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Introducing: Daily Workouts. 10,000 Hour Rule Not Required


Summary: We are excited to announce that we will be offering free, short workouts throughout the summer. Each workout will be approximately 20 minutes with a portion dedicated to developing lacrosse skill and another portion to athleticism or conditioning. With the right focus, we believe major progress can be made with only a short, daily commitment.

10,000-Hour Rule

Have you ever heard of the 10,000-Hour Rule? It has been popularized in a number of studies led by Anders Ericsson, professor of psychology at Florida State and went mainstream likely thanks to Malcolm's Gladwell's "Outliers." The rule states something along the lines of:

With 10,000 hours of deliberate practice, you can reach a level of mastery in any skill.

It's a Myth (Partly)

I don't think anyone can deny that putting in deliberate practice is a bad thing. In fact, it is essential to developing skills toward a mastery level. Still, I think 10,000 hours of deliberate practice is overkill and monotonous. Being a master of your craft should be enjoyable. Of course, there will be setbacks and perseverance required to reach a level of mastery, but we should enjoy the journey and small victories as much as we enjoy the ending.

When I think of 10,000 hours of deliberate practice, my first thought goes to endless amounts of wall-ball. Wall-ball is certainly a critical component of developing as a lacrosse player, but becoming a good lacrosse player should have a balance of both skill development as well as application, mostly coming in the form of free play. Treading this balance can be difficult as a coach of young players. Just as we have done with our online playbook, we want to help keep practice focused on skill application rather than skill development. Remember, we're here to Flip the Practice Field.

Introducing the Lacrosse Lab Daily Workout

Developing skill is dependent on deliberate practice and consistent repetitions. We have all watched players flounder because they're not sure where to look for guidance on a consistent program. We can scour YouTube for wall-ball routines and how-to videos, but there has not been a program in place that gives consistent daily guidance. As a coach, I have certainly been guilty of instructing my players to "Hit the wall" and "Go for a run," but we're here to offer specific guidance.

Starting in June, we will be introducing a daily workout dedicated to developing lacrosse and athletic skill to prepare players this off-season. Each workout will take approximately 20 minutes to complete and will include a skill component as well as an athletic or conditioning component. We believe just 20 minutes of deliberate practice a few times a week is plenty of time to make significant strides over the course of the off-season - no 10,000 hours needed.

With our workouts timeboxed, we hope that players will take advantage of their additional time to just have fun this summer. Play some mini-lacrosse games, ride their bikes or *GASP* play another sport altogether!

To access our daily workouts, follow our Facebook and Instagram stories starting in June.


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