|
Partner Passing – Upfield - Link to Drill
- 5 Minutes
|
Set Up |
Focus Points |
If you are a younger team with a little less experience, you can have the players stand closer (5 yards) and have them shuffle facing teammate, making shorter passes
|
|
- Keep your stick up as a target for your teammate when you don’t have the ball
- We are running upfield, not shuffling.. try to keep the hips/shoulders in that direction
- Passing – Make good passes keep the ball in the air so your teammate can make an easy catch
|
|
Diamond Keep Away Game - Link to Drill
|
Set Up |
Focus Points |
A fun and engaging groundball and transition drill that works on both offensive and defensive teamwork & spacing
Set Up
Set up cones in the shape of a diamond in the playing area. You can make it larger to force longer passes but the stand length should be about 8-10 yards away from each other. On the sideline, set up 3 lines of each team, depending on your group size. They should be alternating (dark, light, dark, light, etc..). Coach rolls a ball into the field (doesn’t have to be inside the diamond), and the team that picks up the ball is on offense. Another teammate from the winning team will join, giving them an advantage (4v3). At this point the game-play will move to the cones, and the defense has to stay inside the diamond while the offense needs to stay out. Play keep away for 30 seconds or until coach blows the whistle for a new group!
Coaching Points and Principles
Progressions
- Make the groups smaller (2 lines of each color) so it turns into a 3v2 for more spacing at younger ages
- if you have more than 4 players (5v4) we can put an offensive players on the crease who can rotate in and out during the keep away play
- Add go to the goal
|
|
- Ground Balls
- Offense – Make good passes, a teammate should be at an adjacent cone. If the player with the ball carries, the offense should move like a carousel maintaining their spacing.
- Defense – Communicate, who has ball! Need no play the ball, and have backside zone since we are playing with 1 less player. One the ball is passed, a new defender should slid to the ball, and the previous defender on ball needs to get back inside for backside supper and help. Keep stick UP to try and knockdown passing
|
|
Offensive Skill Station - Link to Drill
|
Set Up |
Focus Points |
This drill is designed to teach how to shoot on the run with proper mechanics, balance, and timing. Shooting while moving is one of the most difficult skills in lacrosse because it requires footwork, hand speed, and body alignment to work together at full speed. This drill isolates the final steps of the shooting motion so players learn how to generate power, accuracy, and consistency when shooting on the run rather than relying on arm strength alone.
Set Up
The focus of this drill is the last three steps of the shooting sequence, which are critical for learning how to shoot efficiently while moving toward the goal. Place a cone roughly 8 yards from the cage. Players start square to the goal in an athletic stance with knees bent, shoulders level, and the stick flat across the waist.
On the whistle, the player initiates the shot by popping the hands away from the body to get the stick loaded early. At the same time, they drive aggressively off the inside foot to begin their approach. The goal is to transition smoothly from a balanced setup into a downhill shooting motion. Players should be loaded to shoot before their feet stop, allowing them to release the ball by the third step.
Emphasize finishing downhill toward the cage, not drifting sideways. This teaches players how to shoot with forward momentum, which increases both velocity and accuracy.
Principles and Coaching Points
- Start Square to the cage
- First move we want to drive our hands away and up to get loaded, while planting off the inside foot.
- Drive back downhill to cage and shoot by the time we get our third step
- Focus on overhand shots
Progressions
This drill is especially effective because it breaks down how to shoot on the run into repeatable movements that translate directly to game situations. By emphasizing footwork, hand placement, and timing, players develop a reliable shooting technique they can use at full speed. |
|
- Start in off hand, and first move is a split
- Start with one hand on stick already loaded to make it a little easier
- Do on all areas around the goal for various shots
|
|
Defensive Skill Station: Zig Zag Approaches - Link to Drill
|
Set Up |
Focus Points |
Build in some groundball work too either before or after the drill
|
|
- 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
|
|
32 Break Game - Link to Drill
- 12 Minutes
|
Set Up |
Focus Points |
A fun & fast paced transition game for youth players that helps build game IQ!
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
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
|
|
- 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
|
|
Scoop and Chase Small Sided Game - Link to Drill
|
Set Up |
Focus Points |
A fast paced, half field drill to get your players competing.
Set Up
Split the group into two teams, and put them in alternating lines at the midfield. On a Half field, we would have 4-6 lines of each color, being a full team drill. If working in smaller spaces like video, you can do 3-4 of each color. The drill starts with coach rolling a live ground ball into the play. The first player in each line will go try to win the ground ball. Which ever team wins the ball, gets the ball to the goalie and initiates a clear. If you don’t have a goalie, just have the players clear to a Coach up top. Once they successfully clear the ball, they will go back in on offense, and attack the goal. Coaches can manipulate the rules or constraints to make uneven situations or get players to explore other team concepts like picks, off ball play, etc..
Coaching Points and Principles
Progressions
- Add extra players in on offense to creat uneven looks
- Number the lines up top, so only select players go into the drill (1,2,3,4 would be a 2v2 groundball play)
- Shot Clock – Once on offense, create a shot clock to speed up play
|
|
- Ground balls – players should be working hard to win ground balls to start the drill
- Clearing – Team is spread out and finding open spaces
- Even & Uneven scenarios
|
