Driving & Sliding

Driving & Sliding
Phase 3: Compete & Adapt :As players enter the Train to Compete phase, the focus shifts to applying skills and concepts in competitive, game-like situations. Practices emphasize situational play, decision-making under pressure, and team principles while fostering communication, leadership, and adaptability. Coaches demand constant communication, reward smart team decisions, and encourage players to take ownership of their performance and growth.	Week 9 Practice /90 Minute Session	Activities Full Field Partner Passing Offensive Skill Session: Elevator Passing Defensive Skill Session: Crease Sliding Drill 3v3 Column Game Full-Field Sixes Scramble Game 6v6 Scrimmage
Full Field Partner Passing - 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 goal line on each side of the cage. They should be 5-10 yards apart, depending on you skill level. The players will run up field, passing the ball back and forth. There are 2 progressions, the first one the players will keep their sticks up field (left line is lefty, right line is righty). The second progression, players would catch the ball with their inside hand, exchange to up field hand, and throw back. PRINCIPLES & COACHING POINTS		Keep hips moving up field, this is NOT a shuffle! Try to get the ball in an out of stick with 1 cradle After player makes pass, recoil and get stick back up for a target!
Offensive Skill Session: Elevator Passing - Link to Drill	Set Up	Focus Points
A team passing drill that works off the motion offense Set Up Put 1 line on each high wing, and a line on the crease. The ball starts with the high wing dodge down the alley. The crease player pops off to the high crease, and receives a throwback/jam pass. After the catch, they will tranfer the ball to the opposite high wing player, who will catch and alley dodge. Keep repeating that motion. After the player dodges, they go to the crease. After the pop player transfers, they go to the line they passed to Coaching Points & Principles		Play fast! Practice playing fast like a game Throwbacks/Jams – Make sure you are working on roll aways, QB passes, and Lever Passes.. getting hands free is paramount Transfer the ball quick, on offense, when move the ball from 1 side of the field to the other, we want to move it quickly to re-attack trying to catch defenses off guard and slow to slide/recover
Defensive Skill Session: Crease Sliding Drill - Link to Drill	Set Up	Focus Points
A fluid drill that works on crease slide packages and approaches Set Up Put your defenders and SS defenders on goal line extended. Start with 2 defenders on the crease, and an offensive line up top at the point. The drill starts with the offensive player dodging down an alley, and the nearby defender will slide with the backside defender sinking into crease area as the 2 slide. Once the slid approaches, the offensive player will (Jam) roll away from the pressure, and make a good pass back to the next teammate in line up top. Once they catch, they will attack the opposite side and keep repeating. Make sure once the slide goes, you fill in a new defender on the crease so there are always 2 players there. Coaching Points and Principles		Body position on crease – your want your shoulders pointing to the dodger and back to the crease, you must shade and move as the ball carrier dodges Sliding – we want to approach and slide under control and you want to lead with your stick to make contact with hands This is a great drill for the offense too, working on throwbacks (jams) under pressure
3v3 Column Game - Link to Drill	Set Up	Focus Points
A great small area game that emphasizes playing vs pressure designed by Jim Mitchell of Princeton Lacrosse Set Up If your field has the football hash lines, use those or create a small area in front of the goal 10×20. Its a live 3v3 and you can manipulate the rules as you see fit, but here are the base set of rules: Always trigger with a pass down pick down Defense must always try to double team off the picks If the defense neutral;izes the pick, offense should move the ball and try to find an advantage to the goal Coaching Points & Principles Progressions Have the off ball defender show more as a slide player Younger players that don’t use picks, have a slide come to the dodger as a double team and use shallow cuts for offense		Playing vs pressure – double teams we need ball carried to find space and off ball teammate to find support space Quick ball movement Picks – making sure we use good angle to help our teammate get hands free
Full-Field Sixes Scramble Game - Link to Drill	Set Up	Focus Points
A fun and competitive game that builds in conditioning! Set Up Use your full field, and split your players into two teams. There is a coach in the middle of the field with balls. Start with a live 5v5 on 1 side, and on the dead ball or turnover, coach rolls a new ball in. The team that gets the GB must go and play offense. Continue for 90 second shifts and then sub Coaching Points & Principles Progressions Younger players can play on smaller field Add in shot clocks Add extra points for certain outcomes Score off a pick Defense pass knock down or intercept		Play through fatigue Communicate Find the advantages
6v6 Scrimmage - Link to Drill	Set Up	Focus Points
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).

