This article appears in the May/June edition of US Lacrosse Magazine. Don’t get the mag? Join US Lacrosse today to start your subscription.

Video game designers invest sizable portions of their budgets into studying what players want. They take those findings and cater to their audience.

How else could a game like “FIFA Soccer” be on its’ 19th release and still be successful? The premise of the game hasn’t changed. What has changed is the user experience. With each new release, there’s a new way to level up, customize the uniform, create a dominating player, play online with and against friends or complete strangers. It’s customer-centric.

The other thing esports have going for them is “repetition without repetition.” Every time you participate, the game is different — new people to play with and against online, new challenges to overcome, new features unlocked. Gamers are immersed in the experience. It’s not all about the game. It’s about the environment the game creates.

Is youth lacrosse following suit, or is the experience static? We’re still playing “Pong” in the age of “Fortnite” and “Minecraft.” Our operating system is antiquated.

The Lacrosse Athlete Development Model (LADM) is a new operating system for working with young athletes. It’s a philosophy for how we can change lacrosse to get as many kids playing as possible, for as long as possible, in the best environment possible. We’ve listened to the kids, studied the research on who they are, what they want and how they want it delivered. We’ve taken this information and have weaved it into every aspect of how kids experience lacrosse.

If we’re going to win the fight against e-sports, and consequently childhood obesity and overall lack of physical fitness, we need to change. Coaches think nothing of changing strategy or tactics when something isn’t working in a game. With youth sport participation dropping overall and youth lacrosse growth not matching the attrition of players, it’s time to adjust. 

How do we adjust?

Create a carnival on the field. Do whatever it takes to foster a fun and kid-centered environment. Give them some control of games you play in practice. Make time for free play, where they can experiment and try to develop new skills.

Incorporate small-sided games into practice, using stations to keep waiting to a minimum. Get the kids moving and participating.  Video games don’t have lines, and seldom do 10 kids have to wait for one player to do something before they get a turn. Coach them while they’re moving or right after a rep, but don’t stop the whole team because one player needs a refresher on getting low to scoop the ball.

Plan your practices. Kids are not mini-adults. Design for development, meeting the athletes’ needs based on who they are and where they are on their journey.

US Lacrosse is here to help you. Our e-learning platform (I do see the irony here) has dozens of opportunities for you to get some great ideas for changing your operating system. We have the Mobile Coach app with hundreds of games that provide repetition without repetition. There are pre-made practice plans developed specifically for each age segment and their corresponding needs. Our CDP team conducts coach training events all over the country.

When we take advantage of everything we now know about kids and change the environment our athletes participate in, we will see more kids leaving smiling, sweating and smarter.

When that happens, maybe we’ll defeat “Fortnite.”