Playing w/ Pressure

Playing w/ Pressure
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 Box Build Up Drill with Cindy Timchal (Navy) Steal the Bacon Split the 8 Drill w/ Mike Faith (Franklin & Marshall Women’s Lacrosse) 6v6 Situational Scrimmage
Box Build Up Drill with Cindy Timchal (Navy) - Link to Drill	Set Up	Focus Points
This fun an engaging drill will enhance your teams stick work, shown by Head Coach Cindy Timchal (Navy) Set Up Create 2 boxes that are roughly 5×5 yards. Put a defensive line on the outside corner of each box and the offense in the lower corners. To start, put 3 offensive players in 1 box, and 1 defender guarding 1. Send a new offensive player in the gameplay, and after the first pass the defender is a released and can play live, in this 4v1. For every pass made by the offense, add in a new defense until it’s 4v3. Play keep away as long as you can, until a turnover. A defender from current play, will carry a new ball across to their offensive box and repeat the same game Coaching Points and Principles Progressions For younger players, make the playing area a little bigger or you can play 4v2		Offense – Play vs Pressure and in tight spaces. Need to catch and pass quickly to keep the defense moving! Defense – play ball and backside zone with slides and recovery as the ball is passed. Keep your sticks IN AIR to try and knockdown passes!
Steal the Bacon - Link to Drill	Set Up	Focus Points
Steal the Bacon is a competitive small-area game for youth players that develops ground balls, reaction speed, and the ability to quickly transition from winning possession to attacking the goal. SET UP Split players into two teams lined up opposite each other and give each player on both teams a matching number. Place a ball in the middle of the playing area. The coach calls a number, and those two players race to compete for the ground ball. The player who wins possession immediately becomes the offensive player and attacks the goal, while the other player transitions to defense and tries to stop them. Progress the game by calling two or three numbers at once to create live 2v2 or 3v3 situations. COACHING POINTS & PRINCIPLES		Compete for the Ground Ball: Get low, protect your hands, and use your body positioning to win possession rather than simply racing to the ball. Win It & Attack: Once you secure the ball, immediately recognize the transition from ground ball to offense and attack the cage. React to Your New Role: If you lose the ground ball, transition immediately to defense—recover, get between your player and the goal, and compete for the stop.
Split the 8 Drill w/ Mike Faith (Franklin & Marshall Women’s Lacrosse) - Link to Drill	Set Up	Focus Points
Split the 8 is a team defensive drill for intermediate through advanced players that teaches pressure, adjacent positioning, and backside support while reinforcing how to force the ball toward predetermined areas of the defense. SET UP Use cones to split the 8-meter in half and play one side at a time, with the offense unable to pass across the middle. Play live 3v3, with the on-ball defender applying pressure and forcing the dodger toward their weak/non-dominant side. The adjacent defender stays out and ready to help, while the defender two passes away drops to the 8 as the backer. After several reps, switch sides to work the same defensive principles from the opposite angle. COACHING POINTS & PRINCIPLES		Force Weak: Influence the ball carrier toward their non-dominant hand so the entire defense knows where the dodge is going. Pressure Ball & Adjacent: The on-ball and adjacent defenders can be aggressive because they know the backer is positioned behind them. Anticipate & Move Early: Adjust while the ball is in the air—don’t wait until the catch to establish your next defensive position.
6v6 Situational Scrimmage - Link to Drill	Set Up	Focus Points
This drill puts players into real game situations where score, time, possession, and personnel dictate how they should play. Set up live 6v6 and choose a specific scenario before each possession, adjusting the clock, score, or numbers to create different problems—such as short-time EMO/MDD, protecting a lead, needing a goal, or killing the clock. Allow players to communicate and solve the situation with limited coaching, then quickly reset with a new scenario. Coaching Points		Understand the score, time, possession, and personnel before play begins. Short-time EMO/MDD: Offense plays with urgency without forcing; defense protects the middle and understands when it must pressure. Kill the clock: Value possession, use the entire field, support the ball, and recognize when attacking the cage is unnecessary. Defense vs. keep-away: Communicate pressure, identify when to double, rotate behind the double, and anticipate the next pass. Need-a-goal offense: Play with urgency, attack favorable matchups, move the ball quickly, and understand how much time is available. Emphasize smart substitutions and timeout awareness when appropriate.

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Box Build Up Drill with Cindy Timchal (Navy)
Steal the Bacon
Split the 8 Drill w/ Mike Faith (Franklin & Marshall Women’s Lacrosse)
6v6 Situational Scrimmage

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.

