Development

Pyramid of Success, Building Blocks

Posted on January 6, 2017 by Bob Schmitt

John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success

As we continue to examine John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success, we move upward from the Foundation to the next level of Building Blocks.

Self-Control

Self-Control is an essential part of discipline. The ability to control your emotions even at the highest levels of competition is a necessary part of developing the mindset of a Champion.

Alertness

Be focused and observant of all things going on around you, as much of the time as possible. This allows you to be continuously learning. Being alert to all cues will help you exploit an opponent’s weakness or to correct one of your own.

Initiative

Failure is part of Success. You cannot be afraid to fail. You can learn from failure. You must have the strength to make decisions and act on them. If you fear failure, you will never try to get to the next level and therefore, never be the best you can be.

Intentness

Keep your focus on your values and your goals. Don’t be distracted or discouraged by a lack of success along the way. Stay on that course, continue working your hardest to become the best you can be. Be persistent, tenacious and absolutely determined.

Really consider the above “Building Blocks”, and try to make them part of who you are and what you do. I think this will put you on a positive path leading to “success”.

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Fusion Town Championships

Posted on January 5, 2017 by Corey Winkoff

FLG Lacrosse is evolving the youth team tournament experience by introducing Fusion to Town teams this March. FLG Fusion is a hybrid training system that incorporates multi-sport concepts, rules, and techniques. Fusion teaches lacrosse players through fast-paced play, unique rules, multiple repetitions, and playing in tight spaces.

At the Fusion Town Championships, the emphasis is on competition, high-level play, and most importantly, development. Players will experience between 6 and 8 unique small area games all created by FLG Lacrosse. Players will learn the rules of these games, how they work, why we play them, and tips on how to succeed in them.

This event is a great opportunity for coaches to learn a little something too. Coaches of each team will leave with an FLG Small Area Competitive Games & Drills book. This will consist of FLG’s favorite small area games that are hand-picked for youth coaches. Also, these are great drills to run during PAL practices in the Spring.

Learn more about how FLG looks to build more than just athletes here!

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2016, A Year of Change and Lacrosse

Posted on January 4, 2017 by Bob Schmitt

As 2016 draws to a close, I have been reflecting on this past year, which for me was a year of change to say the least. And most of that, “change”, has centered on lacrosse. This time last year, I was finishing my 24th year in the same job and looking forward to a winter of College Wrestling and a spring of College Lacrosse, as I planned to get to as many of my kids’ events as possible. By the end of January, I had accepted the Assistant Coaching Position at SUNY Old Westbury and by the end of February, I had retired from my job of 24 years.

I was able to see almost all of my son’s wrestling events including the NCAA Regional at Washington and Lee, in Lexington, VA. I became fully engrossed in O.W. Women’s Lacrosse and we enjoyed a great season, qualifying for the Skyline Conference Playoffs for the first time in the program’s four year history.

I was fortunate enough to attend Senior Day at Coker College, in South Carolina, to see my former player and close family friend, Shane Wilson played in his final Home Game.

My coaching duties at O.W., limited my ability to see my daughter’s lacrosse games. However, I was able to attend the PSAC Championships at Mercyhurst University in Erie, PA. The Lady Lakers won their first ever Conference Championship. I then solo road tripped to Lindenwood University in St. Charles, MO, to see them compete in the NCAA Playoffs.

On Memorial Day Weekend, I was thrilled to see another former player, Brendan Caputo, playing for Brown. His late goal sent their NCAA Semi-Final game into overtime, before ultimately falling to Maryland in an epic game.

I coached the Long Island TOGZ 2019/20 Team through the summer tournament season. But, by early August, the TOGZ which had been a huge part of my life for almost a decade, would no longer exist. As summer began to wane, I began coaching and working for FLG Lacrosse.

Throughout the fall, there were FLG Practices, Fall Recruiting Tournaments and then various Training Sessions . There were more road trips to see Mercyhurst during their fall ball season.

This past year marked some big changes for me. It has not been easy, but I have tried to embrace it. I am busier than I thought I would be in “Retirement”. But, I am very happy with my present life. I love both of my jobs, and the people I get to work with. 2016 was a great journey. I am looking forward to a great year in 2017. Practice at O.W. starts on January 23. I am anxious to begin!

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The Wisdom of John Wooden

Posted on January 3, 2017 by Bob Schmitt

John Wooden is widely regarded as the greatest philosopher, teacher, and coach in all of sports history. Though he passed away more than six years ago, he left behind many pearls of wisdom, from which we can all, continue to learn. One such gem is his “Pyramid of Success”. As we begin 2017, I will post a series of blogs, highlighting the “building blocks” of the “Pyramid”, and how they can be helpful to us in sports, as well as everyday life.

