Practice Plan: Playing with Advantages

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3v1 Box Passing
Station 1
Station 2: 3v2 Draw to Score Game
Sharks and Minnows 2

Phase 3: Attacking & Creating Space – Focus Points being finding the advantages and playing vs more pressure

Week 8 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 for young players to gain confidence with player with more pressure. They will play in uneven games where they are forced to find the open teammates to create scoring opportunities.

10 Minutes

3v1 Box Passing

Put players in groups of 5 or 6 to start practice

A great pre-practice drill to work on team passing

Set Up

Create a box using 4 cones, about 10 yards apart. Place 3 offensive players on the outside and 1 defender in the middle. The offense must stay outside the box, while the defender stays inside. They play keep away, and the cones are used as guidance for the off ball teammates to move to proper passing lanes. If the defender steals the ball or bad pass occurs, swap with the offense player!

Coaching Points & Principles

Moving your feet with and without the ball
Good passing and catching mechanics
Defense keep stick up in passing lanes

Progressions

Add a defender in to play 3v2

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15 Minutes

Station 1

a fun drill to work on recognition skills and working with space

Set Up

Create a small playing area and use one small goal (or cone goal) at the far end. Goalie optional, use a cone target if no goalie available. Ball carrier starts at midfield center with their teammate starting wide (near either sideline). Add one defender that starts between both attackers about 10 yards away. On “go, the 2 attackers try to score. we want the ball carrier to initiate and draw the defender toward them (moves at the defender with purpose), then recognizes to pass to the open teammate once the defender fully commits. If the pass comes too early (before defender commits), the defender can recover, the timing is key

Coaching Points & principles

Ball carrier should change speed, hesitates or slows near defender to bait the pass is sent once the defender full commits
Passing – we want the players to make a good pass while their hands are free, don’t let the defense make contact before you pass

Progressions

Have a coach be a defender and can control the speed of defense position

2v1 Anticipation & Recognition Attack Beginner Communication Decision Making Defense Defense Slide & Recovery Guided - Token Opponent Intermediate Lacrosse IQ Men’s Lacrosse Midfield Passing Small Area Games Transition U10 U12 U8 Women’s Lacrosse

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15 Minutes

Station 2: 3v2 Draw to Score Game

Set Up

In a small area field, place 3 attackers vs 2 defenders + goalie. Attackers always have the advantage. this lets them practice the draw-and- release concept in a more realistic setting where it should actually work. Creating a scoring system to create competition: Goal = 1 point / Goal off an assist (someone had to draw the defender first, then pass) = 2 points. Defense gets points as well: 1 Point for forcing a low angle shot with save / 2 Points for a knockdown pass with turnover. Coach or an observing player is the referee deciding if the assist counts. This rewards the concept without mandating it. Rotate defenders in after each goal. Keep attackers together for 2 possessions so they start to develop chemistry in reading each other. Start this on different areas of the field (Up top, X, Wing).

Coaching Points & Principles

Find the 2v1 advantage
Defense should always be sliding & recovers, while communicating

Progressions

Less experienced players have defense play with sticks backwards
More experiences players, add a shot clock each possession, 10 seconds.

3v2 Anticipation & Recognition Attack Beginner Communication Decision Making Defense Defense Slide & Recovery Game - Live Play Intermediate Lacrosse IQ Men’s Lacrosse Midfield Off Ball Defensive Play Off Ball Offensive Play Small Area Games Small Area Games Transition U10 U12 U8 Women’s Lacrosse

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15 Minutes

Sharks and Minnows 2

A fun way to build off the traditional game the kids love!

Set Up

Create a center zone five yards wide. Place three small goals on each end line. One or two players or coaches (sharks) start in the center zone. The sharks cannot leave the zone. Three or four minnows try to carry and dodge past the sharks. After going past, they shoot the ball right away into one of the three small goals. After they pass, the next turn starts. When a minnow loses the ball, he/she becomes a shark.

Coaches Points & Principles

Ball Control and escapes around Sharks
Shooting

Progressions

If you are limited with goals, use whatever you have and balance off that
The shark gets one point for each time they force a dropped ball. When they get four points, they become minnows and pick new sharks

Ball Control & Cradling Beginner Foundational Skills Men’s Lacrosse Shooting Small Area Games Small Area Games U10 U8 Women’s Lacrosse

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