Decision Making Stations

Decision Making Stations
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 Activity 1: Trucks & Trailers Station 1: Take the Space - Read the D Station 2: 3v1 Rondo Station 3: Windup Decision Shooting Activity 5: 4v3 Unsettled
Activity 1: Trucks & Trailers - Link to Drill - 8 Minutes	Set Up	Focus Points
Start practice with this energetic ball control drill that will unlock creativity and naturally help players work on their cradling and change of direction		Truck – Try to make quick moves, change direction, create a pattern Trailers – Keep your heads UP! cradling the ball under control. If you drop it, pick it up and continue
Station 1: Take the Space - Read the D - Link to Drill - 8 Minutes	Set Up	Focus Points
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.
Station 2: 3v1 Rondo - Link to Drill - 8 Minutes	Set Up	Focus Points
Add in defenders to make it a 3v2 to elevate the challenge!		Offense – Move your feet to make good passes. Off ball SHOW TARGET and call for help Defense – Keep your stick in the air in passing lanes / use deception
Station 3: Windup Decision Shooting - Link to Drill - 8 Minutes	Set Up	Focus Points
A great shooting drill to help players read an approached defender!		Start loaded into your shot Attack the butt end of the guided defender try to get your shot off quick once you get hands away/free from the defender
Activity 5: 4v3 Unsettled - Link to Drill	Set Up	Focus Points
A fun Game to finish Practice with competition and players reading the advantages!		Offense – Fine the advantage (2v1). We want players to start seeking their open teammates in these transition scenarios so we get the best shot possible Defense – Communicate, get into a zone type shape where you can play the ball and slide for help. Keep your sticks up in passing lanes making it hard for the offense to make easy passes!

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Activity 1: Trucks & Trailers
Station 1: Take the Space - Read the D
Station 2: 3v1 Rondo
Station 3: Windup Decision Shooting
Activity 5: 4v3 Unsettled

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.

8 Minutes

Activity 1: Trucks & Trailers

Start practice with this energetic ball control drill that will unlock creativity and naturally help players work on their cradling and change of direction

Set Up

Put players in lines of 4 or 5, with the lead player with NO ball, they are the TRUCK. The 4 players behind them ar the Trailers and they all will be carrying a ball. The Truck will run in random patterns for 15-20 seconds, and the Trailers must run, and stay in line following the Truck! After the time is up, switch the roles until everyone has been a TRUCK!

Coaching Points and Principles

Truck – Try to make quick moves, change direction, create a pattern
Trailers – Keep your heads UP! cradling the ball under control. If you drop it, pick it up and continue

Progressions

Add less players so it goes quicker
Use Cones to make it easier to navigate for less experienced players

Tags

Anticipation & Recognition Attack Ball Control & Cradling Beginner Block - On Air (no opponent)Intermediate Men’s Lacrosse Midfield U10 U8

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8 Minutes

Station 1: Take the Space - Read the D

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

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.

Progressions

Add in disruptive defense

Tags

Advanced Anticipation & Recognition Attack Decision Making Dodging & Escapes Foundational Skills Guided - Token Opponent High School Intermediate Men’s Lacrosse Midfield Shooting Shooting on the Run

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8 Minutes

Station 2: 3v1 Rondo

Add in defenders to make it a 3v2 to elevate the challenge!

Set Up

Create a playing area using cones or lines on the field. There will be 3 offensive player on the outside, and 1 defender inside. The players on the outside will play keep away. The defender will try to be deceptive, move towards the passer to knock down or intercept passes! Play for 30 seconds then switch the players. You can also sub a player in quicker, off they intercept or knock down a pass.

Coaching Points and Principles

Offense – Move your feet to make good passes. Off ball SHOW TARGET and call for help
Defense – Keep your stick in the air in passing lanes / use deception

Progressions

Play 4v2
Make it harder for the offender and play 3v2 or 4v3

Tags

3v1 Beginner Disruptive - Light Physical Opponent Intermediate Off Ball Offensive Play Passing Small Area Games Small Area Games U10 U8

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8 Minutes

Station 3: Windup Decision Shooting

A great shooting drill to help players read an approached defender!

Set Up

Set players up in a line with the balls. Add a coach as a guided defender into the drill. The player starts with the ball in a loaded position ready to shoot. We want the player to initiate some form of escape with the ball. Early on in the learning process, a simple concept to teach players dodging, is to attack the defenders butt end side of their stick. It forces the defender to cross over more making it harder to stay in position. As players gain more confidence and skill, they will be able to attack both sides of their defender, but that principle ideally never changes!

Coaching Points and Principles

Start loaded into your shot
Attack the butt end of the guided defender
try to get your shot off quick once you get hands away/free from the defender

Progressions

Make defense a little more physical
Delay the guided defense that requires a quicker reaction/decision from the player

Tags

Anticipation & Recognition Attack Ball Control & Cradling Decision Making Dodging & Escapes Foundational Skills Guided - Token Opponent Intermediate Midfield Shooting Shooting on the Run Step Down Shooting U12 U14

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Activity 5: 4v3 Unsettled

A fun Game to finish Practice with competition and players reading the advantages!

Set Up

Create a small plating area, inside the restraining box. Add 2 goals so you have a full field within the playing area. Split you group into 2 teams, and put each team in a single file line at their respected defensive end. Start the game by putting 4 offense and 3 defense in, giving a team a starting advantage. Play until a dead ball, the last player to touch the ball on the offense is out. The 3 defensive players stay in and transition to the offensive end with a new teammate joining. They will go play 4v3 on the opposite end, until a dead. Continue this for about 8-10 minutes and your players will get a lot of touches and gameplay!

Coaching Points and Principles

Offense – Fine the advantage (2v1). We want players to start seeking their open teammates in these transition scenarios so we get the best shot possible
Defense – Communicate, get into a zone type shape where you can play the ball and slide for help. Keep your sticks up in passing lanes making it hard for the offense to make easy passes!

Progressions

Play full field with older players (HS/College) for a more intense workout
Give a shot clock, for faster play

Tags

4v3 Game - Live Play Intermediate Men’s Lacrosse Offense & Defense Principles Small Area Games Small Area Games Transition U10 U12 U14

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