Playing with Advantages & EMO

Playing with Advantages & EMO
Please Note:The practice is designed to bring value across multiple age and skill levels at the high school & collegiate 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.	At the High School and Collegiate levels, systems should live within the principles. Sets and formations provide structure and spacing, while the underlying principles ensure the team stays balanced, connected, and able to play together as one unit.	Activities Pre-Practice: Offense Passing Pre Practice: Defense Man Down Full Field Riding and Clearing Man Up & Man Down Build Up Man Up Install: 1-4-1 Play 6v6 Scrimmage
Pre-Practice: Offense Passing - Link to Drill	Set Up	Focus Points
A great passing drill of you play zone offense or man up out of a 1-4-1 Set Up Put your players in lines in a 1-4-1 on the offensive end of the field. Only keep 1-2 players max inside for each line. Start the ball on a wing, and that player will carry up, and the crease player pops out opposite like a mirror. The ball carrier throws the ball to the pop player, who will then move the ball to X and backside wing as quick as possible. Once the ball gets to the opposite win, they will carry low back towards X, and the pop player mirrors high. Player will pass to the pop player, and swing the ball through point and backside wing as quick as possible. Players will go to the line they passed to. Coaching Points & Principles Progressions North South Passing		Spacing – Players should be speed properly, especially on the pops.. those passes should be 8-10 yards and they should be popping into shooting areas Passing – We want to be able to move the ball quick vs a zone or man up, so work on good passes and moving out feet so we can spin the ball quick
Pre Practice: Defense Man Down - Link to Drill	Set Up	Focus Points
A good drill to work on man down defense designed by Coach John Gallant Set Up This is a 4v3, and set up cones as shown in diagram. The crease and low corner offense players need to stay inside, the point player can move east-west. The ball always starts with the point player, and the emphasis is for the defender guarding ball, to get on STICK SIDE. If it’s a righty point, we want to get up on his right shoulder, taking away passing lanes. The low defenders need to communicate to cover the crease and other 2 low corner offense. Every rep is 5 seconds, and get every group 3-5 reps then rotate players Coaching Points & principles		Approaches – We want the point defender to approach strong hand of ball carrier Off ball defense – Need to cover the crease and low corners by communicating and getting into proper lanes
Full Field Riding and Clearing - Link to Drill	Set Up	Focus Points
This full-field, continuous drill gives both sides of the ball live reps within your team’s clearing and riding systems. Start with the goalie and clearing unit working through your Ladder Clear (Or another system if that’s what you prefer), while the riding team applies your core riding principles at full speed. Once the clearing team successfully crosses the midfield line and establishes an offensive possession, the coach blows the whistle to create a dead-ball situation. The ball immediately starts going the opposite direction, with the units transitioning into their new riding and clearing responsibilities. There are no shots or goals unless the coach calls for live offense—the emphasis is on clearing, riding, communication, decision-making, and getting organized in transition. The drill can easily be adjusted to prepare for specific opponents or reinforce different concepts. Have your clearing group work against different looks such as a 10-man ride, zone ride, or aggressive pressure, or challenge your riding unit against stack clears, traditional ladder clears, or other opponent-specific formations. Coaches can also emphasize transition substitutions, forcing players to recognize when and where to sub without sacrificing field balance. Keeping the drill moving continuously creates realistic conditioning while giving players repeated opportunities to recognize, communicate, and solve full-field situations.
Man Up & Man Down Build Up - Link to Drill	Set Up	Focus Points
A good way to work on the quick decisions in extra man / man down scenarios Set Up Split the field in half, and put 4 offensive players on each side, and 3 defensive players on each side (1 O and 1 D on crease). You will play one side until the build up ends, and then you can work the other side of the field Coach passes a ball to point player, and they play 2v1 against the top defender. Usually 1-2 passes before a shot Coach passes a ball to low corner, now the lw defender is activated along with the 1st 3 players, making it a 3v2. Usually get 3-4 passes before a shot Coach passes a ball into the wing, and now the crease players are activated making it a 4v3 until the play ends. Coaching Points and Principles		Offense – Attack the gaps, and move the ball quick to find the open shot Defense – Approach angles to take ways passing lanes, sticks up, and try to make the offense make one more extra pass to slow them down
Man Up Install: 1-4-1 Play	Set Up	Focus Points

6v6 Scrimmage - Link to Drill	Set Up	Focus Points
Play 6v6 and then add in man up and man down situations

Jump to a Section

Pre-Practice: Offense Passing
Pre Practice: Defense Man Down
Full Field Riding and Clearing
Man Up & Man Down Build Up
Man Up Install: 1-4-1 Play
6v6 Scrimmage

Please Note:The practice is designed to bring value across multiple age and skill levels at the high school & collegiate 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.

At the High School and Collegiate levels, systems should live within the principles. Sets and formations provide structure and spacing, while the underlying principles ensure the team stays balanced, connected, and able to play together as one unit.

*If you don’t have the time for pre-practice, you can incorporate those skill session into practice

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., “Play A gets 2 points for an assist”), 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.

