Guide to Kids Lacrosse

Are your children interested in playing lacrosse for the first time? Knowing how to start a lacrosse program for your kids begins by answering a lot of questions. What do you need for lacrosse? What kinds of youth lacrosse equipment are required? How do you get better at playing lacrosse? In this article, we discuss every aspect of getting started with kids lacrosse, including the variables for each age group, the equipment required to play and the overall benefits of lacrosse for kids.

How To Start Lacrosse

A lot of parents struggle with where to start once your child expresses an interest in playing a particular sport. Lacrosse is no different and may be even harder to get started in because it isn't as common as youth baseball, basketball or football. Lacrosse for kids, though, has exploded in popularity in the last decade, and youth leagues can be found in many major cities, suburbs and small towns.

The best way to get started with kids lacrosse is to find a local sports league. An internet search should be able to tell you whether lacrosse for kids is available in your area. You can also contact your town's parks and recreation department; they are the most likely organization to run a kids lacrosse league. Even if they do not currently have a league in operation, they may be able to point you in the direction of a nearby town or city that has lacrosse for kids. If push comes to shove, you could organize your own league provided you have enough interested participants.

What Do You Need For Lacrosse?

In order to play a game of lacrosse, there are a few things you will need to get started. While some of this equipment is optional, if you are interested in organizing lacrosse for kids that is fun, healthy, safe and representative of the professional version of the game, you will need the following:

That last one is optional, but it's always a good idea to keep the parents comfortable and to provide a place for the athletes to sit when they are not in the game.

For different age groups, there are different numbers of players and field sizes that you need. Here's how some of the rules change depending on the age of kids playing lacrosse:

What Is Considered Basic Youth Lacrosse Equipment?

There are a few differences in the kinds of required equipment between boys and girls lacrosse. The major ones involve headgear: In boys lacrosse, kids are required to wear helmets with facemasks; girls are only required to wear goggles. Kids lacrosse gear requires gloves, sticks, shin guards, mouthguards, cleats or turf shoes (depending on the playing surface) and balls. Boys lacrosse additionally requires shoulder pads and arm pads. Kids lacrosse gear is important to keep children safe and to prevent injury during play.

How Do You Get Better at Playing Lacrosse?

The same way you get to Carnegie Hall: Practice! There are many benefits of lacrosse practice equipment — it helps you to work on different skills required to play any position on the field. Train on shotmaking, blocking and defending with your own practice lacrosse goal. Practice passing and receiving with a rebound net. Organize a practice and have children work on defending and playing around the goal and other team activities.

Another way to get better at lacrosse is simply to play! The more time spent playing lacrosse, the more kids will naturally improve their skills as they exercise and become more comfortable with the game. Playing lacrosse for the first time can be scary. Lacrosse is not the easiest to play, but it is a fun, team-oriented, skill-based game beloved by millions.

Why Play Lacrosse at All?

Playing lacrosse is a fun, competitive activity that boys and girls equally enjoy. A lot of parents love youth sports because it keeps their children active while they learn social skills. Kids lacrosse is no different from other children's team sports. Here are just a few of the benefits of lacrosse that your child will experience:

The best that youth sports have to offer can be found in kids lacrosse. Your children will be goal-oriented and active participants in a fun and exciting sport that is becoming more popular every year.