A fun passing drill to work on stick movement, spacing, and O/D Principles
Set Up
Create an 8×8 box using cones. Put 3 offensive players on the perimeter and 2 defenders in the middle. The offense is to play keep away. The offense must make a backdoor cut after every pass, cutting to open space. The defense must always pressure the ball and constantly sliding and recovering
Coaching Points & Principles
Progressions
- Make the box smaller and harder, or bigger and easier depending on skillset
- Play 4v3 or 5v4
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- Offense – Moving with and without the ball, passing, and maintaining good spacing
- Defense – Pressuring the Ball, sliding/recovery
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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 until coach blows a second whistle, and then its live to the goal!
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
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- 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. In transition to the goal, find the open teammate/advantage and get a good shot on cage
- 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
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A great shooting and inside finishing drill designed by Jim Mitchell of Princeton Lacrosse
Set Up
Put a line on GLE and another with balls about 10 yards away above it. Add a defender in front of the GLE player. Start with a pass down and pick down, but we are slipping behind the the defender. The passes must be deceptive as the defender is trying to intercept/knock down the pass. Once pass inside is completed, player will execute a finish inside
Coaching Points and Principles |
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- 2-Player game slips – deception with the slip, act like a pick but slip to space behind
- Deceptive passing – Being able to make a pass around an aggressive defender
- Inside finishing – Neeq a quick release and add in a little deception with fake or change planes
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Set Up
Put a defensive player on the crease, and a coach to stand in as a crease offensive player. We are positioning as if the ball is behind the goal, specifically back left and back right. Coach will say “Back left” or “Back Right” and the defender must get win the proper position
Coaching Points and Principles |
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- We want to be able to see our player on crease and ball carrier – head on a swivel and body open to both
- Stay in front of crease player, we don’t want the backdoor cut easy
- Stick up! So you can check down quickly if they feed the crease
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A great unsettled small area game designed by Jim Mitchell of Princeton Lacrosse
Set Up
Play 4v4 above GLE, and add a player at X on offense. The X player can only transfer the ball, they cannot dodge or shoot, but the defense must play them when they receive the ball. That will create an unsettle situation above GLE as the players move the ball through X
Coaching Point and Principles |
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- Offense – Get them to dominos and find the advantage. Work the 2-3 player game above GLE
- Defense – Communicate, protect the house, and slide/recover efficiently.
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