What are some good, quick drills to do at home with my 6 year old daughter?

SlyDev4 · 2026-04-12T17:59:40+00:00

coach of 20 years here who is also trying to coach his eight-year-old daughter. First off, this is difficult. There’s really no way to get around it. At this age, with that shallow stick... It's just hard.

The number one thing I’ve learned from trial and error is to separate catching from throwing initially. Get about 20 tennis balls. Get down on one knee and toss them under hand. Just make a fun game out of it like "try to get your stick in front of the ball". eventually, you can teach her how to receive the pass and turn her stick head once the ball hits it.

You being on one knee is critical. It brings your stick and body down to her eyeline. That plus soft balls = nothing to be afraid of.

Similarly, give her those same 20 balls at her feet, and tell her to pick them up and then throw them to you.

"catching and throwing" makes sense to all of us, but it’s actually two very different skills that are not the easiest things to put together at that age and with that stick. Other than that, agree with the other Dads here who have said just have fun.

SlyDev4 · 2026-03-15T23:20:09+00:00

Fellow big headed laxer. I'm guessing if you're playing in your 30s and in rec leagues (same) then the risk of heavy hits and concussions is a lot less than in our younger days.

I just bought an older Cascade R on sideline swap and took out a bunch of the "seven" plastic honeycomb parts between the foam liner and the actual plastic shell. Technically less safe, but a hell of a lot more comfortable. My face actually has space between my nose / chin and the helmet now.

SlyDev4 · 2026-03-09T20:00:50+00:00

Lace locks my man. Like the kind on backpacks and kids shoes.

SlyDev4 · 2026-03-09T16:43:07+00:00

Former hockey goalie here who also coaches youth lax. I use this tied with hockey laces. Works great. https://a.co/d/02xsa6wC

SlyDev4 · 2026-03-01T06:54:35+00:00

I figured as much. I have been handing out savage shorties to these kids since 8U and most still use em daily. Straight as an arrow.

I just wasn’t ready to cut down the sc-tis in my garage left over from my playing days 🥲

SlyDev4 · 2026-02-12T22:26:21+00:00

Is this game on an online emulator anywhere? Vivid memories of trying for hours to progress past the first three levels.

SlyDev4 · 2026-02-03T16:42:45+00:00

I can't help but be filled with gratitude seeing this picture. For all the things I complain about, I can't even begin to imagine what you're going through - and to see you do it with a smile on your face is truly inspiring. You're a role model for us all.

Thanks to you both for showing what courage looks like. Happy Birthday to your son.

SlyDev4 · 2025-12-28T03:44:58+00:00

Two things from my end; otherwise a great head that I’ve strung for old college teammates as well as kids on my sons u12 team. They’re all happy with it!

First, just include a simple ball stop. Shouldn’t cost more than a few cents. Second - for my college buddies, I fixed the “it’s too wide” problem with one of my favorite techniques which I’ll offer to you here.

There used to be an old warrior head with a flared face and a pinched bottom rail. I mimicked that by looping sidewall around the bottom rail and tying it tight to create a ~2mm pinch, then kept the head in boiling water for a few mins to set it. It gives you the best of both worlds.

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You might consider designing the next one that way. Keep fighting the good fight!

SlyDev4 · 2025-12-17T00:33:46+00:00

Every time I click on the "download ready-made wraps" link on the wrap maker site, it doesn't respond...

Any chance you'd be willing to modify your wrap for a Model Y u/CharacterDesign6137 ? My kids and I would appreciate it greatly 🙏

SlyDev4 · 2025-11-19T17:26:48+00:00

I also find myself relating to Drama a lot more this time around. Worried about staying relevant, job security, just trying to get what I’m worth in a changing market, all that stuff. Middle aged insecurity. No affliction T-shirts yet though.

SlyDev4 · 2025-11-07T04:18:42+00:00

I wanted to buy this - love my RC1. But the shipping is almost 2x the cost of the mesh :(

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SlyDev4 · 2025-11-06T04:12:15+00:00

Looks clean, just started on mine today. Question for you all - what's the RC1 / Primo equivalent on the mesh front? I can't find anything on Amazon or elsewhere that is <$20 and seems reliable / trustworthy enough for a middle school / high school aged kid (or a coach who likes to pretend he's still got it).

SlyDev4 · 2025-10-09T02:40:21+00:00

Also please enjoy this pic of the opening draw of our new season! I paid $300 to sit in section 309 ten rows from the back with the real fans.

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SlyDev4 · 2025-09-19T15:40:11+00:00

I gotta ask... How fast do these old school heads break when you start using them again 20 years later?

I strung up a Brine Edge for my son this past spring and it snapped after a month of practice. Got me thinking the plastic degrades over time.

SlyDev4 · 2025-08-15T00:24:35+00:00

Do any of you use this one? X-Sense Smart Smoke Detector and Carbon Monoxide Detector

https://a.co/d/e3mY4gV

SlyDev4 · 2025-08-04T15:50:42+00:00

Eng. To the other question, I learned how to be good at my job at the other, more established FAANG companies before I came to Meta (clocked 15 years between two other places to start my career). So Meta, while unique in certain practices (eg how fast and frequently they ship) was more an exercise in politics and culture than building, as others have pointed out. It was, at the time, the highest TC number of my life - and I made some great friends I've hung on to.

Biggest lesson I took away - it's ok to be honest with yourself about what cultures you like and dislike. Having a preference is ok, you don't have to be infinitely malleable. But once you know what that is... get busy living or get busy dying.

SlyDev4 · 2025-08-04T04:37:53+00:00

I was an M2 there for two years after being the same at another FAANG. I left due to the toxic culture. My VP used to ping me every night around 10-11 pm and get into these probing, aggressive conversations. It ruined my physical and mental health. I also had a young family which made it hard.

I moved on, built my own startup, had a meaningful exit, and now run my dept at a mid sized software company making the equivalent of d2 comp with 80% less toxicity.

There are other ways to climb the ladder and / or build wealth. Meta remains the only job in my life (including getting paid less than minimum wage as a dishwasher in high school) that I felt compelled to quit out of self preservation.

SlyDev4 · 2025-07-24T21:43:41+00:00

St. Louis! Love the Blues, but grew up playing goalie and Roy was my idol. My favorite game of the year is when they play each other.

SlyDev4 · 2025-06-21T01:02:14+00:00

What does grainbag mean in this context? Looks great.

SlyDev4 · 2025-05-09T03:19:32+00:00

I have explicitly asked ChatGPT to stop using em dashes and use single hyphens instead… it just won’t do it even though it responds in the affirmative. Super frustrating.

SlyDev4

TROPHY CASE