Practice Plan: Finding Advantages & Stickwork

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3v1 Rondo
3 Team Scoop to Win Groundball Game
Station 1: 1v1 with 2 Goals
Station 2: 2v1 Decision Shooting
32 Break Game

Phase 2: Play & Decide – Focus Points to build on our fundamental skillsets, while adding in some light decision making

Week 4 Practice / 60 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.

Theme Description This practice is designed continue to build on our foundational skillsets. Players will start to learn how to make reads on the field, and finding the advantages

3v1 Rondo

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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3 Team Scoop to Win Groundball Game

Set Up

Put your players into 3 teams, smaller group drills so 2-4 players per team. You can use goals or cones as your scoring point. Coach will put a bag of balls In the middle of the playing area, and on the whistle, 1 player from each team must go get a ball, and bring it back to their scoring area. They can shoot on a goal or carry through a gate using cones as shown in this video. The next teammate in line can go get a ball, once they get back to line, acting like a relay race. The team with the most balls after a 1 minute session wins

Coach Points and Principles

Ground balls – finding a loose ball and accelerating through
Ball Control – carry the ball confidently back to your scoring area
Shooting – if using Goals, add in shooting constraints (must finish on a bounce shot, as an example)
Teamwork! Make sure players are rooting each other on

Progressions

Make field larger so they have to run more / smaller for less experienced players
add more teams (4,5,6)

Tags

Ball Control & Cradling Beginner Block - On Air (no opponent)Ground Balls Intermediate Men’s Lacrosse Small Area Games Small Area Games U10 U8

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Station 1: 1v1 with 2 Goals

A fund drill to work on offense and defense positional skillsets

Set Up

if you have 4 small goals, use those. You can also use cones/gates as an alternative if you don’t have those.

Split the field in half using cones, and add a line of players on each end they would be defending. Start with 1 side, a coach rolling a ball to the offensive team. The defense must run and approach the player scooping the ball. The objective is for the offense to score on 1 of the 2 goals, but they can’t shoot until they get past the midline. Once a player commits to one side (goal) they must stay attacking that goal. (They cannot run towards 1 goal, and then run to the other)

Coaching Points & principles

Offense – Uses dodges to attack space
Defense – Try to stay on offense hips. Once they choose a direction, think about driving them rather than taking the ball away

Beginner Defensive Positioning & Footwork Defensive Stick & Body Contact Dodging & Escapes Game - Live Play Intermediate Men’s Lacrosse Positional / Tactical Small Area Games Transition U10 U12 U14 U8 Women’s Lacrosse

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Station 2: 2v1 Decision Shooting

Set Up

Put 2 lines up to about 5 yards apart. Add a coach in the middle as the defender. We are starting this drill with a ground ball, you can start with a pass as well. The players will criss cross attacking the goal. The player clearing through, is cutting under their teammate which we want to emphasize. As the ball carrier attacks the goal, the coach will either slide to the ball, or slide to teammate without the ball. Players must recognize the slide and react to it!

Coaching Points and Principle

Spacing – Clearing space under your teammate, not above
Read the defense – when a slide comes to you, we want to move the ball. When you have free space, we want you to take it and shoot it
Shooting – shot placement and finishing the ball on cage
Passing – making great passes to your teammates

Progressions

Make it a 3v2
Set up on the wings for a different look
Use constraints like off-hand only

Tags

2v1 Anticipation & Recognition Attack Beginner Communication Decision Making Foundational Skills Guided - Token Opponent Inside Finishing & Goal Scoring Intermediate Men’s Lacrosse Midfield Shooting U10 U12 U8

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32 Break Game

Set Up

Create a small field area game, using the retraining area or cones. Put 2 attack and 1 defense on each end, and midfielders lined up on the sideline. A coach with balls, will roll a live ground ball in, and players will play a live game. In this game, there will always be a 3v2 on each side, so the offense has the advantage. When there is a dead ball, coach can roll a new contested ball in, or start a new group!

Coaching Points & Principles

Offense – Find the advantage! play fast by finding an open teammate to get the best shot!
Defense – Communicate, play zone like where you need too pressure the ball with backside support to play the next pass

Progressions

Play 4v3, set up 2 midfielders of each team
If you don’t have goalies, turn the goals upside down to make it harder to score

Tags

3v2 Decision Making Game - Live Play Intermediate Lacrosse IQ Men’s Lacrosse Small Area Games Small Area Games Transition U12 U14

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