The Fire Program (Field)
Fire Tournaments
No news currently found.
Since the conceptualization of the Fire Lacrosse Club in 2005, and the launching of its first full season of operation in 2006, the club has rapidly established itself as one of the premier elite lacrosse programs in the Southeast and beyond. Over this period, the Fire "brand" has grown to mean high-quality player development. The club is highly-regarded nationally, and its players are now highly-recruited by some of the highest profile college programs in the country. The primary reason for the club's success is it's focus and commitment to its unique player development system (PDS).
By definition, a "system" is an organized, purposeful structure regarded as a 'whole' consisting of interrelated and interdependent elements. These elements continually influence one another (directly or indirectly) to maintain their activity, in order to achieve the common purpose or the 'goal' of the system. In essence, these elements combine to create a synergistic effect.
The Fire "system" creates tremendous synergy by combining multiple inputs (the Fire's coaching expertise; indoor (box) training, performance training, mental conditioning, etc) in unique and exciting ways that ultimately produce a Fire player with exceptional lacrosse skills, greater athleticism, enhanced academic performance, focused discipline, and intelligent leadership, to name a few.
The real power of the Fire "system" is our capcity to integrate all of the elements of our program. In fact, the Fire Lacrosse Club is certified as an Integrated Program, and as such, is formally structured to ensure that player developmental synergies are achieved.
As you will see from the information below, there are innummerable and unmatched benefits and advantages of learning the game of lacrosse under the structure of the Fire Lacrosse Club's Player Development System.
Our System in the Spotlight
Mastery of Lacrosse Skills Takes Time, Expert Guidance
- 11/11/2010, 4:23pm (EST)
2011 Team USA Indoor Roster Selections Announced
- 11/01/2010, 12:12am (EST)
Why Emphasize a Player Development System?
The Fire's program is differentiated from "limited-input' programs by offering a more comprehensive, structured, and disciplined approach that emphasizes player development as a "system" versus other linear approaches that promote an individual coach as "star" or "hero".
Most limited-input programs are hybrid versions of a "win-focused" mindset. This means their objective and emphasis is to play in tournaments with the singular priority of winning. Most of these programs emphasize winning as the critical success factor. These programs also tend to emphasize the individual coach and his ability to win games versus the system-based process of developing each individual player. In these models, the assumption is that a winning team produces a well-developed player.
The Fire's program emphasizes the consistent, comprehensive, and systematic application of resources on the individual player and his development over time, of which expert coaching is but one extremely important variable necessary to produce measureable results. Our system embraces the notion that developing each and every individual player to the best of his abilities produces a winning team. Please note the subtle, but distinct difference.
The Fire's PDS is a carefully constructed model that applies state-of-the-art research, principles, and practices to address the multi-faceted aspects of developing a player to achieve the highest levels of performance. The Fire's player development model recognizes that time is the prime asset in life. It is precious and irreplaceable. If wasted, squandered, or unappreciated, time will work against the players growth and development. If valued, treasured, appreciated, and properly leveraged, time will enable each player to optimize their potential. The Fire's PDS - and our knowledge, capabilities, expertise, and resources - all depend on time and its careful and proper use.
But there's more. Using time as the foundation, the Fire constructs a player development program that focuses on sport-specific skills taught by expert coaches and then applies a matrix of intensive and prolonged periods of carefully orchestrated practices, competitive high-level game experience, etc. with inputs that expand individual performance dimensions such as cross-sport skills exposure and training; athletic performance training; mental preparation and conditioning; targeted college recruitment planning; etc.
This integrated approach is unique to advanced player development systems such as the Tampa Bay Fire's nationally-recognized program.
Is the Player Development Approach for Everyone?
