First Men's National Squads University Coaching Clinic

Sunday 6th December saw the first elite coaching clinic for Universities. Students from the 4 universities of Loughborough, Birmingham, Northampton, and Warwick attended a coaching session delivered by England head coach Dave Elwood and members of his staff including 2 current England team players. The clinic had the benefit of a superb G3 Astroturf pitch at Birmingham University and lasted 4 hours concentrating on the fundamental skills of the game.

The students were a mixture of raw beginners and lads who had been playing for a year or two. "The level of experience is immaterial when it comes to fundamental skills" commented Elwood. "We use the same drills and coaching methods with the England team. In fact it can be an advantage to catch these players before they develop bad habits and faulty technique. Fundamentals have to be right before we can move on to more tactical aspects of the game, and no one is so good that their technique can't be improved"

England Manager Greg Caplin was astonished at the enthusiasm of the students, some of whom travelled a long way to attend. "The lads were all athletic and keen as mustard which is half the battle, there are surely many future England players within the student body. I am very excited by the prospect of what can be achieved with the Universities in terms of increasing the numbers of lacrosse players in the UK and improving playing standards. This could be the break through we've all been waiting for. What has happened here today is certainly very encouraging."

Last word from Coach Elwood "Fantastic! These players were a delight to coach, they wanted to learn and gave it their all. During the quick feedback session at the end they were full of good words about the clinic and couldn't wait for the next one".

English Lacrosse Association