Transition & Tempo
| Transition & Tempo | ||
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| Activities | ||
| 1v1 Scoop and Chase - Link to Drill | Set Up | Focus Points |
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| Offensive Skill Session - Backside Dive Shooting - Link to Drill | Set Up | Focus Points |
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| Defensive Skill Session - Stick in the Lanes - Link to Drill | Set Up | Focus Points |
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| 6V6 BUILD UP WITH BUMPS - Link to Drill | Set Up | Focus Points |
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| Scoop & Chase Unsettled - Link to Drill | Set Up | Focus Points |
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Phase 3: Create Under Pressure: Introduce Train to Compete elements while staying developmentally appropriate. This is where players begin learning how to create advantages intentionally, not just recognize them.
Week 9 Practice / 75 Minute Session
Please Note:The practice is designed to bring value across multiple age levels. You can use this as a foundation to build and develop your own practice. With that being said, we highly encourage you to adjust the drills based on your team’s age and skill levels. Lacrosse Drive should always be used as a starting point — you can make drills easier or harder by changing the constraints.
To make a drill easier, you might Increase the playing area, reduce the number of defenders or rules, add time or space to make decisions
To make a drill harder, you might: Shrink the field or add boundaries, add defenders or touch restrictions (e.g., “one-pass before shooting”), or Limit time or space to force faster decisions
Small adjustments to field size, player numbers, and rules can significantly change the challenge level while maintaining the same core learning goal.
1v1 Scoop and Chase
A classic ground ball that is a great warm up for practice
Set Up
Put players in groups of 5 or 6 on sideline. The first player in line is going for the groundball, and the 2nd player is chaser. The ball is rolled out, and the player must gain possession and throw the ball back to their next teammate in line. The chaser should put pressure on back hands with a LIFT, not a slap. You can have the 3rd player be the one who rolls, if you don’t have enough coaches.
Coaching Points & Principles
- Groundballs – Accelerate through and run away from pressure.
- Chasers – Practice getting under the blow or hand of player going for groundball, and lifting. We want to avoid big slap checks
- Communicate – next player in line call for the ball
Offensive Skill Session - Backside Dive Shooting
Defensive Skill Session - Stick in the Lanes
Summary
A great skill drill to work with your defensive players on stick control and footwork
Tags
Set Up
Put Cones in a square pattern about 5 years apart. The defensive player starts at the top cone looking back at their teammates. They will drop step and side run in a zig zag pattern through the cones with emphasis on keeping their stick up in the middle of the field. Add in a ground ball at the end
Coaching Points & Principles
- Side runs – this is mimicking a recovery type scenario when a player is dropping into help on the crease during play
- Stick up – VITAL for all defense when playing OFF-BALL. Sticks up allow opportunities to steal or knock down passes
Progressions
- Make the distance between the cones wider to make it easier, or more narrow to make it tougher and a conditioning type drill
6V6 BUILD UP WITH BUMPS
Tags
Set Up
Put 4 offensive lines around the high and low wings. You will add a defensive line at x behind the cage, and another line at the point. Give the defenders numbers, and make sure the point and x lines are opposite. For example, the point Lines will have players 1,3,5,etc.. the line at X will have 2,4,6,etc..
On the whistle, coach will throw a ball in to an offensive line and call a defender number out. If they call “One”, that player will sprint and approach the offensive player receiving the ball from coach. They will play 1v1 until the play ends by a shot, turnover, or defensive takeaway. Coach will then add in the next defender, say “Two”. That player would be coming from X and coach will throw a new ball in to another offensive player and they play 2v2. Continue until you reach 6V6.
Coaching Points and Principles
- Defensive – Approaches, focus on approach angles and keeping the offensive players away from center of field.
- Defensive – Communication: When the new defender is called in, they may be too far away from the new offensive player. In these situations, the new defender can bump a closer teammate to the ball, as you may do duing a recovery situation
- Offensive – Be a good dodger and attack the space or find ways to create the space you want. In the 2v2 + scenarios, you can work on picks and or on and off ball action
Progressions
- Add in constraints to focus on a particular situation. For example, if the team needs to work on off ball offense, tell them on every rep that is 2v2+, off ball players must do some form of action like a V-Cut, Screen, etc..
Scoop & Chase Unsettled
Summary
A fun game that works on small area and then full team offense and defense
Tags
Set Up
If you can, give your defense and attack different color tanks that the team. Here we are using green pennies for the attack, and red pinnies for the defense. They will always hold their positions.
The midfield will then be split up into their normal tank colors, so they are split black and blue.
The drill starts with either group (A or M) and coach rolls a live 3v3 out. They will play until either the offense scores there is a turnover (Defense clear to coach up top, or shot clock violation). Once that rep finishes, the M up top have a live 3v3 GB (You can change the numbers depending on how many you want on offense). Whoever wins that GB, is on offense, and go play 6v6 until another dead ball. Restart the drill, but give the first GB battle to the opposite group
Coaching Points & Principles
- Ground Ball Battles – Need to find the first GB and look to score or clear the ball fast
- Transition – Playing quick and finding those advantages
- Defensive Matchups and communication
Progressions
- If you want to take away the live GB, give the ball to the offense to start, good for some younger groups that puts a bigger emphasis on the transition play