Meet a great Lacrosse Coach Leo H.! Leo went to a high school that specialized in lacrosse and the sport has been part of his life since he was young. He believes that mastery of the fundamentals in lacrosse is what sets apart the great players from the good players.
Tell us about your lacrosse career.
I started working with my high school lacrosse coach when I was in only 2nd grade. My school was very serious about lacrosse and he coached his players up from a young age. While I was on the team, we won 93 games in a row. Practically unstoppable! Not only was our head coach was great; our assistant coach now works for Syracuse lacrosse. Because I was coached by the best, I learned to appreciate and understand the importance of all the fundamentals of lacrosse. The sport means a lot to me.
Why did you decide to become a private coach?
When I watch kids play lacrosse, I see a lot of simple mistakes. I realized that there is not enough time in team practices for coaches to really “break down” the little things that are causing kids problems with their game. When I have time to work with kids individually on specific things, like throwing technique, it makes a huge difference.
What do you enjoy most about coaching?
I enjoy the individual relationships that are born between coaches and players. Also, seeing kids grow as players and people, while teaching them about life and integrity. I take a lot of pride in seeing kids outside of lacrosse doing well and knowing that I was a positive influence on their growth.
What can a client expect from private lessons with you?
Clients will get 200% from me. I’m going to push them hard to get better. I’ll give them homework (things to work on their own like wall ball with the offhand), so they are progressing even outside of our sessions together. I’ll do absolutely anything I can to help them improve.
What is your coaching style or philosophy?
I think patience is very important. I realize that the guys that I work with are teenagers, and that kids make mistakes. I want to build them up and help them overcome obstacles mentally. If you can give kids the confidence they need, then they can be great. I try to facilitate players’ growth. I organize them and give them the tools to succeed, but give them the control. I never make demands of them, because I want to be someone with whom they can be honest. I know that kids are making sacrifices to be working for me, and I don’t want to seem like a coach who is working for paychecks because that’s not why I do it.
Do you have a favorite saying?
“It’s not as difficult as we make it to be”. I believe that in life, in general, things can be very simple, but a lot of people overcomplicate things. The saying is relevant to players because some think that they need to do special things to be successful. Keep it simple.
Do you have a favorite sports team?
I love Syracuse sports, especially basketball.
Do you have any special talents or a surprising thing someone might not know about you?
Well I like playing tennis and I can actually play it ambidextrously. Sometimes I fool around with my opponents by warming up with one hand and then switching hands right before we start to play.
Coach Leo is booking lacrosse sessions now! Click here to check out his profile.