Pre-Practice: Offense Passing

Set Up

Put your players in lines in a 1-4-1 on the offensive end of the field. Only keep 1-2 players max inside for each line. Start the ball on a wing, and that player will carry up, and the crease player pops out opposite like a mirror. The ball carrier throws the ball to the pop player, who will then move the ball to X and backside wing as quick as possible. Once the ball gets to the opposite win, they will carry low back towards X, and the pop player mirrors high. Player will pass to the pop player, and swing the ball through point and backside wing as quick as possible. Players will go to the line they passed to.

Coaching Points & Principles

Spacing – Players should be speed properly, especially on the pops.. those passes should be 8-10 yards and they should be popping into shooting areas
Passing – We want to be able to move the ball quick vs a zone or man up, so work on good passes and moving out feet so we can spin the ball quick

Progressions

North South Passing

Pre Practice: Defense Man Down

A good drill to work on man down defense designed by Coach John Gallant

Set Up

This is a 4v3, and set up cones as shown in diagram. The crease and low corner offense players need to stay inside, the point player can move east-west. The ball always starts with the point player, and the emphasis is for the defender guarding ball, to get on STICK SIDE. If it’s a righty point, we want to get up on his right shoulder, taking away passing lanes. The low defenders need to communicate to cover the crease and other 2 low corner offense. Every rep is 5 seconds, and get every group 3-5 reps then rotate players

Coaching Points & principles

Approaches – We want the point defender to approach strong hand of ball carrier
Off ball defense – Need to cover the crease and low corners by communicating and getting into proper lanes

4v3 Advanced College Defense Defensive Positioning & Footwork Defensive Stick & Body Contact Defensive Systems & Principles Game - Live Play High School Intermediate Man Down Men’s Lacrosse Off Ball Defensive Play Team Systems & Conceptual Play U14

View Drill Page →

Full Field Riding and Clearing

This full-field, continuous drill gives both sides of the ball live reps within your team’s clearing and riding systems. Start with the goalie and clearing unit working through your Ladder Clear (Or another system if that’s what you prefer), while the riding team applies your core riding principles at full speed. Once the clearing team successfully crosses the midfield line and establishes an offensive possession, the coach blows the whistle to create a dead-ball situation. The ball immediately starts going the opposite direction, with the units transitioning into their new riding and clearing responsibilities. There are no shots or goals unless the coach calls for live offense—the emphasis is on clearing, riding, communication, decision-making, and getting organized in transition.

The drill can easily be adjusted to prepare for specific opponents or reinforce different concepts. Have your clearing group work against different looks such as a 10-man ride, zone ride, or aggressive pressure, or challenge your riding unit against stack clears, traditional ladder clears, or other opponent-specific formations. Coaches can also emphasize transition substitutions, forcing players to recognize when and where to sub without sacrificing field balance. Keeping the drill moving continuously creates realistic conditioning while giving players repeated opportunities to recognize, communicate, and solve full-field situations.

Advanced College Game - Live Play High School Intermediate Men’s Lacrosse Riding and Clearing Team Systems & Conceptual Play Transition U14

View Drill Page →

Man Up & Man Down Build Up

A good way to work on the quick decisions in extra man / man down scenarios

Set Up

Split the field in half, and put 4 offensive players on each side, and 3 defensive players on each side (1 O and 1 D on crease). You will play one side until the build up ends, and then you can work the other side of the field

Coach passes a ball to point player, and they play 2v1 against the top defender. Usually 1-2 passes before a shot
Coach passes a ball to low corner, now the lw defender is activated along with the 1st 3 players, making it a 3v2. Usually get 3-4 passes before a shot
Coach passes a ball into the wing, and now the crease players are activated making it a 4v3 until the play ends.

Coaching Points and Principles

Offense – Attack the gaps, and move the ball quick to find the open shot
Defense – Approach angles to take ways passing lanes, sticks up, and try to make the offense make one more extra pass to slow them down

Advanced Attack College Communication Defense Defense Slide & Recovery Defensive Positioning & Footwork Extra Man / Power Play Game - Live Play High School Intermediate Lacrosse IQ Man Down Men’s Lacrosse Midfield Offense Spacing Principles Shooting Small Area Games Team Systems & Conceptual Play U14

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Man Up Install: 1-4-1 Play

6v6 Scrimmage

Play 6v6 and then add in man up and man down situations

A live 6v6 scrimmage allows players to apply the skills and concepts practiced throughout the session in a game-like environment. Play continuously while encouraging communication, decision-making, and teamwork. Keep coaching interruptions to a minimum, using brief teaching moments between possessions to maintain the flow and maximize repetitions.

Constraint Ideas: Possession clock • Every player touches the ball • Assisted goals only • Bonus points for defensive stops or caused turnovers • Start from specific situations (clear, ground ball, man-up, etc.) • Limit dodges or require a dodge before shooting • Reward good spacing and ball movement • Play uneven numbers (6v5, 5v6).

Advanced Beginner College Game - Live Play High School Intermediate Men’s Lacrosse U10 U12 U14

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