How much does it cost to do lapta? Looks like we’ve found the cheapest kid’s hobby ever

A native Russian game that was practiced back in the 14th century and used to train soldiers. Hundreds of years later, lapta is still played and even brought this sport to a high level. It develops agility, wit, learns to control and direct force, and for children, these are very important skills.

We continue our text series in which we talk about the prices of children’s sections. Today we will tell you about one of the most unusual ones. The mom of an athlete from St. Petersburg told about the costs of her son’s hobby.

mom of a lapta player

“After my son tried many different sports, his choice fell on lapta. It is a team and very active sport, and the child’s physical form has improved. He has a clear desire to win and a competitive spirit: he wants to get into the main squad, he tries and trains. Also, lapta is an intellectual game: often it is necessary not so much to run fast, but to think quickly in order to outwit the opponent. I can’t help but be happy that it requires zero investment, because, except for sneakers, there are no other expenses for the training process”.

Uniforms and equipment

Everything is simple: a T-shirt and shorts. If you want, you can get within a thousand rubles for everything. But depending on the capabilities of the parent there is a chance to buy something more expensive. For classes also need sneakers, fit any, ordinary cost on average about 1.5 thousand rubles. At school, balls and bats are bought by the coach, so that they do not need to spend on them at all.

Training

Lapta came into our lives by accident. At a summer corporate gaming tournament for families, the vice-president of the St. Petersburg Lapta Federation was preparing for the game. She noticed that my son had good data for playing lapta and baseball, and invited him to join training within the Federation. The lessons are absolutely free of charge for the child.

Russian Lapta Federation of Russia. This all-Russian public physical culture and sports organization began its existence in June 2003. And since then it holds tournaments and competitions where athletes show their skills. The federation also trains coaches and judges in this ancient sport.

My son has been practicing for seven months, but he has not yet joined the main team, so there is no way to say how much it will cost to travel to competitions.

Rules of the game

In lapta there are 20 people on the court, each team has 10 players. Athletes use solid wood bats and tennis balls. The length of the game is two halves of 30 minutes and a five-minute break.

One team is in the field and the second team is in the “house”, from where they serve the ball to the first team. On the whistle of the head referee, the pitch takes place. Players in the infield must catch the ball to earn points. The pitcher can get extra points if, after realizing the ball, he crosses the field first one way and then comes running back.

But if the opposing team manages to hit him with the ball during this time, i.e. “siege”, the points go to them. Teams change places when there are no players left in the “house”.

Even if a child’s hobby doesn’t require a lot of finances, it doesn’t mean you don’t need to invest at all. Attention, support and love is a much more valuable resource, so don’t forget that raising an athlete becomes a full and complete immersion in their activities.