Guest Article!!
Lax Rubrics – A Helpful Tool for Lax Coaches, Players, and Parents
By Ed McCarthy, Boston Cannons Volunteer Assistant
About twenty years ago, frustrated by my inability to provide clear feedback to my high school English students – and frustrated by my vague understanding of the traits of good writing — I discovered the emergence of “writing rubrics,” a hierarchical checklist of sorts that proved to be crucial to my understanding of how to communicate the elements of the complex process of writing.
Rubrics are, simply, defining checklists used by those being graded and by those who grade; by student and teacher; by athlete and coach. They are like a grocery list, a map, a report card.
In the afternoons, after the school day ended, I would grab my clipboard and cleats and head out to the lacrosse field, ruminating on the idea of a “lax rubric.” I would ask myself every day, “How can I better communicate what I want the players to perform?” As we coaches know, in a fast-paced drill with adolescents, there is not much time for pause and feedback. In short, the “fastest game on two feet” makes it a challenge to provide fitting feedback.
Fortunate to have landed in Baltimore’s MIAA Conference surrounded by seasoned lax experts like Mitch Whiteley, Rick Brocato, Peter Hawley, Matt Hanna, Gene Ubriaco, Bob Shriver, and Scott Conklin, I soon began to keep my eyes and ears open to terminology, team concepts, and the teachings of great high school teacher/coaches.
I was learning so much, but how could I communicate it?
Simultaneously, I observed that my writers and athletes were only reinforcing poor skills when feedback was not clear. Were they really getting better? I learned that the adage “practice makes perfect” is a fallacy; I revised it to “practice makes permanence.”
Almost ten years later, I have emerged after much hard work to become a better communicator to my writing students and athletes. Because of rubrics. Not to be misunderstood as panaceas, they are, nonetheless, comprehensive, defining, exacting explanations of the nuanced skills of positional play.
I then learned that the rubrics served also as godsends to assistant coaches, camp and clinic coaches, and parents. The rubrics had become “teachers on paper.” Conflicts abated or disappeared. Coaches, players, and parents understood the goals of my coaching.
Presently, after presenting at the U.S. Lacrosse Convention last week, and receiving informative feedback, I have learned that coaches do need more than plays and drills. They need language.
In closing, I am presently working on a booklet of lax rubrics that will cover not only positional play but also topics such as individual riding, clearing, goalie play, and face-off play. Alongside these individual rubrics, lax sub-group or “special teams” rubrics are evolving. I am hoping to soon publish this booklet with all proceeds going to urban lacrosse programs. If interested in obtaining a copy or helping me in this non-profit endeavor, you can contact me at middlewriter@yahoo.com. All members, just click on the image to enlarge and print… Special thanks from laxcoachmike to Coach McCarthy!!!
Coach McCarthy
Boston Cannons
St. Benedict’s Episcopal School
