Practice Plan: Groundballs, Shooting & Advantages

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Zombie Tag
Station 1: B2B2B to 2v1
Station 2: Windup Shooting
Station 3: Snake Shooting
2v2 With Gates

Phase 1: Explore & Discover – Focus Points being cradling, ball control, and seeing field space

Week 3 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 to continue to build on our foundational skillsets of ground balls, building in outside and inside finishing, and playing with advantages

Zombie Tag

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 & Cradling Beginner Dodging & Escapes Game - Live Play Intermediate Men’s Lacrosse Small Area Games Small Area Games U10 U8

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Station 1: B2B2B to 2v1

Set Up

Put 3 players back to back to back, with a ball on the ground in the middle. Give each player a number (1,2,3)Players must start with their stick on their shoulders and heads up, no cheating! On the whistle, it’s a live groundball. Who ever wins the ball, coach will yell out a number, that player is on defense and the 3rd player can now play 2v1 with the teammate who has the ball. You can make it a keep away game, or have them attack a goal.

Principles and Coaching Points

Ground balls
use body to box out and feet to kick ball loose
Play under pressure
Game recognition, either play defense or offense.

Tags

2v1 Ball Control & Cradling Beginner Game - Live Play Ground Ball Battles Men’s Lacrosse Passing Small Area Games Small Area Games U10 U8

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Station 2: Windup Shooting

Set Up

Put the players in front of the goal. They will start with a ball in their stick, and in this drill we want to emphasize getting loaded ready to shoot. Players start with the lead shoulder point to the goal, getting their hands back in a. comfortable position (loaded). We over emphasize the windup, and tell players to take 2-3 big hops before shooting. After reps, we have them try it after 1 big hop to the goal

Coaching Points and Principles

Get loaded in a comfortable position (don’t let the stick head point to the ground, slightly up to the sky is correct)
Take 2 big hops to the goal
Transfer weight from back to front
Turn hips through shot with hands following (like a golf swing)
Release the top hand, snap wrist for quick strong release

Progressions

Add in escapes, like split dodges or roll dodges
Give the players a target to hit, make it a game

Tags

Attack Ball Control & Cradling Beginner Block - On Air (no opponent)Foundational Skills Men’s Lacrosse Midfield Shooting Step Down Shooting U10 U8

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Station 3: Snake Shooting

Set Up

Put players in a single line on 1 side of the crease with all the balls available to them. Each player starts with a ball and runs around the crease to finish inside. We want to emphasize the players squaring up to the goal as they run so they are increasing their shooting angle which protecting their stick. Once they shoot, they run to the back of the line and wait for their turn again.

Coaching Points and Principles

We want players to think about increasing their angle by getting in the middle of the cage
They should square their body up while protecting their stick
Keep the feet moving!
Shots should be focused on placement, so we should keep the stick by our ear and not load completely

Progressions

Add in pump fakes and deception shots
add a coach on the crease as a light defender

Tags

Attack Beginner Block - On Air (no opponent)Foundational Skills Inside Finishing & Goal Scoring Men’s Lacrosse Midfield Shooting Team Shooting U10 U8

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2v2 With Gates

SET UP

The game is a small sized half field. Put players in 2 teams, and start as a 2 v 2. The team on offense must score on the goalie, while the defense has to clear the ball through certain areas of the field, in between cones. Start the game with a live 2 v 2 ground ball. Each team can score a point, ether on goalie or through clearing points. Flip teams after 1 minute

PRINCIPLES & COACHING POINTS

On offense, find open space to create scoring opportunities
On defense, find space to clear the ball and get points.

PROGRESSIONS

Add players and make 3v3, 4v4, etc..
If no goalies, both uses cones for scoring.

Tags

3v3 Anticipation & Recognition Beginner Game - Live Play Intermediate Men’s Lacrosse Offense & Defense Principles Riding and Clearing Small Area Games Small Area Games U10 U12 U14 U8

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