“I’ve tried to use lockdowns to get into the best shape possible”.
These are the words of England Box Lacrosse national team defender, Tom Roche, who has been, like the rest of the lacrosse community, trying to keep himself fit and match-ready during the past nine months or so since the coronavirus pandemic hit the UK.
“No matter what type of lacrosse you're playing you need to be fit and England field lacrosse national team player (and newly converted box lacrosse enthusiast), Jak Wawrzyniak, has helped me to focus on my speed with one of his online 16-week programmes.
“Wall ball has also featured heavily; taking my stick to the park has been a great way to make sure I'm leaving the house during lockdowns”.
When it comes to trying to adapt his indoor game, training, and drills for an outdoor setting, Tom believes all disciplines of the game are beneficial to each other.
“For me the two disciplines (box and field lacrosse) complement each other perfectly; the more box I play, the more I recognise the advantages when I'm playing field.
“If you watched National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) teams play the last couple of years, you can recognise a lot of stuff from the box game happening in the attack.
“Now, when I go back to field training and people are running a two-man game, I feel comfortable that it will be easier to handle than what I've experienced in box.
“I would hugely recommend playing box to field players in both attack and defence; attackers working in the small space and defenders having to deal with aggressive picks forces you to improve your game”.
As an international box lacrosse player, the pandemic, and the subsequent lockdowns, have not been ideal; the England box lacrosse national team hasn’t been given elite status by the Government in the same way Premier League football clubs, for instance, have been.
“It's definitely been a challenge as box has pretty much been removed from the lacrosse calendar since the end of March.
“Southern Box Lacrosse (SBL) had run some fantastic sessions in Disley, where we were able to play good games and, importantly, shoot at box goalies!
“With that said, we're lucky to have Disley as another base for box lacrosse, and I know that our domestic coach Andy Downing is working to get sessions on there soon.
“There's no substitute for game time and reps when it comes to box, so I think the wider pool of English players just really need to get playing again, outside if necessary.
Despite a couple of outdoor box lacrosse sessions being hosted when restrictions were eased at the beginning of July, Tom doesn’t think there’s any substitute for an indoor setting.
“You can't practice everything outside, but you can definitely work the key elements.
“Five-a-side pitches are great for playing a reduced-space game, and if you can get a goalie and box goal along then it is still possible to get a high-quality practice and scrimmage.
“Missing the rebounds off the boards is a shame, but as a country we have so much to work on in the two- and three-man game that five-a-side pitches and the outdoor box at Disley can easily provide us with what we need to improve the standard of box lacrosse in England”.
However, the most important thing for Tom is that box lacrosse players get back to playing outside as soon as possible and everything can move from there.
“I would love to play the second North vs South game; I played for the South in game one and we're feeling confident for the rematch.
“I'd also love to see the Tasko cup make a comeback; that is our domestic box lacrosse tournament, which is open to all players”.
And Tom is really hoping box lacrosse can continue to grow, as it has done over the past few years, despite the setbacks of 2020.
“We have to get playing outside. I know that SBL are planning something exciting to help make this happen, and that Northern Box Lacrosse (NBL) will make full use of Disley as soon as they can.
“We need to create more exposure of the box game to the wider lacrosse community and provide an opportunity for people to play.
“I've been amazed at the professional standard of tournaments available in Europe and I think improving the exposure of those tournaments to people in the UK will also help a lot”.