The Birth of the Swax Lax Lacrosse Training Ball

For years I’ve been coaching players of all age groups and have always felt uncomfortable watching new players try to catch a lacrosse ball for the first time. The obvious nerves on the receiving end are valid. With no experience, there’s no guarantee a traditional hard rubber lacrosse ball flying their way isn’t going to hit them. And, unfortunately, it frequently does.

This lesson hit close to home (literally) when I started to teach my daughter Molly to play the sport. She was so afraid of getting hit with the hard lacrosse ball — and, in fact, she did — by me! I knew it was time to invent an alternative, softer training ball. It’s scary for first-time lacrosse players to learn with such an intimidating ball, so I put on my thinking cap and got busy.

I tried using the well-known pinky balls, but they were so light that it made catching even harder. I tried hacky-sack balls with my younger players. This was better, but unfortunately, they still weren’t the right dimensions, and they frequently broke. I needed a ball that was the same weight and size as a regulation lacrosse ball—but softer and less intimidating. 

Swax Lax Is Born

After lots of trial and error with my coaching staff and Swax Lax Lacrosse campers, I created the Swax Lax lacrosse training ball. It’s a soft lacrosse ball that’s constructed to be the same weight and size as a regulation lacrosse ball. The ball is great for new players who are hoping to work on their stick skills. A dropped pass is no big deal because the ball doesn’t bounce. You can forget about wasting time chasing lacrosse balls across the field or around the gym. And, most importantly, no more tears from new players announcing they’ll never play again after being hit with a hard rubber ball. Success! Playing with a Swax Lax lacrosse ball equals more time spent growing the game.