Playing in Tight Spaces

Playing in Tight Spaces
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	Activities Partner Passing – Short & Long Tight 2v2 to the Goal Tight 1v1 4v3 Low
Partner Passing – Short & Long - Link to Drill	Set Up	Focus Points
Set Up Put players in lines, about 5-8 yards away. They will run while passing the ball back and forth keeping their hips upfield, it’s not a shuffle. Players will catch and throw with their upfield/outside hand. One line is catching R and Throwing L, and the other is doing the opposite. Once they get to the end of field, they will cure to the outside and now throw longer passes going back to where they starters. Have them run the width of the field as 1 rep. Complete again so players can work on their opposite hands Coaching Points & Principles		Keep your stick up as a target for your teammate when you don’t have the ball Short Passing – Make good passes keep the ball in the air so your teammate can make an easy catch Long Passes – try to lead your teammate so they don’t have to stop running
Tight 2v2 to the Goal - Link to Drill	Set Up	Focus Points
A small area game that works on ground battles, and quick transition play around the goal! Set Up Put the group into 2 teams are the restraining box, alternating lines so you start in a 2v2 scenario. Coach rolls a ball in, the winning team is on offense and must go to the goal quick! Use a shot clock to speed up play Coaching Points & Principles		Win the Groundball Battle! use body positions and accelerate through Play quick in tight space Offense focus on spacing and 2-player game Defense work on physical on ball play!
Tight 1v1 - Link to Drill	Set Up	Focus Points
For young players, this is a good drill to work on understanding body position when dodging toward the goal Set Up Put an offense and defense player in play. They start with the offense shielding stick with body, leaning into the defender. The defense leans back with hands/stick on hip on opponent. On whistle, the offense player attacks the goal, and does so by feeling the weight/positon of the defender, and attacking the opposite. Coaching Points & Principles Progressions Have players start with small separation, so the defense must approach.		Stick Protection! Use Body to feel the pressure angle from defender.. roll dodges and top side drives will work but find the natural escape Defense work on recovery angles Do this drill from all areas of the field
4v3 Low - Link to Drill	Set Up	Focus Points
A great drill that works on man up and man down play designer by Coach John Gallant Set Up create a playing area 5-8 yards up and below from the goal line, and have the players play a Straight 4v3 making sure 1 offensive player is in the crease (sideways diamond). The game starts with an alternate player or goalie, passing the ball into the player at X. The player must drive a low corner to draw a slide, and the offense needs to move the ball quickly for a scoring opportunity. The defense must maintain good positioning and cannot go below GLE. When a teammate slides, the others need to guard the 2 next biggest threats. Coaching Points & principles		Defense: Sliding, recovery, and communication. Try not to over extend and get too wide, we want to feel packed in, use landmarks like the crease for guidance. Approaches should be going to ball carrier stick side getting in passing lanes Offense: Quick ball movement, using deception to get open shots

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Partner Passing – Short & Long
Tight 2v2 to the Goal
Tight 1v1
4v3 Low

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.

Partner Passing – Short & Long

Set Up

Put players in lines, about 5-8 yards away. They will run while passing the ball back and forth keeping their hips upfield, it’s not a shuffle. Players will catch and throw with their upfield/outside hand. One line is catching R and Throwing L, and the other is doing the opposite. Once they get to the end of field, they will cure to the outside and now throw longer passes going back to where they starters. Have them run the width of the field as 1 rep. Complete again so players can work on their opposite hands

Coaching Points & Principles

Keep your stick up as a target for your teammate when you don’t have the ball
Short Passing – Make good passes keep the ball in the air so your teammate can make an easy catch
Long Passes – try to lead your teammate so they don’t have to stop running

Tight 2v2 to the Goal

Set Up

Put the group into 2 teams are the restraining box, alternating lines so you start in a 2v2 scenario. Coach rolls a ball in, the winning team is on offense and must go to the goal quick! Use a shot clock to speed up play

Coaching Points & Principles

Win the Groundball Battle! use body positions and accelerate through
Play quick in tight space
Offense focus on spacing and 2-player game
Defense work on physical on ball play!

Tight 1v1

Set Up

Put an offense and defense player in play. They start with the offense shielding stick with body, leaning into the defender. The defense leans back with hands/stick on hip on opponent. On whistle, the offense player attacks the goal, and does so by feeling the weight/positon of the defender, and attacking the opposite.

Coaching Points & Principles

Stick Protection!
Use Body to feel the pressure angle from defender.. roll dodges and top side drives will work but find the natural escape
Defense work on recovery angles
Do this drill from all areas of the field

Progressions

Have players start with small separation, so the defense must approach.

4v3 Low

A great drill that works on man up and man down play designer by Coach John Gallant

Set Up

create a playing area 5-8 yards up and below from the goal line, and have the players play a Straight 4v3 making sure 1 offensive player is in the crease (sideways diamond). The game starts with an alternate player or goalie, passing the ball into the player at X. The player must drive a low corner to draw a slide, and the offense needs to move the ball quickly for a scoring opportunity. The defense must maintain good positioning and cannot go below GLE. When a teammate slides, the others need to guard the 2 next biggest threats.

Coaching Points & principles

Defense: Sliding, recovery, and communication. Try not to over extend and get too wide, we want to feel packed in, use landmarks like the crease for guidance. Approaches should be going to ball carrier stick side getting in passing lanes
Offense: Quick ball movement, using deception to get open shots

4v3 Advanced Anticipation & Recognition Attack College Communication Defense Defense Slide & Recovery Extra Man / Power Play Game - Live Play High School Intermediate Man Down Men’s Lacrosse Midfield Off Ball Defensive Play Off Ball Offensive Play Small Area Games Small Area Games Team Systems & Conceptual Play U14

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