Practice Plan: Ground Balls & Games

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Activity 1: Groundball Rodeo
Activity 2: Rondo Groundballs
Activity 3: Split Field Keep Away
Activity 4: Hungry Hippos Game

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: Ball Control & Escapes

Team Principles & Actions: Ground Balls & Games

This practice plan focuses on helping U8 players develop confidence and technique with ground balls through fun, competitive games. Instead of repetitive drills, players learn to scoop, protect the ball, and make quick decisions in small-sided activities that mimic real game situations. The goal is to build a mindset where players attack loose balls, compete with effort, and transition quickly into play, all while keeping the energy high and the experience enjoyable.

Activity 1: Groundball Rodeo

Set Up

Set up the players in lines of 4 or 5. Each player starts with a ball. On coaches whistle, each player will roll their ball out about 8-10 yards DIAGONALLY (Not straight ahead). Each player must go retrieve a ball that wasn’t theirs. You will notice 2 players may go to the same ball, which allows for a little extra competition. After they secure a ball, they will make a pass to the next teammate in the line they started in or go to the goal and take a shot as you see here with a smaller group.

Principles and Coaching Points

Ground ball principles, getting low and accelerating through the ball
Finding ground balls in traffic
Awareness, teammates in line waiting for ball to call for it.

Progressions

Take 1 ball away, so there are 4 players and 3 balls making it more competitive
Add constraints, like using your off hand for added skill work

Activity 2: Rondo Groundballs

Set Up

Use cones or lines on the field, to create a circle. Put the players around the circle, with 1 ball in play. It starts with a player rolling the ball to a teammate, and then moving to open space in the circle. The player who scoops the ground ball, will look run, roll the ball to a new teammate, and then move into space. Continue this for 1-2 minutes

Coaching Points and Principles

Ground Balls – Accelerate through
Head UP! find a teammate to roll the ball to
Find Space – emphasize motion and finding space after you move the ball

Progressions

Use 2 balls, more reps
Have them pass, not ground ball

Activity 3: Split Field Keep Away

Use this drill to work on ground balls and ball control!

Set Up

Put players in pairs and spread them out in a designated area. Split the field in half, and make a note that all the pairs must stay on their side of the field. Every pair has a ball, and start the ball with 1 player. The entire group will go at once. The player with the ball will run/carry away from their partner who is a defender trying to take the ball away. After 15-20 seconds, coach blows a whistle and everyone that has a ball, must roll it to the OPPOSITE half of the field. All the balls become live ground balls and the pairs can now fight to win a possession and play keep away

Coaching Points and Principles

Ground Balls! Find the balls, accelerate through and protect your stick
Ball control, cradle with he ball protected and use escapes to run away from defender
Defender – try to stay on your opponents hips and hands.. work on lifts and poke checks!

Progressions

Make the field smaller so its more challenging
Add in a points system to keep track of scores.. make it a round robin after 3- 4 reps and let the winners keep staying

Beginner Dodging & Escapes Foundational Skills Game - Live Play Ground Ball Battles Ground Balls Intermediate Small Area Games Small Area Games U10 U12 U14 U8 Women’s Lacrosse

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Activity 4: Hungry Hippos Game

A fun relay game that works on ground balls, shooting, and teamwork!

Set Up

Put your players into 4 teams, and if you have 4 goals, give them each one to score on. Coach will put a large number on balls in the middle of the playing area. The game starts with the first player in line going to scoop a ball, bring it back and score on their goal. After they shoot, they must cross the goal line before their next teammate can go. Continue until the balls are done, and the team with he most balls in the goal, wins!

Coaching Points & Principles

Ground Balls – Accelerate through to get to goal quicker
Shooting – Only balls in the goal count
Teamwork! Need to hustle

Progressions

If you dont have goals, use cones to create Gates that the players must run through to get a point

Beginner Block - On Air (no opponent)Foundational Skills Ground Balls Men’s Lacrosse Shooting Small Area Games U10 U8

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