Small Area Games & Playing Quick

Small Area Games & Playing Quick
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 Chaos Keep Away Game 44 Go Small Sided Game Flip It Game High Tempo 2v2
Chaos Keep Away Game - Link to Drill	Set Up	Focus Points
Set Up Create a small area playing field and split players into 2 teams. Both teams at opposite end of the fields, and lacrosse balls to the middle of the field. I usually like to you 1/2 balls to players.. so if there are 20 total players, use 10 balls. On the whistle, the players will run in trying to get a ball. Once they gain possession, they must run away and escape the defenders staying in the playing area. The team with the most balls at the end of 1 minute wins that round Rules Coaching Points & Principles Groundballs! Winn the ground ball battles Stick control & cradling with the ball vs pressure Teamwork, don’t be afraid to pass to open teammates to maintain possessions Boys Version for Reference: https://lacrossedrive.com/chaos-keep-away-game/		Players can pass to teammates to escape pressure and maintain possession If they go out of bounds with a ball, turnover to defending player Players without the ball, can pressure to take away and flip a possession The team who possesses the most balls after 1 minute, wins
44 Go Small Sided Game - Link to Drill	Set Up	Focus Points
This team drill works on ground balls and building fast play into live situations Set Up Set up two lines of each team color on both wings. A live ground ball is rolled into the middle, and the team that wins possession immediately goes on offense in a 4v4 scenario. The emphasis is on competing hard for the ground ball, then pushing quickly to goal. If the defense slows down the break, players should shift to core principles—movement off-ball, creating space, and playing together on both sides of the ball.
Flip It Game - Link to Drill	Set Up	Focus Points
This is a great drill for recognition and build up into different situations for the players SET UP Put players into two teams (dark and light) Set up 2 lines of players right about the restraining line. In each line the colors are alternating, and its mirrored in the other line. Coach picks a color to start on defense (Say Dark), and put in crease. The first two lights player get a ball from coach and play 2 v 1. Once the play ends, the 2 next players come in, but are now dark.. and dark is on 3v2 offense, and 2 light are now on defense (roles changes). Continue drill until 5 v 5 finishes, then restart, and flip who starts on defense. PRINCIPLES & COACHING POINTS		Recognition, switching from O to D every play. Defense – Understand taking away the space and playing man down zone approach. One player on ball, others back protecting the house. Try to let every rep be 10 seconds max.
High Tempo 2v2 - Link to Drill	Set Up	Focus Points
This is fun small sided game that emphasis for the offense to move quick with the ball in uneven situations. For the defense, its about getting back and helping unsettled situations SET UP Make a small sided game, about 20 yards long. If you have goalies, place in net. If no goalies, uses cones to set up a Gate. The Place the two offensive players in the middle of the field, facing one goal. Add 1 defender in between them to get read for a 2v1. The second defender is about 5 yards behind the two offensive players. The game starts with coach give the ball to the offense. Once they shoot/score/save, give the ball back the offense and they attack the other goal PRINCIPLES & COACHING POINTS PROGRESSIONS Make 3v3 or 3v2 Smaller the space, the harder and quicker decisions need to be made Add in rules/contraints, example would be can only score off a quick stick		Explode with the ball and move fast! Communication and Heads Up! Use deceptions Defense needs to play with sticks in air and hustleing back to help on play

Jump to a Section

Chaos Keep Away Game
44 Go Small Sided Game
Flip It Game
High Tempo 2v2

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.

Chaos Keep Away Game

Set Up

Create a small area playing field and split players into 2 teams. Both teams at opposite end of the fields, and lacrosse balls to the middle of the field. I usually like to you 1/2 balls to players.. so if there are 20 total players, use 10 balls. On the whistle, the players will run in trying to get a ball. Once they gain possession, they must run away and escape the defenders staying in the playing area. The team with the most balls at the end of 1 minute wins that round

Rules

Players can pass to teammates to escape pressure and maintain possession
If they go out of bounds with a ball, turnover to defending player
Players without the ball, can pressure to take away and flip a possession
The team who possesses the most balls after 1 minute, wins

Coaching Points & Principles

Groundballs! Winn the ground ball battles
Stick control & cradling with the ball vs pressure
Teamwork, don’t be afraid to pass to open teammates to maintain possessions

Boys Version for Reference: https://lacrossedrive.com/chaos-keep-away-game/

View Drill Page →

44 Go Small Sided Game

Set Up

Set up two lines of each team color on both wings. A live ground ball is rolled into the middle, and the team that wins possession immediately goes on offense in a 4v4 scenario. The emphasis is on competing hard for the ground ball, then pushing quickly to goal. If the defense slows down the break, players should shift to core principles—movement off-ball, creating space, and playing together on both sides of the ball.

Flip It Game

This is a great drill for recognition and build up into different situations for the players

SET UP

Put players into two teams (dark and light) Set up 2 lines of players right about the restraining line. In each line the colors are alternating, and its mirrored in the other line. Coach picks a color to start on defense (Say Dark), and put in crease. The first two lights player get a ball from coach and play 2 v 1. Once the play ends, the 2 next players come in, but are now dark.. and dark is on 3v2 offense, and 2 light are now on defense (roles changes). Continue drill until 5 v 5 finishes, then restart, and flip who starts on defense.

PRINCIPLES & COACHING POINTS

Recognition, switching from O to D every play.
Defense – Understand taking away the space and playing man down zone approach. One player on ball, others back protecting the house.
Try to let every rep be 10 seconds max.

3v2 4v3 5v4 Anticipation & Recognition Game - Live Play Intermediate Men’s Lacrosse Offense & Defense Principles Small Area Games Small Area Games U10 U12 U14

High Tempo 2v2

SET UP

Make a small sided game, about 20 yards long. If you have goalies, place in net. If no goalies, uses cones to set up a Gate. The Place the two offensive players in the middle of the field, facing one goal. Add 1 defender in between them to get read for a 2v1. The second defender is about 5 yards behind the two offensive players. The game starts with coach give the ball to the offense. Once they shoot/score/save, give the ball back the offense and they attack the other goal

PRINCIPLES & COACHING POINTS

Explode with the ball and move fast!
Communication and Heads Up!
Use deceptions
Defense needs to play with sticks in air and hustleing back to help on play

PROGRESSIONS

Make 3v3 or 3v2
Smaller the space, the harder and quicker decisions need to be made
Add in rules/contraints, example would be can only score off a quick stick