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Full Field Partner Passing
Offensive Skill Session: Elevator Passing
Defensive Skill Session: Crease Sliding Drill
3v3 Column Game
Full-Field Sixes Scramble Game
6v6 Scrimmage

Phase 3: Compete & Adapt :As players enter the Train to Compete phase, the focus shifts to applying skills and concepts in competitive, game-like situations. Practices emphasize situational play, decision-making under pressure, and team principles while fostering communication, leadership, and adaptability. Coaches demand constant communication, reward smart team decisions, and encourage players to take ownership of their performance and growth.

Week 9 Practice /90 Minute Session

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.

Full Field Partner Passing

SET UP

Pur your players in partners, and start them at the goal line on each side of the cage. They should be 5-10 yards apart, depending on you skill level. The players will run up field, passing the ball back and forth. There are 2 progressions, the first one the players will keep their sticks up field (left line is lefty, right line is righty). The second progression, players would catch the ball with their inside hand, exchange to up field hand, and throw back.

PRINCIPLES & COACHING POINTS

Keep hips moving up field, this is NOT a shuffle!
Try to get the ball in an out of stick with 1 cradle
After player makes pass, recoil and get stick back up for a target!

Offensive Skill Session: Elevator Passing

Set Up

Put 1 line on each high wing, and a line on the crease. The ball starts with the high wing dodge down the alley. The crease player pops off to the high crease, and receives a throwback/jam pass. After the catch, they will tranfer the ball to the opposite high wing player, who will catch and alley dodge. Keep repeating that motion. After the player dodges, they go to the crease. After the pop player transfers, they go to the line they passed to

Coaching Points & Principles

Play fast! Practice playing fast like a game
Throwbacks/Jams – Make sure you are working on roll aways, QB passes, and Lever Passes.. getting hands free is paramount
Transfer the ball quick, on offense, when move the ball from 1 side of the field to the other, we want to move it quickly to re-attack trying to catch defenses off guard and slow to slide/recover

Defensive Skill Session: Crease Sliding Drill

Set Up

Put your defenders and SS defenders on goal line extended. Start with 2 defenders on the crease, and an offensive line up top at the point. The drill starts with the offensive player dodging down an alley, and the nearby defender will slide with the backside defender sinking into crease area as the 2 slide. Once the slid approaches, the offensive player will (Jam) roll away from the pressure, and make a good pass back to the next teammate in line up top. Once they catch, they will attack the opposite side and keep repeating. Make sure once the slide goes, you fill in a new defender on the crease so there are always 2 players there.

Coaching Points and Principles

Body position on crease – your want your shoulders pointing to the dodger and back to the crease, you must shade and move as the ball carrier dodges
Sliding – we want to approach and slide under control and you want to lead with your stick to make contact with hands
This is a great drill for the offense too, working on throwbacks (jams) under pressure

3v3 Column Game

A great small area game that emphasizes playing vs pressure designed by Jim Mitchell of Princeton Lacrosse

Set Up

If your field has the football hash lines, use those or create a small area in front of the goal 10×20.

Its a live 3v3 and you can manipulate the rules as you see fit, but here are the base set of rules:

Always trigger with a pass down pick down
Defense must always try to double team off the picks
If the defense neutral;izes the pick, offense should move the ball and try to find an advantage to the goal

Coaching Points & Principles

Playing vs pressure – double teams we need ball carried to find space and off ball teammate to find support space
Quick ball movement
Picks – making sure we use good angle to help our teammate get hands free

Progressions

Have the off ball defender show more as a slide player
Younger players that don’t use picks, have a slide come to the dodger as a double team and use shallow cuts for offense

2-Player Game 3-Player Game Advanced Anticipation & Recognition College Game - Live Play High School Intermediate Lacrosse IQ Men’s Lacrosse Off Ball Defensive Play Off Ball Offensive Play Positional / Tactical Small Area Games Small Area Games Team Systems & Conceptual Play U10 U12 U14

View Drill Page →

Full-Field Sixes Scramble Game

A fun and competitive game that builds in conditioning!

Set Up

Use your full field, and split your players into two teams. There is a coach in the middle of the field with balls. Start with a live 5v5 on 1 side, and on the dead ball or turnover, coach rolls a new ball in. The team that gets the GB must go and play offense. Continue for 90 second shifts and then sub

Coaching Points & Principles

Play through fatigue
Communicate
Find the advantages

Progressions

Younger players can play on smaller field
Add in shot clocks
Add extra points for certain outcomes
- Score off a pick
- Defense pass knock down or intercept

2-Player Game 3-Player Game 5v5 Advanced College Decision Making Game - Live Play High School Intermediate Lacrosse IQ Men’s Lacrosse Off Ball Defensive Play Off Ball Offensive Play Small Area Games Team Systems & Conceptual Play Transition U10 U12 U14 U8 Women’s Lacrosse

View Drill Page →

6v6 Scrimmage

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

View Drill Page →