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About Klein Lacrosse
Klein Lacrosse was established in 1991 by Jim Perryman. Jim served as varsity coach till his retirement in 2003. Jim had his fair share of struggles, from lack of support and field restrictions, but he kept the program alive with a lot of West Texas grit. He was a man who refused to take “no” for an answer. Mark Feltch, who coached in 1993, the Klein Gold “second” varsity team and the first JV team, remembers Jim fondly. Mark lived in the Galleria area, drove to Sugarland to pick up Jim’s goalie, Richard Chen, then drove him to Cypress Creek Christian Community field and then back home to Sugarland. Tim Leyden and Bruce Roloff continued Jim’s legacy coaching 12 years and 10 years respectively at the middle school level and the high school level, with a state championship in 2006, and are still with our program today. What commitment those men had to keep Klein Lacrosse alive! They received no compensation for their hard work, just the satisfaction of coaching and their love of lacrosse. Each year we honor Jim Perryman’s memory with a trophy in his name to a senior boy and a senior girl who exemplifies his spirit and the love of the game. The Klein Lacrosse Club is a 501(c) non-profit tax-exempt organization. Our objective is to promote and develop youth Lacrosse in Houston. Our core principles define our standards for our association, parents, players, and coaches. It’s a Game for Life We believe that Lacrosse is a game, a fun game, a fast game, a game of skill and a game that can be played over the course of a lifetime by those that love it. We want to do all we can to help each player find this love and respect for the game.
Team First Character Matters We believe that a player’s attitude as much as their aptitude is the key to the success they will have in Lacrosse, and in life. It’s not about one player’s stats or a team’s win/loss record, rather it is all about improving, being a team player, accepting responsibility, placing no blame, and getting most of your abilities as they develop. There are no Shortcuts We believe that practice, attention to school work and family responsibilities are the key to developing great Lacrosse players and young men/women. A Common System and Approach We believe that a common system of play is essential for growing Lacrosse players. Much time and effort is taken by coaches at all levels to align on a system of play, nomenclature to positional play and transitional elements allowing for optimal growth of players and teams over time. We want even our youngest teams to begin playing in our designated system of play, making the necessary mistakes to grow. The Coaches Role We believe that a coach is a coach not a parent with the job to teach skills, provide an understanding of how the game is played, motivate each player individually to achieve their very best and ensure that team goals are paramount to individual goals.
PRACTICES Commit to the Team We believe that committed teams are made up of committed players. Players should be punctual to practice, respect your teammates and your coaches, come with the attitude to learn and improve every time and leave off-field issues off the field. Preparation & Presentation We believe that most of the work for a successful practice happens well before players and coaches take to the field via the orderly development of a practice plan designed to work on team goals (and player skills). Coaches are responsible to be prepared and present to their players an orderly and coordinated practice to ensure team cohesion and success. An ill prepared practice, no matter how well exercised, is a waste of everyone’s time. Motivation is a Noun not a Verb We believe and expect that players will come prepared to give it their all. As coaches, we will seek to tap into each player’s motivation to allow them to achieve success in their role, so that that team can achieve success in its goals. While inspiration and direction will be a part of every practice and game, any player who needs to be “motivated” to play their hardest or to enjoy the game has bigger issues to deal with than a desire to play.
GAMES Respect for the Game We believe that our players should exude respect for the game at all times. This means protecting the other team’s players by avoiding cheap shots or injurious play. Clean hits that result in injury are a part of the game, but a dirty play or a play made in anger or retaliation disrespects all who play. Respect Leaders We believe that players should respect the role of the referee and defer to their coaches to address any issues regarding officiating. Teammates should respect their captains and their coaches at all times, irrespective of their agreeing with or disagreeing with a particular decision or action. Look Like a Team At any game or scrimmage, or other team event, all players will be expected to dress in the appropriate team attire as designated at the beginning of the season by the coach or team manager. It will be essential that players and coaches look and comport themselves in a courteous and professional manner so as to bring honor and respect to themselves, their teammates and the organization. Winning is a result, not an action We thoroughly believe that winning is the result of actions taken by a team to achieve a goal. It is not to be viewed as a means to an end. Our coaches will play to a team’s particular strength or another team’s weakness in developing game plans. Winning a game is the result of execution of that game plan. Execution of a game plan does not guarantee winning, but failure to execute almost always assures defeat. With total focus and effort, teams will achieve success regardless of what the scoreboard says. Teams win, Not Players We believe that good teams will always win out over great players. Accordingly, we will stress the role of each teammate to another and to the team overall and utilize each player’s strengths, while mitigating their weaknesses to achieve team goals. Our goal will be to create super teams of players, with defined roles, realizing that certain players by the nature of their role on a team may have more or less field time than another, or play in a particular situation.
CHARACTER & PLAYER DEVELOPMENT It’s Got to be Personal We believe that the best coaches are those that do take the game and their team’s efforts personal. As a leader for a team, they connect personally to the team’s goals by wanting to become better themselves through achieving the goals. This creates an authentic energy for all players to want to jump on board and be a part of something special. As coaches, we respect the opportunity both players and parents entrust to us each week to teach Lacrosse and character skills that can last a lifetime. Outcome Clarity We believe that coaches should be clear on what it takes to attempt to achieve any goal established by the team and that failure in an honest effort to achieve that goal(s) is possible. But, if each player works hard and puts the team first, they will have done all they can do and will feel a sense of pride regardless of the outcome. Communication We believe in both regular and informal communication between coaches and players and parents. We generally subscribe to the 24-hour rule that allows for any coach to be available to a parent for a discussion about a particular practice or game 24 hours after that practice/game. Players have real time, any time communication ability with coaches. Fail Forward We believe it is essential for coaches to instill in each team and their players the idea of what a “good mistake” or an “advancing mistake” looks like. A good mistake is a mistake that will keep a team moving towards the stated goals and are the result of attempting to master particular skills or facets of the game which is part of the process of both player and team development. Failing to make mistakes in practices (and at times in games) can potentially be the sign of a team stagnating. The Right Decisions, Not Always the Easy Ones We believe one of the best ways for coaches and teams to connect comes when coaches made the “right” decision not the “popular” or “easy” decision. We want our players to see coaches struggling with tough decisions and making the right decision, doing the right thing. Stretching We believe Lacrosse is as much about mental as it is about physical preparation. We want to regularly ask our players to stretch their abilities, to test their physical and mental capabilities in an effort to expand their game and we will “positively challenge” all players in this regard. We believe at the youngest levels that it is crucial for players to be moved around and challenged in various positions to allow for skill development and also the attainment of a greater perspective for the game, essential to long term capability enhancement. Be Big in Small Moments Finally, we believe that the true measure of any player, of any person for that matter is their actions and reactions when no one else is watching. Some players can turn it on at crunch time, others can be great clutch players. Each of these are enviable traits. But the true measure of character that we seek to instill is for each player to realize it is their commitment and passion to be big in the smallest moments that will truly carry the day. In Lacrosse, most goals start from the smallest most innocuous plays originated by a player doing his/her job. It could be winning a ground ball, making a good pass to start a breakout, clearing a missed shot to start a transition, or making a line change when a player is tired to get a fresh pair of legs on the field. Whatever it is, as coaches we seek to teach players that in Lacrosse, as in life, you can be defined by the things you do, the truly big things you do, when no one is watching or if they are, it would appear your efforts are either unnecessary or unnoticed.
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