Small-sided games are one of the most effective ways to develop better lacrosse players because they create more touches, more decisions, and more opportunities to solve problems. By reducing the number of players and shrinking the playing area, everyone becomes more involved. Players are constantly attacking space, moving off-ball, communicating, defending, and reacting to what happens next. Instead of simply practicing a skill, they’re learning when, where, and why to use it.
The real value comes from repetition with variability. Players repeatedly experience dodges, slides, recoveries, ground balls, transition opportunities, and offensive advantages, but the situation is never exactly the same. A defender approaches from a different angle, space opens somewhere new, or a teammate makes a different decision. That forces players to read the game, adapt, and find solutions rather than memorize predetermined movements.
Small-sided games can also be manipulated to emphasize almost any concept. Change the space, numbers, scoring system, starting position, or rules and you can create an environment that encourages the behaviors you want to develop. The goal isn’t to give players the answer to every situation, it’s to give them enough opportunities to see the game, make decisions, compete, and ultimately learn how to solve it.
👇 Some of Our Favorite Small-Sided Games
Tempo, Unsettled, Riding & Clearing
4V3 New School
Bring the goals up to each restraining box creating a small sided game and split your group into two teams. On both ends, place 4 Offensive Players and 3 Defensive Players. IMPORTANT RULE – Players on both teams are NOT ALLOWED to cross midfield. The game will start with a defending team clearing the ball, starting with the goalie. The players on opposite side of field, must get open for a clean outlet/clear since their clearing teammates cannot cross midfield. The game plays as a 4v3 and the offensive must find the advantage opportunity to create offense. The defense must play player down, and stick to their principles as noted below, to protect the goal. Play for 2-3 minutes, and then sub everyone.
Coaching Points and Principles
-
- Clearing Principles – Work to get open, spread the field out
- Defensive Principles – Protect the house/crease area, keep sticks in passing lanes, disrupt the offensive play
- Offensively – Find the advantage whether its a 2v1 down the wing or up top
2-3 Player Games Fast Action
32 Wing
Split the field in Half using cones and put 3 offensive lines and 2 defensive lines on the wing. The drill starts with coaching rolling a ball in to the offense, and they play 3v2 on one half of the field. The play should be quick, and once finished, those 5 players will flow over to the other wing waiting. Continue new groups until all are finished, and then repeat the same play from the opposite wing
Coaching Points & Principles
- Offense find the 2-player advantages.. can use picks and slips
- Defense needs to communicate, slide, and rotate to protect the inside
- Play should be fast and quick
Progressions
- Play 3v3
Ground Balls & Competition
Scoop & Chase Unsettled
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
Sliding, Recovery, & Communcation
6v6 Build Up w/ Bumps
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..
Fast Breaks & Recovery
Miller 4V3
Put goals at each retraining box. Put 1 line of players on each side of the cage, and start with 3 attack and 3 defense inside the playing area. The game starts with goalie outlet to line, and A/D need to rush in to the hole and get to their spots. Play until a goal is scored, goalie makes save, or missed shot. As soon as that happen, goalie outlets to a new player, and the 3 A/D need to rush to the opposite side of the field, and prepare for the 4 v 3. They do 3 reps, then change out A/D
PRINCIPLES & COACHING POINTS
- Get to your spots on O and D
- Defense communicate
- Small area play, protect ball, move it fast, and find the best shot
Great for Youth - Finding & Creating Advantages
Build Down Game
Create a small playing area, and split group into 2 teams. Start with a 4v4, and play until a dead ball (Goal, Save, Turnover). The last offensive player to touch the ball, leaves the game. The defending team now goes on offense playing 4v3 to the other goal. Same rules apply, last offensive player to touch, leaves game. Continuing playing with these rules until you get to 1v0 against the goalie. Restart a new game, and give the other team the start so they play with uneven advantages.
Coaching Points & Principles
- Transition Play – Playing fast
- Finding the advantages
- Defense organization – unsettled, all even
Youth Players: Elevate Ball Control and Confidence
Chaos Keep Away game
Create a small area playing field and split players into 2 teams. Both teams at opposite end of the fields, and lacrosse balls to the middle of the field. I usually like to you 1/2 balls to players.. so if there are 20 total players, use 10 balls. On the whistle, the players will run in trying to get a ball. Once they gain possession, they must run away and escape the defenders staying in the playing area. The team with the most balls at the end of 1 minute wins that round
Rules
- Players can pass to teammates to escape pressure and maintain possession
- If they go out of bounds with a ball, turnover to defending player
- Players without the ball, can pressure to take away and flip a possession
- The team who possesses the most balls after 1 minute, wins
Coaching Points & Principles
- Groundballs! Winn the ground ball battles
- Stick control & cradling with the ball vs pressure
- Teamwork, don’t be afraid to pass to open teammates to maintain possessions
Finding Advantages
32 Break Game
Create a small field area game, using the retraining area or cones. Put 2 attack and 1 defense on each end, and midfielders lined up on the sideline. A coach with balls, will roll a live ground ball in, and players will play a live game. In this game, there will always be a 3v2 on each side, so the offense has the advantage. When there is a dead ball, coach can roll a new contested ball in, or start a new group!
Coaching Points & Principles
- Offense – Find the advantage! play fast by finding an open teammate to get the best shot!
- Defense – Communicate, play zone like where you need too pressure the ball with backside support to play the next pass
Progressions
- Play 4v3, set up 2 midfielders of each team
- If you don’t have goalies, turn the goals upside down to make it harder to score