Joe Hezlep swears by the benefits of small-sided play. He’s introduced his players, at the youth level and Scarborough High School in Maine, to small-sided lacrosse in an effort to develop skills and keep them engaged with the game.

Like many coaches attending the 2016 US Lacrosse Convention, Hezlep, then president of the Maine chapter of US Lacrosse, took in a presentation about the Lacrosse Athlete Development Model. He was interested immediately, and began to implement its principles in his youth leagues within the year.

But it wasn’t the first time Hezlep was introduced to the idea of small-sided play and station-based practices. He got his roots during his high school days in the late 1990s, participating in a Wednesday night box-field hybrid league hosted by John Fay.

Fay, a former U.S. team player in 1982, organized the league to help kids and adults stay competitive and get more reps. Fay gave Hezlep the foundation he needed when he began his coaching career after playing at Southern New Hampshire from 2001-04.

Now, seven state championships and a promising youth program later, Hezlep still credits the Wednesday night league that lit the spark.

“I had never been a part of something like that, with smaller numbers,” said Hezlep, who didn’t pick up lacrosse until his freshman year. “I just couldn’t believe the amount that I got out of the 60 minutes we played in the box league. … Every day, if you’re finding a way to get 25-35 percent more touches and more involvement out of your touches, that stuff compounds itself.”

Fay said Hezlep is as eager as a coach as he was a player, always looking to improve.

“From that league, he developed an understanding for the importance of the fundamentals,” Fay said. “Joe’s turned into one of the best coaches in the state because he’s always learning. He’s always looking to pick someone’s brain and take that and apply it to his team. He’s been a great ambassador of the sport to this state.”

Hezlep joined Fay’s league when he was at South Portland High School and continued to play in the men’s senior league after graduating. He wondered how the game he played in Fay’s league could translate to his youth program.

If he could refine his skills while participating in the league, he knew it could have the same influence on children.

“[Fay] is very passionate about his hour of lacrosse per week,” Hezlep said. “If you’re [playing], you’re going to get better. … When you get to a 3 vs. 3 game, it’s all the best players around. You had to learn to play at a high level all the time. The pace of play is a lot faster.”

Even before coming into contact with US Lacrosse’s LADM, Hezlep was putting his Maine Youth Lacrosse and Scarborough players through short drills, making sure they stayed engaged in practice throughout.

Once Hezlep learned about LADM, he took the steps to implement the ideas at Maine Youth Lacrosse. He helped establish 7-on-7 small-sided play in all age groups up to sixth grade by the end of 2016.

Although it’s been a small sample size, Hezlep said children are having more fun at practice and improving.

“The biggest thing is engagement,” he said. “Kids these days have so much going on that if you can get them to practice for an hour and 15 minutes instead of two hours, that really makes a difference. When it’s run well and it’s well organized, which the LADM practice plans are tremendous for, if you just use that as your model, the kids certainly get a lot more out of it in a short time.”

Fay fueled a small-sided movement with his box league decades ago, and Hezlep is helping continue the drive forward. And the results are starting to show.

This season, Bates College was the final undefeated team left in Division III, ascending to the No. 1 ranking. Four players from that team came from either John Fay’s league or one similar to it in Maine.

Fay’s son, Charlie, led the team with 104 points. Like father like son?

 “There are some amazing athletes in college lacrosse,” John Fay said. “If we implement this small-sided game even more so, the skill sets are going to be that much stronger.

“The game can get faster. The game can get even more exciting. When they play small-sided games, they see it.”

LADM Champions

“You’re doing it right when you have kids associating lacrosse with fun.”

— Erik Hove, San Ramon (Calif.) Raptors

Hove arranges one-hour station-based practices and at the 6U level encourages physical literacy with games like Tic-Tac Toe or throwing playing cards in the air for children to catch

“Grow the girl. Grow the game. That’s what’s going to push the sport further.”

— Brittany Philip, South Park (N.C.) Youth Association and Queen City (N.C.) Stars

Phillip requires coaches to set aside at least 30 minutes of each practice for physical literacy. While parents might ask why their children are simply playing tag and don’t have sticks in their hands, she reassures them why it’s vital for player development.

Back to School

If you want world-class coaching that’s affordable and accessible, with instruction tailored to age and skill level, the US Lacrosse Peak Performance Camp offers the perfect summer sendoff.  The camp, for boys and girls age 14 and under, will be held Aug. 21-23 at US Lacrosse headquarters in Sparks, Md.

Johns Hopkins’ Janine Tucker and 2017 National Lacrosse Hall of Fame inductee Don Zimmerman — the architect of three NCAA championships at Hopkins who also spent 23 years as the head coach at UMBC — are the camp directors. They will incorporate the values of the Lacrosse Athlete Development Model.

The early-bird registration fee of $100, which includes complimentary US Lacrosse membership for one year, is open until July 16. Visit uslacrosse.org/ladm for more information.