John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success

THE CORNERSTONES

The First Cornerstone of the Pyramid, is “Industriousness“. At its simplest, Wooden is talking about “hard work”. “There is no substitute for hard work”. Nobody achieves greatness without hard work. There are no short cuts. If you want to be the best you can be, whether it be in sports, school or anything else, work your hardest toward that end. Industriousness is not just going through the motions. It is focused, conscientious and passionate.

The Second Cornerstone, is “Enthusiasm“. To truly attain success, you must enjoy what you are doing. The two elements go together. Enthusiasm can turn hard work into “Industriousness” . If you have enthusiasm for something, it will become contagious. Positive leadership is a powerful force, whether it comes from a Coach or a Player.

If you can be Industrious and Enthusiastic in whatever you endeavor to do (sports, school, work etc.), you will be well on your way to achieving real success.

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Giving Back

Posted on December 20, 2016 by Bob Schmitt

Building More Than Just Athletes – this is the ultimate goal for FLG Lacrosse, a mission statement. What does this mean? We try to take a comprehensive approach to helping our student athletes as they strive to become not only the best lacrosse players they can be, but more importantly, the best people they can be. The focus of our training, is to teach the value of hard work and dedication to long term goals. We are less concerned with wins and losses, than with “getting better everyday”. And “getting better”, means on and off the lacrosse field.

One way to emphasize the off field part of student athlete development, is to provide our players with opportunities to perform charitable acts and community service. “Lax4all” is the not for profit entity started by FLG, dedicated to helping grow the game of lacrosse in areas that do not already have youth lacrosse programs. “Lax4all” has been instrumental in beginning the youth lacrosse program in Roosevelt and is currently working to do the same in Uniondale. For the past month, “Lax4all” has partnered with the Uniondale Athletic Department, to run free weekly clinics in the Gymnasium of the Lawrence Road Middle School. More than 30 FLG Select Team members (Elementary aged and older) have participated in this event. Watching them “give back” by helping others learn the game they love, has been extremely rewarding. A wonderful experience for everyone.

Operation Shoe Box, is a program that facilitates sending various items to U.S. Troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Each of the past three Saturdays, FLG has encouraged and collected donations from all players participating in its Box Lacrosse Training Program. The response has been impressive, with more than fifty donations, thus far. The thought and care that has gone into creating these packages, is a reflection of the fine families we have in our program. By taking part in this program. our student athletes learn about power of good deeds and helping others. These are the type of “life lessons”, that sports can help teach.

FLG will continue to “Build More Than Just Athletes”. Follow our Blog, to see how.

http://flg.ebricks04.com/flg-community/

http://opshoeboxnj.org/opshoebox_volunteer.html#.WFl4qNLmqA4

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A Tale of Two Lacrosse Clubs

Posted on November 9, 2016 by Bob Schmitt

I spent this past weekend at Diamond Nation in Flemington, NJ, coaching two different FLG Girls Teams at The Opener, a tournament run by the T3 Lacrosse Club. I have been coaching at T3 events at Diamond Nation for at least five years now, and am never disappointed. The venue is not too far from Long Island, you are never too far from your next game, the fields are all turf, even the food is great. But the best thing about these events, is the competition. It gets better every time I go there. More and more quality players on more and more quality teams.

While I was very busy coaching, I tried to watch some other games as well. I was very impressed by the level of play all around me. On Saturday, in between our games on Field 1, I was treated to a terrific game between a DewLax Team and an opponent, I regrettably don’t remember right now. I have coached against Coach Wilkins, the DewLax Founder/Director and Coach, a number of times and we have become friendly over the years. I have watched his program grow and continue to improve. He coaches every kid, and no detail, good or bad, goes unnoticed or un-coached. His teams always play with a relentless intensity, that is the trademark of DewLax teams.

I was also able to watch the ADK 2017/18 Team in action against our FLG 2018 Team. ADK was coached by Bill White, also a Founder/Director and Coach. I have known Bill since my daughter was in 9th grade (she is now a college sophomore) and was a guest player on Bill’s ADK Team. It was great to see him on the sideline, as his team put on a beautiful display of transition lacrosse. As is the ADK Style, the ball never stays in one stick very long. Crisp upfield passing and rapid ball movement are the hallmarks of every ADK Team, I have ever seen play. I think I would have been able to tell it was an ADK Squad (and a very good one at that) even if they had been in a different uniform.

Where Coach Wilkins is loud and on top of every second of every game, Bill White is remarkably reserved on the sideline. Two very different styles. Each, very effective in its own way, and each leaving their personal stamp on their teams, their programs and anyone else, if they are really watching. I am glad I have gotten to know them both. The Lacrosse Community is fortunate to have such people.

