Stonewall Solutions Partners with Blue Star Lacrosse to Teach Character and Teamwork
This weekend we partnered with Stonewall Solutions to teach important lessons of teamwork, discipline and communication to our Blue Star All-Stars.
On Saturday, the players were given a three hour lecture in which Jason and Michael outlined their 5 Fundamentals of Winning through sports examples and military real-world situations. Then on Sunday, it was three hours of physical training on the Hun fields. The focus of the physical training was on teamwork, communication and discipline. Players flipped tires, carried each other, and held logs to name a few of the exercises.
By the end of the weekend, the players left with a tremendous amount of knowledge, pride and memories. We believe that instilling important character-based ethics in our players is the most important thing we can do as coaches and educators. Scroll down to see some of the important lessons Mike and Jason taught our boys!
Commitment: The Difference between Desire and Discipline
Discipline is defined as doing what you don't want to do when you don't want to do it
Many players say that they want to play college lacrosse, many players say that they want to win championships, but what seperates everyone is what they do to get there. Do you really want to play college lacrosse? Are you putting in the hours of work every day that it requires? Are you making sure that your skills are sharp for the so that you can be the best teammate to your team and help the team win?
The kids who are going out and shooting a bucket of balls every day will separate themselves from the others. The kids who are doing extra reps in the weight room will separate themselves. In doing the extra work, they will become more prepared and more confident, making them better teammates.
The Team First Mindset
Teamwork is placing the well being of your teammate ahead of yourself in every decision on and off the field.
When we start to worry about how we are playing or how our statistics are looking, we are turning out focus inwards. When we turn that focus outward to worry about our teammates and the team, we forget about ourselves. Turn selfishness thoughts into selflessness thoughts!
Too often players worry about how they are performing on the field - take this worry about yourself and worry about your teammate!
Adversity is an Opportunity, Embrace it!
Stonewall Solutions focused on "embracing the suck" which was used as a way to say that if you want to achieve something great - it's going to suck at many points!
Becoming a great lacrosse player isn't just handed out, you have to work for it, you have to put in the hard workouts, do those reps when you are exhausted and spend countless hours at practice and on the field. EMBRACE THE JOURNEY!
Mental Toughness is defined as the ability to understand a situation and apply thought and action that produce value vs. thought and action that are justified
The Importance of Habit
In any adverse situation we fall back to the level of our training and habits we have created. The culture of a team comes from the character that all players must exhibit!
As Stonewall Solutions said, "There's one way to do things: The Right way and Again!"
Do you want to be able to play great defense? Do you want to score every time you shoot the ball? It starts with practicing the fundamentals and perfecting those! When you get into a game situation or any high-pressure situation, your training will take over and those habits you formed will guide you.
About Stonewall Solutions
Stonewall Solutions was founded by two former Navy SEALS who want to spread lessons learned in the teams to young men and women across the country. They have developed a curriculum they teach through a classroom lecture and on-field team building physical training.
From their website:
The Fundamentals of Winning Curriculum was developed by a former D1 Athlete turned Navy SEAL with an M.S. in Global Leadership. Our goal is for every team we work with to make the best use of their talent through fundamental principles of team chemistry and mental toughness.
Blue Star Lacrosse Camps!
Have A Blast!
Blue Star Lacrosse Camps are designed to be fun for everyone involved (that includes counselors too!) There are a lot of reasons to go to camp but at the end of the day we want campers to leave feeling exhausted and excited for the next day. We strive to create an environment that cultivates a player's passion for the game - we have found over 25+ years of camps that passion and attitude are the biggest future drivers of success!
