Benjamin Blessard

I have been around the sport of lacrosse my whole life growing up in Vienna, Virginia. I have coached all age groups at the youth level via camps and clinics since I entered college in 2015. I have been an assistant coach for 2 seasons (one season in Vienna, and another season in Plano, Texas), and I was also head coach for 1 season in Vienna.

I have played lacrosse for 20 + years, and I have continued to stay involved in the game through coaching, adult leagues, and working with lacrosse leagues like the MCLA. Lacrosse came into my life when I was 5 years old and I had the chance to watch my older cousin play, and I fell in love with the sport. I grew up playing lacrosse in Vienna, Virginia for VYI. I played in high school for Trinity at Meadowview, in Falls Church Virginia. I continued to play lacrosse in college at the University of Dallas, in Irving, Texas. The program was NCAA Division III. I started as an attackman for all four seasons. I also have experience in playing box lacrosse, which was a way to continue getting reps in the off season.

My parents saw that I had a lot of energy at a young age, so I played just about every sport the Town of Vienna and my high school had to offer. I played Football, Basketball, Baseball, Soccer, Wrestling, Rugby, and Golf. The knowledge that I gained from playing other sports was instrumental in my lacrosse abilities, and vice versa.

I believe that an hour is an excellent starting point for individual lessons. As a coach, I do not want to give a player more than they can handle, as well as ensuring that they are able to soak up all of the information that they can. I believe in consistency, so I like to keep the beginning of practice (or coaching lessons the same), and then I like to throw new drills and information at the end. I prefer players to show up at least 5 minutes early (with their water bottle and all their gear) so that we can get every ounce out of the time that's given. I start with a warm up lap, and a quick dynamic stretch. After warm ups, it’s important to warm up the hands with some quick passing since ever player on the field needs to be able to pass and catch. The lesson plan diverges after the warm up based on position and skill level. The are plenty of drills that allow me to build on the players foundation, as a coach, but the best way to improve is understanding the concepts. I can find drills to improve on the individuals skill level, but the drills I choose will be based in the concepts that need to be emphasized.

As I mentioned I played many sports growing up and have continued to learn more about other sports, so I really like to reference other sports, especially when an athlete also plays multiple sports. Another fun fact about me: I am left handed, which gave me a unique perspective of the field. From this unique perspective I learned that positioning on the field is crucial, which will be a point of emphasis in all lessons.