As a former college coach , not lacrosse, I feel that both perspectives have validity. When we were recruiting watching games we needed to know how the athlete played within a system, what kind of team player he was and how that athlete could contribute to a team. We found that multi sport team athletes had a higher sports iq then single sport athletes. An athlete that can play within a system is usually coachable also. The skills portion of individual workouts were important but has a great flaw. Many many times we saw athletes look like absolute stars when working through skills and drills. These were talented can't miss star type players. However, these same players just had no team iq and shrunk in a game. It was more frequent a player was a little less talentd in drills but a better game performer. It was no easy process and all coaches make mistakes. The one thing that always stood out was speed you can't teach it in any sport.
I'll agree with the speed assessment, definitely true. You couldn't be any more wrong on your other points. Multi-sport athletes are just that, multi-sport athletes. Kids that have different interests, that's it. If two kids are of the same talent, multi-sport has nothing to do with anything. It does not make the kid any better. All you need to do is look at the Thompsons... I assure you, no amount of football or basketball gave those kids the stick skills or lacrosse IQ they have. They had talent, and it was honed for years with constant practice and a love of the game. Hence, they won lacrosse's high honor. This fact is the final nail in the coffin of this silly notion about multi-sport athletes somehow being superior lacrosse players. Once again, no amount of football will give you the skills that these Thompsons have, period, end of story. To dispute this or say otherwise is pure ignorance.
Not sure where I said the multi sport kid was better or even made that inference. You pick a very interesting example are you sure the thompsons played no other sports? Or how about kavanaugh from notre dame? How about miles from duke? What I wrote was fact about recruiting and the way many college coaches assess talent and potential. There is also a burnout factor in players who only play one sport. I speak frequently to my friends still coaching college sports and they continue to support what i saying. You can sit and think what you want and pick examples of great college players but how many of them played multi sports that made them better. Look at some of the great high school Long Island players and you will see an assortment of multi sport stars with a high team sport iq. We have all seen that player who looks like a star in practice and drills but come game time disappears. Does your son play just one sport? It would be a shame because one sport is so limiting athletically. All these kids should at least be trying or have tried other sports.
Honestly, to think that playing multi sports doesn't help an athlete develop skills is ignorant. There are many aspects of football, basketball, hockey and soccer that can translate well into overall lacrosse ability. Specifically stick skills no but athletic ability to run, dodge, take a hit and know how to fit into a team while being coached by different coaches are also great skills. I don't think I said one negative thing maybe that's the problem.
The two sport athlete doesn't make a better lacrosse player it is clearly obvios with one of the Thompsons who played ice hockey for three years in high school and Kavanagh who played junior hockey in the EJHL. I guess a sport like hockey doesn't translate at all being you need to create time and space in a smaller space, the game is faster, they are tremendous physical athletes. lower body shooting techniques very similar , they need to play both ways learning body control yeah no relevant skills that would make a lacrosse player better. Then you have that kid from Duke Miles who was his high school Qb. Nothing gained there at all leadership, quick decisions, foot speed...... Yeah as I said clearly obvious a multi spot athlete can never really transfer any of those skills to lacrosse.
