Mom's In Trouble With This Question

This isn't really a goalie specific post but it does touch on long term athlete development which I feel is super important. Have a read. This mom has never written back to me so I hope everything is ok! Haven't heard from the kid either so hopefully he's not grounded!

Question: Hey Jonathan Edwards ! my name is Jordan St. John i live in Cornwall Ontario. I'am a big hockey player and i would really love to play lacrosse but my mom said to bring her 5 facts about how lacrosse makes you a better hockey player can you help me out please and thank you ! Bye

Answer: Oh Jordan. Your mom is going to regret having you write to me! (Sorry Mrs. St. John)

Here goes.

Jordan as an Olympic athlete, a strength and conditioning coach, a lacrosse player, and a hockey player I can tell you that by playing multiple sports you can actually become much better at your favorite sport. So if you love hockey, and that's your main sport, by playing lacrosse you will actually become a better hockey player. In countries other than the US and Canada this is a well known fact. But here in Canada we tend to focus on just one sport and play it all the time. This doesn't work out well. You may be a good hockey player sooner by playing only hockey, but at a certain point your development will go flat and you won't improve physically. Your mom can go to www.LTAD.ca to learn more about long term athlete development.

To be honest, by playing any sport you will help your hockey skills. However, by playing lacrosse specifically here are a bunch of ways it will help you.

1) Hockey is a multi-directional sport on blades and ice. These work certain muscles and movement patterns. Lacrosse is also a multi-directional sport on a hard surface. The body develops additional movement patterns that make you strongerand less prone to injury once on the ice. This is critical and creates a well rounded athlete physically. You will be stronger on the ice by actually playing lacrosse off ice.

2) The hand-eye coordination in lacrosse improves your stick handling abilities in hockey. In hockey the puck rarely leaves the ice. So the puck is always on one surface and your hands get used to that. In lacrosse the ball is all over the place. It's up and down. In front of you and behind you. By mastering a lacrosse stick a hockey stick feels so easy to use. There is an incredible transfer in eye-hand skills from lacrosse to hockey.

3) Contact: There is contact in hockey. There is also contact on a different surface. The demads on your body are different and they can increase your physical ability to avoid, and give hits.

Avoidance of hits can be just as beneficial as learning to give hits. If you think about it and you're about to be lined up by a larger, more physical player you can be seriously injured. By learning additional movement skills in lacrosse you can actually avoid getting hit by that player and therefore avoid injury.

4) Offensive and Defensive playing situations in lacrosse can help you with your hockey skills tremendously. You will learn how to dodge around players and those skills will help you to dodge around players on the ice. You will be learning skills that your hockey teammates don't know about. You will have fresh moves to pull from and your hockey development will actually be faster than your teammates who do not play another sport.

5) By playing another sport you will actually rest your body, and your mind from hockey. Many people in North America don't see this as an advantage but the best coaches in the world understand that it is extremely important. By playing lacrosse your mind will be able to rest from hockey, and when you return to hockey you will be extremely fresh mentally and physically. That freshness will allow you to learn more hockey skills faster so you can outplay your peers.

6) Wayne Gretzky played lacrosse.

Jordan I hope that helps you out. Please let your mom know that she can email me directly if she'd like to know more. I think hockey and lacrosse are two of the best sports to be played together. They compliment each other very well. There are also tons of opportunities for students in the states who play both hockey and lacrosse.

All the best buddy.

Jonathan Edwards -