Attacking and Defending Space

Attacking and Defending Space
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	Activities Space Gates Game Half Field Partner Passing with Shuffle 2V2 Double Trouble Continuous 3v3 Game
Space Gates Game - Link to Drill	Set Up	Focus Points
Set Up Create a 20×20 yd playing area. Place 6 small gates around the grid (each gate = 2 cones set 4 ft apart). One attacker with ball, one defender guarding. Attacker’s goal: Run and Cradle THROUGH as many gates as possible in 60 seconds. Defender tries to intercept the carrier between gates. Scoring: 1 point per gate passed through. Let each group run 2 rounds, and then switch. The offensive player must maintain possession running through a gate, no drops and they CANNOT use the same gate twice in a row Coaching Points & Principles Progressions Have the defender play with no stick Remove some gates, less options		The gates are scattered randomly. The attacker must constantly scan, evaluate multiple options, and redirect The defender must make decisions about which gate to guard, and the attacker can exploit whatever the defender abandons. No specific path, no lines. Continuous decision-making.
Half Field Partner Passing with Shuffle - Link to Drill	Set Up	Focus Points
Get the legs moving and the sticks warm with this passing drill! SET UP Pur your players in partners, and start them at the on the side of field around restraining box. They should be 3-5 yards apart, depending on you skill level. The players will shuffle down the field, passing the ball back and forth. There are 2 progressions, the first one the players will keep their sticks up field matching teammates (left line is lefty, right line is righty). The second progression, players would catch the ball cross face (behind them) pulll stick back across face, and pass back (no hand exchanges) PRINCIPLES & COACHING POINTS		Try to get the ball in an out of stick with 1 cradle or less After player makes pass, recoil and get stick back up for a target!
2V2 Double Trouble - Link to Drill	Set Up	Focus Points
Coaches should emphases to players, finding space, defensive double teams, and finding ways to create advantages		Offense – communicate and work on our off ball play Defense – Keep the offense away from the middle of the goal
Continuous 3v3 Game - Link to Drill	Set Up	Focus Points
Finish with 3v3 to goal where coaches reward players for attacking open areas instead of forcing predetermined dodges.		Groundballs – Players should work on ground ball battles, boxing out and helping other teammates get the ball Transition – We want to play fast and try to get scoring opportunities in transition Defensive pressure – defense should pressure the ball and force the offense to move the ball

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Space Gates Game
Half Field Partner Passing with Shuffle
2V2 Double Trouble
Continuous 3v3 Game

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.

Space Gates Game

Set Up

Create a 20×20 yd playing area. Place 6 small gates around the grid (each gate = 2 cones set 4 ft apart). One attacker with ball, one defender guarding. Attacker’s goal: Run and Cradle THROUGH as many gates as possible in 60 seconds. Defender tries to intercept the carrier between gates. Scoring: 1 point per gate passed through. Let each group run 2 rounds, and then switch. The offensive player must maintain possession running through a gate, no drops and they CANNOT use the same gate twice in a row

Coaching Points & Principles

The gates are scattered randomly. The attacker must constantly scan, evaluate multiple options, and redirect
The defender must make decisions about which gate to guard, and the attacker can exploit whatever the defender abandons.
No specific path, no lines. Continuous decision-making.

Progressions

Have the defender play with no stick
Remove some gates, less options

View Drill Page →

Half Field Partner Passing with Shuffle

SET UP

Pur your players in partners, and start them at the on the side of field around restraining box. They should be 3-5 yards apart, depending on you skill level. The players will shuffle down the field, passing the ball back and forth. There are 2 progressions, the first one the players will keep their sticks up field matching teammates (left line is lefty, right line is righty). The second progression, players would catch the ball cross face (behind them) pulll stick back across face, and pass back (no hand exchanges)

PRINCIPLES & COACHING POINTS

Try to get the ball in an out of stick with 1 cradle or less
After player makes pass, recoil and get stick back up for a target!

2V2 Double Trouble

Coaches should emphases to players, finding space, defensive double teams, and finding ways to create advantages

Set Up

Using 1 half of the field, add a second goal around the restraining box. Line up the 2 teams at the midline, and start the game with a live 2v2 ground ball. Which ever team wins, is on offense. They can attack either goal! the defense must communicate and know where they are on the field and keep the offense AWAY from the middle of the field.

Coaching Points & Principles

Offense – communicate and work on our off ball play
Defense – Keep the offense away from the middle of the goal

Added Constraints: Give the offense a rule like # of passes before they can attack a cage and/or they need to score off a 2-player game scenario

Progressions

Play 3v3 or 4v4

Continuous 3v3 Game

Finish with 3v3 to goal where coaches reward players for attacking open areas instead of forcing predetermined dodges.

Set up

Put your players into 2 teams, and create a small playing area. The teams will line up on opposite sidelines, coach throws a live ground ball in. 3 Players from each team go try to win the groundball. The team that wins, goes right to the goal they are attacking and play until goal/save/turnover. New ball comes in and the team on defense now attacks the other goal, until dead ball. Coach will give the original winning team 1 extra offensive rep, and they will transition and go try to score

Coaching Points & Principles

Groundballs – Players should work on ground ball battles, boxing out and helping other teammates get the ball
Transition – We want to play fast and try to get scoring opportunities in transition
Defensive pressure – defense should pressure the ball and force the offense to move the ball