Although every player will undoubtedly benefit immensely from this approach to player development versus the "limited-input" model, PDS programs such as the Fire's are not for everyone. This fact may surpise some, but it's important to understand that pursuit of player development through an integrated system model requires the appreciation of, and commitment to certain ideals:
- Patience - PDS-based programs are designed to develop players over time. Because each player is unique, skill development occurs longitudinally through the persistent application of resources and inputs, and the consistent effort on the part of the player. For those that rely on the simplistic yardstick of this "weekends wins/losses", PDS models may not express the immediate gratification requirements that some parents demand;
- Complexity - Properly structured, PDS's apply various inputs and resources to the task of developing players. These systems require a deeper understanding and appreciation of each developmental element. This suggests that whether the individual player understands the complexity, he commits to the process. Some are only inclined to pursue that which is simply understood;
- Trust - Sometimes it is easier to trust an individual "hero" who proffers personal guarantees, than a structured system that works in integrated fashion over time;
- Return on Investment - There are significant direct costs associated with delivering and playing elite-level lacrosse. Our parents astutely recognize that playing for the Fire offers unmatched value that yields a return ultimately measured by college admission. As the investment in elite lacrosse dovetails with other educational investments families typically make, parents embrace the notion that these investments ultimately optimize the prospects and probabilities of college admissions. Ultimately, our parents recognize that a players participation costs say more about the value you get than the price you pay.
What Are the Benefits of a Player Development System?
The Player Development System (PDS) approach is based on leading-edge concepts and ideas that have been researched, tested and implemented at the professional and collegiate levels. The Fire's PDS offers a number of benefits including:
- It's Measurable - It is not sufficient to state what a program might do for a player; it must empirically demonstrate its results. In the Fire system, you won't hear what we hope to do; instead, you will experience our track-record that proves our system produces results. Informed players and parents should seek answers to questions such as, Do players skills develop to acceptable grade-indexed levels? Have the athletic dimensions of the player improved? Do players rise to the next level beyond high school competition, i.e. college? To what measureable degree i.e. what percentage of Fire players go on to compete collegiately? Are they prepared to endure the rigors of the college game? These measureable variables hold more value from a decision-making perspective than the anecdotes that most limited-function programs offer.
- It's Comprehensive - The hallmark of an effectively-organized PDS is the range of programs and services provided by the model. A carefully-design system synergistically combines inputs that increase the likelihood and probability of achieiving individual goals and objectives. The Fire's system is one of the most comprehesive lacrosse training programs available anywhere in the United States;
- It's Player-Centric - Properly-aligned PDS models emphasize the player, not the club/coach. Each player has but one lifetime opportunity to progress through the youth, middle school, and high school stages and must therefore optimize the experience. Poor judgment, faulty logic, or misinformation can prove disastrous for the player if the wrong choices are made. There is only one opportunity to proceed through each developmental phase and carefully-considered options must be weighed. Poor choices, misaligned priorities, or ill-advised selections can undermine the wishes and desires of the player.
We're the First Integrated Program in the United States
The evidence is now irrefutable - the best lacrosse players in the world receive significant training in indoor (box) lacrosse. College coaches aggressively recruit indoor (box) players, and the world's top professional and college players repeatedly remark how indoor lacrosse training has elevated their own skills to unbelievable levels.
In order to provide access to indoor training for Fire players, the Fire Lacrosse Club has embarked on a process of integrating field lacrosse training with indoor lacrosse training. The process was started at the beginning of the 2011 season as we began to introduce the indoor lacrosse game to this Club's players. And now, as the first program in the United States to be "integrated", we've taken the steps necessary to enhance the capabilities, resources, and relationships that are essential for delivering this phenomenal capability.
Integrated programs are certified by the American Indoor Lacrosse Association (AILA), and teach the skills associated with the indoor game alongside the traditional field principles and concepts, working intensively with each player to apply this knowledge and skill. In addition to the field program training, every player on the Fire Lacrosse Club receives significant exposure to National Lacrosse League-style indoor lacrosse training as part of their Fire Player Development Program. Each Fire player receives:
- Practice time indoors learning the skills, strategies, tactics, concepts, systems, and language of the indoor game under the expert tutelage of AILA certified coaches;
- Participation in a local AILA-sanctioned summer indoor lacrosse camp;
- Participation in a local AILA-sanctioned summer indoor lacrosse league;
- Exposure to the In|Crosse system, which applies many of the indoor strategies in the field game;
If you're following the trends; listening to top college coach's preferences; and participating in the debate about the future of lacrosse in the U.S., then you understand that the indoor game represents the future of the U.S. field game. Virtually all of the discussions about how to improve the field game are emphasizing the features of the indoor game as potential solutions. The exciting part is that Fire players will have an unbelievable advantage when the time comes to take their knowledge and experience onto college campuses and into college lacrosse programs!
