WMLAX Full-Year Development Program

At West Michigan Lacrosse, we believe the best player development happens through consistent coaching, purposeful training, competitive opportunities, and strong relationships. Our Full-Year Development Program is designed to provide meaningful lacrosse experiences throughout the year while remaining flexible enough for multi-sport athletes and busy families.

Our mission is to develop complete athletes by focusing on stick skills, lacrosse IQ, athleticism, teamwork, leadership, character, and a lifelong love for the game.

Fall Development Season

The fall season serves as a bridge between summer competition and winter training. Players reconnect with teammates, sharpen fundamentals, and prepare for tournament competition while continuing to build their lacrosse foundation.

Fall Training Schedule

• 4 Fall Practices
• 2 practices at the end of September
• 2 practices at the beginning of October

Fall Tournament

October 3-4 Weekend

• Girls Tournament: Saturday, October 3
• Boys Tournament: Sunday, October 4
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Winter Development Series

The Winter Development Series focuses on skill development, position-specific instruction, athletic movement, and lacrosse IQ while preparing athletes for the upcoming spring season.

Location

MSA Woodland

Schedule

• 5 Winter Workouts
• 2 workouts in November
• 3 workouts in December

Winter Training Focus

• Stick skills and ball control
• Shooting mechanics
• Dodging and footwork
• Defensive technique
• Goalie development
• Small-sided competition
• Lacrosse IQ and decision-making

Preseason Development Series

Our preseason program is designed to help athletes enter their school season confident, prepared, and physically ready to compete.

Location

Max Effort Fieldhouse (MEF) – Caledonia

Schedule

• 5 Preseason Workouts
• 2 workouts in January
• 3 workouts in February

Preseason Training Focus

• Speed and agility
• Conditioning
• Position-specific skills
• Team concepts
• Game awareness
• Spring season preparation

Summer Development Program

The summer season brings everything together through structured training and tournament competition. This is where players have the opportunity to apply what they have learned throughout the year while competing alongside teammates from across West Michigan.

Summer Training Schedule

• 10 Summer Workouts
• Practices begin June 15
• Practices held every Tuesday and Thursday
• Program runs through July 22
• Location and times TBD

No Practices

• July 1
• July 6

These dates allow families to enjoy the Independence Day holiday while maintaining a consistent summer training schedule.

Summer Training Focus

• Stick skills
• Team offense and defense
• Position-specific development
• Goalie instruction
• Lacrosse IQ
• Speed and agility
• Competitive small-sided play
• Tournament preparation

Tournament Opportunities

Throughout the year, players will have opportunities to compete in tournaments that align with their developmental goals and skill level.

Our Tournament Philosophy

We attend tournaments to:

• Compete
• Learn
• Challenge ourselves
• Build relationships
• Play against new opponents
• Discover what we need to improve when we return to practice

Success is measured not only by wins and losses but also by growth, effort, sportsmanship, learning, and the experience we create together.

Built for Multi-Sport Athletes

We understand that many athletes participate in multiple sports and activities throughout the year. Our schedule is intentionally designed to provide meaningful lacrosse development without requiring year-round specialization.

We believe multi-sport athletes develop valuable athletic skills, avoid burnout, and become more complete competitors.

The WMLAX Difference

WMLAX is more than a lacrosse club.

We are a community dedicated to developing:

• Better players
• Better teammates
• Better leaders
• Better coaches
• Better officials
• Better ambassadors for the game



With more than 200 athletes participating across boys and girls programs, our mission remains simple:

Provide affordable, high-quality lacrosse opportunities for every player while creating an environment built on growth, relationships, effort, sportsmanship, and a genuine love for the game.

At WMLAX, no player is left behind.