Shared from an article in 24 Seven Lax and amended slightly for Westfield HS players:

It’s time to heed the advice of persons older and wiser...

We’ve compiled a list of 25 things every young lacrosse player should know and keep in mind while working in and out of season. From the beginner to the aspiring Division I recruit, there is something here for everyone.

1) When shooting with your friends, don’t stand around. Have a plan! Practice shooting on the run coming out of dodges, and catching-finishing inside. Time and room shots in games are few and far between...see our Shooting and Dodging pages for more information on both.

2) Work on your off hand. Only the elite talent-athlete gets by with one hand, and even he would be much better if he had an off hand. So, chances are you do not fall into the elite talent category, work the off hand and it will make you more difficult to defend. Don't be a "JAG" (just another guy) on the opponents scouting report!

3) Celebrate with class. Thousands of players before you have scored more clutch goals than you. Act like you’ve been there before. Same thing goes for dog piling on the field after a win.

4) Get low and use two hands on ground balls. Bend at the knees and get over the ball with the top hand to the plastic of the head. Nothing makes you look softer than a failed one-handed scoop in traffic. GBs win lacrosse games!

5) Just put the ball in the net. You can be the kid with 3 goals in the box score or the the kid with 1 goal, a missed behind the back, and a sweet crank that missed top cheddar. Overhand and off hip work well, especially off-stick side.

6) Respect your coaches. You may not be the All-American you think you are. Make eye contact when your coaches are talking and keep your mouth shut. You might learn something. Contrary to a teenage's belief, coaches do know the right way to do things.

7) String yourself a nice game stick and a good-usable backup if possible and be done with it. Don’t try to keep up with the Jones’s and feel like you always need the next best thing. Spend the time and energy working on your fitness and skills. Don't be the guy who needs to borrow someone else's stick if-when yours breaks, because it will!

8) If you are on a budget, purchase last year’s head and shaft on sale. You’ll get great deals on products not much different than the latest and greatest. Spend your money on a good pocket - pay someone to string it for you and get rid of the "whip", "whip" is not your friend.

9) You're doing yourself a disservice if you limit your circle of friends to only other lacrosse players. The lax bro culture isn’t very cultured at all. Be your own person...COACHES DON'T WANT "LAX BROS". This said, "show me your friends, and I'll show you your future"...Hang out with 6 friends who cut corners and you’ll be the 7th. Hang out with 6 friends who skip class and you’ll be the 7th. Hang out with 6 friends who do the "wrong" thing, and you'll be the 7th. Hang out with 6 teammates who take plays off and you’ll be the 7th!

10) Be responsible for your gear, uniform, cleats, mouthpiece, etc. Take inventory well in advance of a game or practice and make sure you have everything you need. Police up your gear after the game and-or practice - this means, clean it, clean it and clean it again and often. Mom and dad work too hard to pay for replacement gear you lost track of because you were too busy squirting water on your teammates after practice.

11) It happens to everyone. Getting stripped of the ball, dropping the ball or throwing a bad pass creates a sinking feeling. Again, it happens to everyone; so don’t sulk, self-correct, move on to the next thing and work to get the ball back. There’s nothing worse than seeing a kid hang his head and kick rocks instead of getting after the ball that is five feet away. This said, if it's happening often you may need to work harder to fix your, mechanics, fundamentals and skills!

12) Recognize lacrosse is a team sport. When a teammate is open, get the ball to the player regardless of who it is. Make good decisions and let the coach worry about who he puts on the field.

13) Take pride in the little things. If you’re an attackman, ride hard (with your feet, don't swing your stick). If you’re a middie, sprint back to get on defense and play tough “D”. If you play defense, move your feet and value position over the home run check. Hopefully, you’re trying to help your team, not make a highlight reel.

14) Respect your parents and family members. Being disrespectful to your parents reflects poorly on you and embarrasses your family. Your parents don’t owe you anything. Say "Thank You", "I Appreciate You", "I Love You" to your mom and dad, siblings and extended family OFTEN. Believe it or not, there will be a time in your life you will want-need their support!

15) Don’t be a twit on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat and etc. It is mind boggling what kids will put out on the internet for public consumption. Don’t let a screenshot of an ill-advised internet rant ruin you. It has and will continue to do just that to all too many kids who post before thinking. And remember, "cursing" isn't as cool as you may think it is!

16) If it were up to most kids, they would always have new gear and clothes. Not everyone is in a position to indulge in the latest and greatest. Be deeper than judging a kid based on their appearance, apparel and gear. Judge kids for what kind of teammate or person they are.

17) Don’t be a black hole. No matter how good you think you are, your teammates don’t want to see you dodge through double and triple teams while passing up good looks to open players, whether you score or not.

18) Show up to practice and be on time with the mindset that you are going to work to get better. Not just because it’s what you have to do. Push yourself to improve with maximum effort.

19) Lacrosse is a small community. Act the fool, have a bad attitude, be uncoachable, or have meddling parents and you’ll find it tough to shake that reputation.

20) From time to time, a coach is going to correct, yell, or bench you. Justified or not, get used to it and be open to the fact you may not be as good as you (or your parents) think you are.

21) Stick tricks will do wonders for your game. Umm, NO! You’ll wonder where your playing time went because you were wasting time trying to perfect the “Triple Lindy” or something equally ridiculous, instead of working on actual skills.

22) Don’t twirl or spin your stick. It’s a horrible habit some kids can’t shake. A kid who can’t move the ball quickly because he has to twirl his stick every time he touches the ball will be twirling his flow on the sideline instead.

23) Put as much time getting your body in shape as you do on honing your stick skills. Those stick skills don’t mean a whole lot if you’re gassed after 10 minutes.

24) Play other sports, competing and learning other sports makes you a better and more complete lacrosse player. This has been said before, ad nauseam, because it’s true.

25) Have fun and play because you enjoy the game.