| Developmental Dimensions | Measurement | Delivery Modality | Feedback/Reporting Methodology |
|---|---|---|---|
| Field Lacrosse | On-field capabilities and performance specific to position, roles, and team-level contributions | Expert lacrosse coaching at practices, games, and tournaments emphasizing all facets of lacrosse-specific skills | Scouting reports, one-on-one interaction with player/parent, other (in)formal discussions |
| Indoor Lacrosse | On-field capabilities as reflected by the ability to handle and control ball in tight situations; accuracy of shooting; pick series; screen series; offense and defense transition | Expert lacrosse coaching at practices, games, and tournaments emphasizing all facets of lacrosse-specific skills. Participation in area indoor lacrosse leagues and elite-based indoor tournaments | Scouting reports, one-on-one interaction with player/parent, other (in)formal discussions |
| Mental Conditioning | Attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors related to participation, training, commitment, teamwork, etc. | Expert sports-oriented psychological coaching through team-level and individual programs as customized according to objectives | Scouting reports, one-on-one interaction with player/parent, other (in)formal discussions |
| Performance Training | Athletic performance and capabilities as tested and measured against lacrosse-specific tests and on-field application | Expert perfomance coaching through team-level and individual programs customized according to objectives | Performance test scores |
| Recruitment Preparation | Knowledge of recruitment process, preparation for proactive communication campaign that targets goal-directed colleges | On-site programs that provide critically invaluable information about recruitment processes and opportunities, and web-based system that captures, tracks, reports, and communicates player-specific information, data, and preferences | Attendance at scheduled seminars and utilization of web-based system tools and multi-lateral contact and communication with targeted sources |
These developmental dimensions interact to enhance our individual players overall capacity to perform at optimal levels and maximizes each players opportunity to elevate his game to a level consistent with the preferences, objectives, and priorities of college coaches.
A central feature of the Fire's PDS is the ability to track, monitor, and report the players progress over time, so that perfomance can be measured against personal and universal benchmarks thereby facilitating a focused performance improvement plan.
As you will see from the information provided on the following pages, the Tampa Bay Fire invests its resources directly in these developmental dimensions, assuring that each player gains the maximum effect of the system as it is designed. The program is structured to emphasize the essential skills, attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors at each level and ensure optimal player growth and development. Teams are organized by grade to ensure synchronous progression with college recruiting cycles. Overlaps in grades between teams allows for assignments based on the developmental level of each individual player. Maximum coherence with each players short- and long-term educational goals is assured as coaches, players, and families collaborate on progress and preferences.
The Fire Program Develops Leaders
When it is all said and done, the Tampa Bay Fire’s vaunted player development system is a leadership program, pure and simple. Our program emphasizes the primacy of the player’s role in his personal skills development; articulates the commitment profile of the successful elite player; and reinforces the effort necessary to excel physically, intellectually, emotionally, and academically at the collegiate level.
Providing the infrastructure and "backbone" as expressed through expert guidance and training, the Fire system takes the “long view” of each player’s development; evaluates the player against his own skill set; monitors the player’s rate of progression at each stage; and develops each player for optimal academic and athletic performance. In essence, the Tampa Bay Fire is a leadership organization that promotes and perpetuates leadership development through its role in the lacrosse community as the trendsetter in establishing training standards and implementing skills development innovations that place the club at the forefront of the progressive elite lacrosse experience.
Ultimately, our mission is leadership-based – leading our lacrosse community’s top players to cascading competitive levels of success. We believe that when "leaders lead; all others will follow." The Tampa Bay Fire continues to set the pace for lacrosse player development, and our players continue to benefit from West Florida's only lacrosse player development system.
