D1 lax? Even if they make the team and never get to play. Or if they would even be able to handle the work load of a D1 schedule plus school work and still enjoy being a college kid. This isn't basketball. There's no one and done here with a pay date. This is a 4-year commitment. Many of the bubble D1 kids transfer out after year 1 or 2. Just because a kid can play D1 doesnt mean he wouldn't be better off playing D2-3.