Box Build Up Drill with Cindy Timchal (Navy)

Set Up

Create 2 boxes that are roughly 5×5 yards. Put a defensive line on the outside corner of each box and the offense in the lower corners. To start, put 3 offensive players in 1 box, and 1 defender guarding 1. Send a new offensive player in the gameplay, and after the first pass the defender is a released and can play live, in this 4v1. For every pass made by the offense, add in a new defense until it’s 4v3. Play keep away as long as you can, until a turnover. A defender from current play, will carry a new ball across to their offensive box and repeat the same game

Coaching Points and Principles

Offense – Play vs Pressure and in tight spaces. Need to catch and pass quickly to keep the defense moving!
Defense – play ball and backside zone with slides and recovery as the ball is passed. Keep your sticks IN AIR to try and knockdown passes!

Progressions

For younger players, make the playing area a little bigger or you can play 4v2

To view more from Championship Productions Click Here.

Steal the Bacon

Steal the Bacon is a competitive small-area game for youth players that develops ground balls, reaction speed, and the ability to quickly transition from winning possession to attacking the goal.

SET UP

Split players into two teams lined up opposite each other and give each player on both teams a matching number. Place a ball in the middle of the playing area. The coach calls a number, and those two players race to compete for the ground ball. The player who wins possession immediately becomes the offensive player and attacks the goal, while the other player transitions to defense and tries to stop them. Progress the game by calling two or three numbers at once to create live 2v2 or 3v3 situations.

COACHING POINTS & PRINCIPLES

Compete for the Ground Ball: Get low, protect your hands, and use your body positioning to win possession rather than simply racing to the ball.
Win It & Attack: Once you secure the ball, immediately recognize the transition from ground ball to offense and attack the cage.
React to Your New Role: If you lose the ground ball, transition immediately to defense—recover, get between your player and the goal, and compete for the stop.

Anticipation & Recognition Ball Control & Cradling Beginner Dodging & Escapes Game - Live Play Ground Ball Battles Ground Balls Shooting Small Area Games U10 U12 U14 U8 Women’s Lacrosse

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Split the 8 Drill w/ Mike Faith (Franklin & Marshall Women’s Lacrosse)

Split the 8 is a team defensive drill for intermediate through advanced players that teaches pressure, adjacent positioning, and backside support while reinforcing how to force the ball toward predetermined areas of the defense.

SET UP

Use cones to split the 8-meter in half and play one side at a time, with the offense unable to pass across the middle. Play live 3v3, with the on-ball defender applying pressure and forcing the dodger toward their weak/non-dominant side. The adjacent defender stays out and ready to help, while the defender two passes away drops to the 8 as the backer. After several reps, switch sides to work the same defensive principles from the opposite angle.

COACHING POINTS & PRINCIPLES

Force Weak: Influence the ball carrier toward their non-dominant hand so the entire defense knows where the dodge is going.
Pressure Ball & Adjacent: The on-ball and adjacent defenders can be aggressive because they know the backer is positioned behind them.
Anticipate & Move Early: Adjust while the ball is in the air—don’t wait until the catch to establish your next defensive position.

To view more from Brett Garber Click Here.

6v6 Situational Scrimmage

This drill puts players into real game situations where score, time, possession, and personnel dictate how they should play.

Set up

live 6v6 and choose a specific scenario before each possession, adjusting the clock, score, or numbers to create different problems—such as short-time EMO/MDD, protecting a lead, needing a goal, or killing the clock. Allow players to communicate and solve the situation with limited coaching, then quickly reset with a new scenario.

Coaching Points

Understand the score, time, possession, and personnel before play begins.
Short-time EMO/MDD: Offense plays with urgency without forcing; defense protects the middle and understands when it must pressure.
Kill the clock: Value possession, use the entire field, support the ball, and recognize when attacking the cage is unnecessary.
Defense vs. keep-away: Communicate pressure, identify when to double, rotate behind the double, and anticipate the next pass.
Need-a-goal offense: Play with urgency, attack favorable matchups, move the ball quickly, and understand how much time is available.
Emphasize smart substitutions and timeout awareness when appropriate.
Require players to communicate the situation to one another rather than relying on the coach.
Keep coaching windows short—let players make decisions, experience consequences, and adjust on the next possession.

Advanced Anticipation & Recognition Ball Control & Cradling College Decision Making Game - Live Play High School Intermediate Small Area Games Small Area Games Team Systems & Conceptual Play Transition U10 U12 U14

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