Floor Lacrosse field trials

DSE National Mini Games – Grantham, Lincolnshire, UK. May 2002

Following the initial trials the next opportunity for trial arose at the annual Disability Sport England National Mini Games - an event for 7 to 11-year-old youngsters with physical impairments. It took place in a spacious sports hall with an ideal fast floor for stick activities, i.e. little friction. The overall implications from this second field testing session were:

• the capball sticks have high visual appeal
• the youngsters just want to capture a ball and run, run, run
• teachers are impressed by this natural appeal of the equipment and its safety.

Irrespective of the awkwardness of the angle when trapping sometimes, the participants were starting to become aware of the basic alignment necessary with the action. The action could therefore develop:

• a youngster’s manipulative ability
• perceptual awareness.

The sticks would appear to have as much value for individual, pair or small group activities in PE or recreation sessions as for an actual competitive game of Capball/Floor Lacrosse.

The participants
The participants wanted to:

• run like the wind
• zigzag in and out of other participants or floor markers
• pretend to take on a friend as an opponent to avoid
• race and shoot for the two end goals
• flick the ball in a long roll and chase it before anyone else touched it.

The teachers had to stop/slow down a couple of the youngsters, as they were becoming far too hot for their specific medical conditions.

They found the brief end to end game exciting and self-reinforcing with the key features being that:

• it was a highly exciting and reinforcing activity
• youngsters wanted to run and run.

As a result the following refereeing challenges became apparent.

• How is the tackle controlled (if a tackle is permitted)?
• How far can you run with the ball under the cage with a single possession?

Equipment
As a result of field trials the equipment was developed further. The school groups trying the equipment all found the sticks very appealing and intriguing. The adjustable handles made it possible to match everyone's height and reach to the stick for the best manipulative advantage.

The durability of the equipment was impressive.

• The materials and structure of the equipment took all the rough and tumble of the tackles/clashes and the downward capping actions onto the floor.
• The weight of the sticks is a great asset for youngsters with these types of conditions, i.e. limited strength and stamina demands.
• None of the ball joints showed the slightest degree of weakness or looseness.
• The limited flat alignment angle was restrictive and challenging.
• Teachers were all impressed with the safety element, i.e. the downward capping action restricts how high the sticks are raised and thus the dangers of lifted and swing injuries do not arise.