Like during the soccer boom of the 80s and 90s, some of the problems lacrosse faces is attributable to a shortage of quality coaching. Dexter coach Brian Callanan, above, wants to be part of the solution.

Lacrosse can be a brutal sport and, in its infancy, often was played in an overly-violent fashion. An almost Mad Max culture - with an emphasis on fighting and hitting but not so much on tactics, rules or regulations - can still be found in areas.

That doesn't fly with the former Marine and police officer Brian Callanan, currently the Dexter High School varsity coach.

"The problem, and I want to be part of the solution, is I still think we have young programs and a lack of experienced coaching has a lot to do with it, where the athletes playing the game are not learning the game the way they're supposed to and they're getting involved in the unnecessary physicality of it," Callanan says.

"Obviously it's a physical game, but it's a controlled physical game. And I still think we have coaching that's not paying enough attention to that part of the game. As you learn the game, you actually don't check as much because what you're doing is extending your body out of good position for no reason."

By running an annual coaching clinic and having what he calls an "open door policy" at practices for coaches who want to learn how to coach the game properly, University of Michigan club coach John Paul tries to battle the no-holds-barred approach to the game.

"There are not a lot of great coaches out there and, kind of like what soccer probably experienced in the '80s and '90s, not a lot of parents grew up around the game," Paul says. "So it's kind of our responsibility to educate how the game is supposed to be played."

And just as soccer evolved from a fringe alternative game to the nation's most popular youth sport, lacrosse has the potential for continued growth as those who have learned to love the game grow into the next generation of coaches and parents.

"I do it because I wish someone had done it for me," says Callanan, who became a student of the game in the Marine Corps. "I do it for the young men, not wins and losses, not Xs and Os. I do it to prepare young men for the next level, and lacrosse is a great easel to paint on."

Pete Cunningham covers sports for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at petercunningham@annarbor.com or by phone at 734-623-2565. Follow him on Twitter @petcunningham.