Whether it is a club team, prospect day or showcase, there is no debating the proliferation of high-level events over the last five years. I have seen families pour their resources into showcases and elite level club teams before giving these athletes the opportunity to fully develop. 

Would you sign your daughter up for a marathon before she honed her ability to run, the mental ability to push for 26 miles, or most importantly the desire to run a grueling race?

If you’re in the race for the right reasons and considering individual training, here are three components you should require of your trainer.

1. Mechanical Development

Players enhance their game by spending time with trainers whose curriculum is focused around mechanical development — understanding how the body and certain movements strengthen fundamental lacrosse skills.

Mechanical development not only provides muscle memory, but also player consciousness during drills. Athletes should understand not only the what, but the why. They should understand fully what their arm all the way down to their left pinky toe is doing when performing lacrosse maneuvers.

2. Physical Maturation

Female athletes experience major change in their bodies during their middle school years. I’ve had players train with me during the summer, and by winter they have shot up 4-6 inches.

These young athletes are still learning how to operate their longer limbs and how to control them while playing. Individual training allows them to take time away from their team and grow as athletes and young women. Players have the opportunity to develop their new muscles through challenging training sessions that include high repetitions, agility and mechanical development.

3. Confidence Building

Individual training provides a platform for players to make mistakes without serious repercussions, to practice new skills and gain confidence in these new skills. Your daughter wants to shoot behind the back in a game? Awesome. Have her practice 50-100 times with a trainer. It will eventually come naturally during game time.

Before you hit that registration button, look into what the program is going to offer you or your daughter from a development standpoint. Research the curriculum and get an understanding of the staff.

​Coaches, create a culture where working in the offseason is supported. If you create opportunities for individual development, you will be able to implement more complex group concepts when the athletes return as stronger individuals.