The simple brilliance of bucket ball

At the end of each week, I like to take about 5-10 minutes to reflect on what worked well and conversely not so much. I only give myself 5-10 minutes so I can spend the remaining time brainstorming games & activities to test out. Once the list is compiled, I’ll ask if there are any volunteers* from Scoops Research & Development department (my three boys) willing to be participants. 🙋‍♂️🙋‍♂️🙋‍♂️

Over the next 45 minutes, we will test each activity to see which ones make the cut and which ones get cut. During this examination, the key is observation; are they enjoying themselves, is it challenging, how much do they struggle, how many fights break out, etc, etc. What I’ve found to be the best barometer for success is engagement levels and smiles. 😁 To be honest, there have been way more failed attempts than successes but the learnings never disappoint. 🙏

Make it simple + challenging + fun.

One of those games worth highlighting is called Bucket Ball. Cleary, no points are awarded for game name originality. Nonetheless, the objective of the game is to get the ball into the bucket from 5-7 yards out. The player who ends up with the most balls in the bucket after shooting their 20 or so balls is the winner. 🥍🗑

The game itself feels like something you might see in the movie Hoosiers. There are no frills to this game. It's as simple as a kid, his lacrosse stick, some balls, and a painting bucket you can purchase at the local hardware for 5 bucks.

In today’s crazy youth sports world we live in, where commas are being written on checks 💸, the notion that something so elementary as tossing the ball into a bucket doesn’t seem real. But not only is real, its fun, it’s cheap and most importantly it keeps a stick in your kids hand for hours upon hours.

Bucket ball was developed for young kids to help work on this passing accuracy but what’s so cool is that it works just as good for middle schoolers and teenagers. Just push the bucket back 5 yards or so and watch middle schoolers spend more time trying to get the ball in the bucket than they did playing Fortnite the past week. 🕹 . For all the parents reading this, I have five words for you, ‘Try it, thank me later. 🙏

Insanely Simple. Insanely Challenging. Insanely Fun.

Thank you taking the time to read a lacrosse coaches perspective. and thanks to Matt DaSilva from US Lacrosse for the inspiration. 🙏