Reading Advantages & Sliding
| Reading Advantages & Sliding | ||
|---|---|---|
| Activities | ||
| 1v1 Scoop and Chase - Link to Drill | Set Up | Focus Points |
|
|
|
| Partner Passing – Short & Long - Link to Drill | Set Up | Focus Points |
|
|
|
| Defensive Skill Session: Y-Drill - Link to Drill | Set Up | Focus Points |
|
|
|
| Offensive Skill Session: Jam Shooting - Link to Drill | Set Up | Focus Points |
| 3v3 General Drill - Link to Drill | Set Up | Focus Points |
|
|
|
| Bumper Build Up Game - Link to Drill | Set Up | Focus Points |
|
||
| 3/4 Field Scramble - Link to Drill | Set Up | Focus Points |
|
|
|
| Man Up and Man Down | Set Up | Focus Points |
Jump to a Section
Please Note:The practice is designed to bring value across multiple age and skill levels at the high school & collegiate 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.
At the High School and Collegiate levels, systems should live within the principles. Sets and formations provide structure and spacing, while the underlying principles ensure the team stays balanced, connected, and able to play together as one unit.
*If you don’t have the time for pre-practice, you can incorporate those skill session into practice
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., “Play A gets 2 points for an assist”), 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.
1v1 Scoop and Chase
A classic ground ball that is a great warm up for practice
Set Up
Put players in groups of 5 or 6 on sideline. The first player in line is going for the groundball, and the 2nd player is chaser. The ball is rolled out, and the player must gain possession and throw the ball back to their next teammate in line. The chaser should put pressure on back hands with a LIFT, not a slap. You can have the 3rd player be the one who rolls, if you don’t have enough coaches.
Coaching Points & Principles
- Groundballs – Accelerate through and run away from pressure.
- Chasers – Practice getting under the blow or hand of player going for groundball, and lifting. We want to avoid big slap checks
- Communicate – next player in line call for the ball
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
Defensive Skill Session: Y-Drill
Summary
A great drill to work on both on and off ball defense
Tags
Set Up
We will have 4 offensive and defensive players in this drill. They will be set up in the shape of a Y with 1 Group a X, another on the crease, and 2 up top. This is a 1v1 drill, so the off ball offensive teammates can only be an outlet, they cannot go set picks. The focus is for the defender to play tough 1v1, with the backside help on the crease. We want the off balls defenders learning to support the crease off ball when a slide is necessary, and continue to slide/recover out of it
Coaching Points & Principles
- 1v1 Defense, use angles to force players away from the middle of the field.
- Slide and Support – Crease defender will be the slide help if their teammate gets beat. We need the backside defender to fill in and cover the crease
- Communication – Everyone should talk and know who is the 1 (slide) and the 2 (Backside help)
Offensive Skill Session: Jam Shooting
3v3 General Drill
Summary
A 3v3 Variation of the General Drill!
Tags
Set Up
This drill is a build up from our 1v1 general drill. We will put 3 offensive players and 3 defensive players in. The offense will start the ball on the high wing with a ball, guarded by a defender. A coach will be at X being the transfer player, and the 2nd offensive player on the opposite high wing where the ball is starting and a 3rd on the crease. Add a second defender on the crease being the slide player and a 3rd being the two slide help. Player 1 with ball will dodge the alley, and a slide will be initiated from the crease. Player 1 will move the ball to Coach to transfer the ball to player 2, while defender 1 recovers to crease, they will bump out D3 to the player receiving the ball on the backside. Same rules apply now from our 1v1 General Drill.. As the ball is in the air, the defense must approach the offensive player and take a good angle to keep them away from the middle of the field. The offense must catch the ball, and make 1 quick move to get their hands free for a shot. Try to limit the play to 5 seconds
Coaching Points and Principles
Defense
- Focus on your angle of approach, we want to take away the middle of the field, where a shooting angle is higher
- get your inside foot, top side to help with that approach and take short choppy steps so you stay balanced, trying not to lunge forward
- Lead with your stick and get to the players hands, hole the topside as best you can’t and drive through shoulders during the dodge to prevent shots
Offense
- One quick move and go, we want to use deception to get our hands free. If you get your hands free, get loaded and shoot, don’t let the defended recover.
- Use split dodges and jab steps to freeze the defense
- Try to take high quality shots, changing planes and shooting away from the goalies stick
Progressions
- Use tennis balls if you want to keep it lighter for your goalies
- Play live 3v3 after the transfer, so the offense can work together to score
- Make the crease offensive player move to make the 2 slide tougher
Bumper Build Up Game
3/4 Field Scramble
Summary
This transition rill gives players different looks and situations each time down the field.
Tags
SET UP
Put 3 attack and 3 defenders down on one side of the field in front of the cage. At the far restraining box, set up 3 offense lines and 3 defense lines, alternating by color. Each line has a number, to start the drill, coach gives the numbers going in and hands the ball to the offense. The offensive team must push the ball in transition while the defense has to communicate at talk through the situation.
PRINCIPLES & COACHING POINTS
- Have coach change up numbers (4v3, 5v4, 6v5)
- Encourage to try and find solutions for quick scoring options
- Discuss slow breaks when occurs, and encourage moving the ball through X
PROGRESSIONS
- Tell Defense to play different types of D
- Add in contraints, like goals need to finish off a pass