Vol 3_No 1 Guts.indd - Rubber Magazine

By Bill Casey
Vincent Perez-Mazzolla
believes the state of Arizona is
underachieving when it comes to
maximizing the development of its
young lacrosse enthusiasts.
“With the ability to play this
game year round, we should be producing
many more college-bound
players than we currently are,”
said Perez-Mazzolla, author of “The
Lacrosse Training Bible.”
Perez-Mazzolla isn’t alone in
his sentiments, but he took pen to
paper in an effort to help change
the state’s ways.
Along with Matt Brown, a professional
lacrosse player with the
Arizona Sting and Denver Outlaws,
Mazzola wrote a guidebook for
players, coaches and enthusiasts
with historical information, training
methods and techniques, as
well as skill training for burgeoning
and seasoned athletes.
“The Lacrosse Training Bible”
is a comprehensive guidebook for
serious lacrosse players; it provides
everything athletes need to know
about the game, how it’s played and
what players can do to optimize
their performance and recovery
time while competing.
“This book is a great way for
players to get started, sharpen
their current skills and learn new
ones,” said Brown, the recently
appointed assistant men’s lacrosse
coach at the University of Denver.
“Not only does this book offer drills
and skills, but it gives the history of
the game and is great for parents,
players and coaches. I enjoyed
making contributions to what I
think is the overall best lacrosse
book on the market.”
Dedicated to the development of
30
Lacrosse
Local author pens lacrosse ‘Bible’
individual players, Perez-Mazzola
breaks the training process down to
three essential categories: athletic
skills, individual skills and team
concepts.
“With guidance, challenging
yourself during training can im-
“The Lacrosse Training Bible”
author Vincent Perez-Mazzolla
prove your motivation on the
fi eld, get you in top shape and
show you how to have fun in
the process,” said the author.
The detailed chapters
include: a complete look at the
beginnings of lacrosse and how it
evolved to be the sport it is today;
comprehensive athletic training,
from strength training to endurance
to fl exibility; unique drills to
improve catching, throwing, dodging,
ground balls and defense skills;
specially-designed programs for
both men and women; and vital
nutrition and hydration information
to keep you on the fi eld longer
and stronger.
The author himself worked hard
to play the game and he ultimately
excelling in the sport.
“As a former player who was
not, at the time, a particularly gifted
athlete, I was forced to develop
my stick skills to a high level in
order to play,” said Perez-Mazzola.
“It was this personal dedication to
mastering the basics that allowed a
slow, overweight kid to play three
years of varsity lacrosse and score a
ton of goals for my team.
“It was the mastery of these basics
that allowed me to play further
on the GWU club team as well as
keep up with East Coast teams and
even world players on the Monterey
and UCLA club teams.”
Mazolla is now in his fi fth year
as a coach in the Arizona Youth
Lacrosse Leagues. He has coached
for developmental leagues, at Notre
Dame Prep and for
the last two years
at Phoenix Country
Day School, where
he is currently the
head varsity coach.
It’s the author’s
experiences that
lead to his opinion
that Arizona
should be producing
more collegebound
athletes.
“The reason for this is not because
we don’t have great coaches,
but the rush many players make
into playing the game before
they’ve the mastered the fundamental
skills,” said Vince. “The
book gives players, coaches and
parents a guide to developing good
basics while providing cutting-edge
training in strength and conditioning
for the lacrosse athlete.”
“The Lacrosse Training Bible”
is published by Hatherleigh Press
and available at local book stores,
Amazon.com and at LacrosseTrainingBible.com.
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