A fun variation and take off this classic passing drills
Set Up
Put your players In groups of 8 or 10, and set up 4 lines all right next to each other, in the shape of a + sign. The first players in each line are on offense, and the second are defenders/trailers. Start with 1 ball in 1 line, with a live ground ball. the first player in line must top attack and get the ball, with the 2nd player defending as the trailer. The defender will shade one side, and the offense must roll to space and adjacent line teammate must pop out to support. Connect a pass to the outside so the trail defenders can intercept the pass, and continue until you get all the way around the circle. Reset and start a ground ball with a new line
Coaching Points & Principles
|
|
- Groundballs – Accelerate and get your head up
- Escapes – Feeling the open Space
- Off Ball Play – Adjacent teammates must recognize if their teammate curls to them and pop out for support
- Passing – Pass the ball to the outside to prevent defensive knock downs
|
Take the space is a recognition drill we work on with our offensive players that will reinforce finding and taking the space when an action is afforded from a defender.
Set up
Put players in any part of the field, and have the offensive player start with a ball, and their back turned to the goal. The Defensive player should be a stick length away, on coaches whistle, the offense player flips around and the defender will either shade high or low. The player attacking the goal will take the space and finish with a shot
Coaching Points and Principles
Progressions
- Add in disruptive defense
|
|
- Have O + D stay in role for 3-5 reps, and the defender change up the shade every time without the offense knowing
- Read the space, and accelerate through it
- Finish with a shot, which will vary depending on where you are attacking from.
|
A great drill to work on defensive approaches working on footwork and body control
Set Up
Use 8 cones, and place in a zig zag pattern. The first 4 cones can be about 10 yards apart, and the last 4 about 5 yards apart. The player will start by running and approaching the first cone, break down, and then side run to the lower cone.. if int he 5 yard space its more of a shuffle. They will go through the zig zag 3-5 times, focusing on the footwork and body principles outlined below. Have the players go both ways so they are approaching different angles
Coaching Points and Principles
|
|
- Short choppy steps when approaching the cone (invisible player)
- Approach at an angle, & get the top foot upfield – thinking you are trying to force the invisible plane to the next lower cone
- Lead with your stick, don’t run with stick horizontal
- After you approach cone, you want to have a short drop step to maintain position so you can side run/drive to the next cone
|
A drill that works on defense approaches and offensive dodging
Set Up
This drill starts with the offensive players on a high wing, and a defender on the crease, about 8-10 yards away. A coach will have the ball and will start the drill by throwing a ball into the offensive player. As the ball is in the air, the defense must approach the offensive player and take a good angle to keep them away from the middle of the field. The offense must catch the ball, and make 1 quick move to get their hands free for a shot. Try to limit the play to 5 seconds
Coaching Points and Principles
Defense
Offense
- One quick move and go, we want to use deception to get our hands free. If you get your hands free, get loaded and shoot, don’t let the defended recover.
- Use split dodges and jab steps to freeze the defense
- Try to take high quality shots, changing planes and shooting away from the goalies stick
Progressions
- Use tennis balls if you want to keep it lighter for your goalies
|
|
- Focus on your angle of approach, we want to take away the middle of the field, where a shooting angle is higher
- get your inside foot, top side to help with that approach and take short choppy steps so you stay balanced, trying not to lunge forward
- Lead with your stick and get to the players hands, hole the topside as best you can’t and drive through shoulders during the dodge to prevent shots
|
A fun quick 3v2 drill that focuses on traction play and quick finishes inside
Set Up
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
Progressions
|
|
- 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
|
