NLL Insider

Coming into training camp I wanted to be in good shape. I wanted to eat right, lift and make sure I was in condition to make an impact at practice. So I figured 30 minutes of cardio a day would be adequate. But, I was wrong.

What I forgot about is the difference between being in shape, and being in “box shape.”

Talking to my pal Merrick after his first weekend at Philly’s camp, he told me how he was not in “box shape” yet even though he ran a lot to get ready. I didn’t take his warnings seriously. So as the first practice of camp started, I began to feel like I hadn’t moved off the couch in a month. I was exhausted after the first half hour, and we had and hour and a half left in the morning session of two-a-days. By the time that weekend was over I was more beat up than a Mike Tyson victim in the 80s.

The thing that was frustrating about this is that it happened to me before and I totally forgot about “box shape.” Back in my days of playing juniors in St. Catharines I experienced the same thing. I would come back from a full NCAA season at Albany and be in great shape, and then go to St. Kitts and not be able to finish the first practice. It always amazed me. I used to think it was the summer heat in the arenas, but I was wrong. Box lacrosse is such a different game. It’s a game that is physically demanding in ways no other game is.

It took me until the midway point of the second weekend of camp to get into proper shape. All of a sudden it just hit me and I was in shape, ready to compete. It’s amazing the way it works, how your body can all of a sudden get accustomed to the rigours of the game. Now I’m not saying that box players are in better shape other athletes out there. I’m sure there’s not too many guys in the league that would jump at the chance to run a marathon, but there are not too many people out there who can jump into this game and be in “box shape” right away.

Finally, I’d like to say Happy Holidays to all the readers out there.  I’d also like to send a big congratulations out to Pablo Guzzone for graduating this past week with a degree in Mathematics. Not bad for a kid who thinks algebra is a country in Africa. See you in 2008.

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