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Work Hard at Your Craft

Posted on October 25, 2016 by Bob Schmitt

That was some of the advice given to me by my High School Lacrosse (and Football) Coach, Bob Macaluso, when I told him I had been hired as the Assistant Women’s Lacrosse Coach at SUNY Old Westbury, last winter. Those words have stayed with me, and resonate now more than ever, as am also working for FLG Lacrosse. As coaches, we often tell players to always be improving, “Get Better Everyday”. Coaches need to be doing this as well. How do we do that? We should be thorough and precise in our practice planning, no detail is too small to consider. We should make some time after practices, for debriefing and critiquing, to identify what went well and what did not go well. Then we can make corrections and adjustments to improve our practices. Collaboration is another important component of good coaching. Even the most knowledgeable coaches, should be learning from others. There is no shortage of resources from which to draw upon. Watch and listen to other coaches, from your sport or any sport. Read books and articles that will increase your understanding not only of your sport, but of how to better deliver your messages to your players. If you are coaching for the right reasons, you are probably doing a lot of this stuff already. If you have passion for coaching, working hard at your craft, won’t seem like work at all.

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Pursuit of Perfection

Posted on October 11, 2016 by Bob Schmitt

For the first time in a month, I did not spend make a long car trip to watch my daughter and the Mercyhurst Lady Lakers Lacrosse Team at a Fall Ball Event. We had two very good FLG Select Team Practices on Saturday, and I thought it might be nice to have a little less Lacrosse, for at least one Sunday.

Then I remembered I had set Team Snap email notifications to all of the girls in the program telling them about the “Fall Classic” on the Lax Sports Network (LSN) on Saturday and Sunday. Over the course of the weekend, the top four National Teams from the last World Cup, as well as defending NCAA Champion, University of North Carolina, would be squaring off at Tierney Field in Sparks, Maryland. Of course, I would have to check it out, after all it would be wrong to lead others to the event and then not watch it myself.

So, I tuned in to the UNC Tar Heels vs. Australia. I was thoroughly impressed with both teams. UNC looked very fast. As the game progressed, it seemed that Carolina’s youthful inexperience was actually a virtue against an Australian Squad that looked a bit tired at times and not able to match the aggressive ride (or re-defend), and overall team speed of UNC. The fact that UNC was without three players who are still in the Pool for the final two cuts for the US National Team (Caylee Waterss, Marie McCool and Maggie Bill), should put the rest of NCAA Women’s Lacrosse, on notice.

Next up, the US vs. Canada. While the announcers were discussing Canada’s lackluster performance on Saturday, I was anticipating a tight game. The Canadians often seem to have our number in these types of events. I could not have been more wrong. The current version of the US National Team, is truly something to behold. It would take too long to list the number of amazing players still in the running to make the final 18 player roster (I don’t envy Coach Fried and his Staff, having to make those cuts). The US put on a remarkable display of high speed skill, athleticism, tenacity and execution. They were firing on all cylinders to say the least. I stopped paying attention to the score and simply marveled at the selfless, continuous maximum effort they put forth. Every Dodge was made with determination, every cut with a purpose, every ride was the picture of gritty, athletic toughness, the ball movement was swift and precise. Are you getting the picture? It appears that the explosion in girl’s/women’s lacrosse has now produced such a volume of elite level players, that the US could likely field at least two teams that would be better than any other Nation’s best.

The most impressive thing of all, was that I never saw even one player act selfishly, trying to further her chances to make the team. Collections of great players, often tend to under achieve as a group due to their lack of cohesion and/or chemistry. This US Team seems to possess an absolute commitment to “TEAM” and a full blown “Pursuit of Perfection”. It should be fun to watch!

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The Hardest Part About Running a Lacrosse Club

Posted on October 6, 2016 by Corey Winkoff

Running a lacrosse club isn’t easy. One of the most difficult parts about the job is treating each team in your club as if they are your one and only. If you get new jerseys for one team, you have to get new jersey’s for every team. If you provide great coaching for one team, you have to provide great coaching for every team. If you practice plan for one team, you should be planning practice for every team in your program. If you do it on the boys side of the program, you should offer it on the girls side.

While running a success lacrosse club can have it’s challenges, it can be done. It’s important to understand that one person can’t make a successful club.

It takes a positive culture.

It takes great coaches, volunteers, and staff.

It take generous families who are open and willing to help the club and do what’s in the best interest of their kids.

It takes tremendous effort, grit, and time.

If you are one of those people who are running club, think about how you treat your favorite team. Maybe it’s that team your son or daughter is on, maybe it’s your best team, or maybe it’s your most coachable team. Now, go treat every team in your program just like them. That sounds like a successful club lacrosse program to me.

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Deliberate Practice

Posted on October 5, 2016 by Corey Winkoff

It’s not about how much you practice, as much it is how you practice. Angela Duckworth explains the importance of what’s called deliberate practice. A form of deep practice that is quality, efficient, and mindful.

Let’s say you’re on a great team, you have a quality coach, and you play for a quality program. What’s the next step to getting your talents to the next level?

Know the science of what you wish to master and follow these 4 steps to get the most out of deliberate practice:

Clearly define your goal
Full concentration and effort 100% of the time!
Immediate and informative feedback. This can be self-informed. Use video to your advantage.
Reps. Reps. Reps. with reflection and refinement

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