Practice Plan: Escapes & Dodging w/ Stations

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Activity 1: Zombie Tag
Activity 2: Open Field Space Cradles
Station 1: Wing Dodges w/ Guided Defense
Station 2: Tight 1v1
Station 3: Attack the butt End
Activity 6: Tic Tac Toe

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.

Theme Description & Objected: Escapes & Dodges

Dodging & Escapes is designed to help players learn how to move with confidence, protect their stick, and create space under pressure. The objective of this plan is to introduce young athletes to simple dodges, change-of-direction movements, and escape techniques that build body control and offensive awareness. Through fun, game-like activities, players learn how to recognize pressure, use their feet and hips to evade defenders, and stay poised with the ball—developing the early tools they need to become creative and effective playmakers.

10 Minutes

Activity 1: Zombie Tag

Start Practice with this great game that will get the kids energized!

Set Up

Create a small area using cones or lines on the field for boundaries. Every player will have a ball and there will be a coach(s) inside the play area as the zombies. On the whistle, the players will start running with their ball in the play are and coaches will walk around like zombies. if a player gets tagged by a coach or runs outside the playing area, they will freeze in place. Their teammates can unfreeze them, but rolling a ball through their legs, and scooping a ground ball. Continue for 5-10 minutes, and the kids will have a great run!

Coaching Points and Principles

Ball Control and Awareness – Keep your head up, stay away from zombies, and don’t run out of bounds!
Communicate – Help unfreeze your teammates

Progressions

Make field smaller so its more challenging or larges for less experienced players

Tags

Anticipation & Recognition Ball Control (with the ball)Beginner Box Lacrosse Dodging & Escapes Game - Live Play Intermediate Men’s Lacrosse Small Area Games Small Area Games U10 U8

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8 Minutes

Activity 2: Open Field Space Cradles

Set Up

Use a designated area on the field or use cones to create one, that the players must stay inside of. Every player has a ball, and on coaches whistle, they will start running around 50% speed. They must keep their head up and make an escape dodge every time they meet another player inside the circle. If you want to make it a game, players will leave the are if they drop the ball, or run out of bounds. The last player standing wins! Add a coach in for light defense to make it more challenging

Coaching Points and Principles

Cradling and Ball Control! Keep the stick protected
HEAD UP! See where you are running, don’t run into another teammate
Use both strong and weak hands

Progressions

Use more constraints, specific dodging styles
Add in defenders and coaches for light pressure
Make field smaller to make it more challenging or larger to make it easier

Tags

Anticipation & Recognition Attack Ball Control (with the ball)Beginner Block - On Air (no opponent)Box Lacrosse Defense Dodging & Escapes Intermediate Men’s Lacrosse Midfield U10 U8 Women’s Lacrosse

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5 Minutes

Station 1: Wing Dodges w/ Guided Defense

Set Up

Put the players in a line on the wing, with the balls for them to start with. We are using cones to give the players a little guidance, but having a guided defender you don’t necessarily need them. The players will start to attack a space they see, and the coach will shade high or low. That will determine whether the player gets underneath, or gets over the top for a shot.

Coaching Points and Principles

They want to attack the space the see free to start
If a coach takes a side away they are trying to get to, they should naturally change direction
Try to get a shot off as soon as you best the defender

Progressions

Add in a 2nd coach and slide forcing a pass
Execute on different side of the field
Protect the stick while dodging

Tags

Anticipation & Recognition Attack Beginner Box Lacrosse Decision Making Dodging & Escapes Guided - Token Opponent Intermediate Men’s Lacrosse Midfield Shooting Shooting on the Run U10 U12 U14 U8

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5 Minutes

Station 2: Tight 1v1

Set Up

Put an offense and defense player in play. They start with the offense shielding stick with body, leaning into the defender. The defense leans back with hands/stick on hip on opponent. On whistle, the offense player attacks the goal, and does so by feeling the weight/positon of the defender, and attacking the opposite.

Coaching Points & Principles

Stick Protection!
Use Body to feel the pressure angle from defender.. roll dodges and top side drives will work but find the natural escape
Defense work on recovery angles
Do this drill from all areas of the field

Progressions

Have players start with small separation, so the defense must approach.

Tags

Attack Ball Control (with the ball)Beginner Box Lacrosse Defense Dodging & Escapes Intermediate Men’s Lacrosse Midfield Small Area Games Small Area Games U10 U8

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5 Minutes

Station 3: Attack the butt End

Set Up

Put players in groups of 5 on the sideline with a coach about 5-8 yards away. Coach will stand square to them, with their stick on their hips. We want the players to pick up a ball dodge past the butt end, and carry the ball back in line. Coach should be changing hands for every player, so they have to be a DECISION MAKER.

Coaching Points and Principles

No specific dodge, but we want the player to change speed and ACCELERATE past coach
Recognize the butt end, and let players naturally feel/see that
Force them to think about what kind of movement they need to do two protect stick, while dodging

Progressions

Play tougher defense so they don’t hang stick, light checks
Make them pass back to their teammate in line

Tags

Anticipation & Recognition Attack Ball Control (with the ball)Beginner Box Lacrosse Defense Dodging & Escapes Guided - Token Opponent Men’s Lacrosse Midfield U10 U8 Women’s Lacrosse

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Activity 6: Tic Tac Toe

Finish with this fun game that works on teamwork high energy!

A change of pace and fun game to do with younger players that emphasizes teamwork and hustle!

Set Up

Using Lacrosse sticks, create a tic tac toe board on the field. Split the players up into 2 teams, and each team has different colored balls. This is like a relay race as well, so the next teammate cannot run to place a ball, until their teammate returns. Play until the team makes 3 in a row!

Coaching Points and Principles

Teamwork!
Working Hard
Awareness

All Beginner Block - On Air (no opponent)Small Area Games Small Area Games U8

Tags

All Beginner Block - On Air (no opponent)Small Area Games Small Area Games U8

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