Practice Plan: Spacing Concepts & Stickwork

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3V0 BOX PASSING
Station 1: Tic Tac Toe Game
Station 2: Chaos Keep Away Game
Station 3: Back2Back2Back Groundballs
Sharks and Minnows 2

Phase 1: Explore & Discover – Focus Points being cradling, ball control, and seeing field space

Week 3 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 to continue to build on our foundational skillsets while adding in some fun small area games!

3V0 BOX PASSING

Set Up

Create a box using cones, about 5×5 or 10×10 and put 3 players around. Players must pass the ball to a teammate at an adjacent cone, and if a player is not there, the diagonal teammate must move to that adjacent cone. We are getting players to thinking about moving without the ball to shorten passes.

* start by telling them to pass the ball in same direction for 1 minute, so they are always moving. Then you can say, anywhere is open.

Coaching Points & Principles

Passing and Catching – Reinforce setting feet and passing overhand, throw at teammates helmet
Moving of ball – reinforce moving to open space, no standing still off ball

Progressions

Add in 1 defender making it 3v1

Tags

Beginner Block - On Air (no opponent)Decision Making Foundational Skills Intermediate Men’s Lacrosse Off Ball Offensive Play Passing Team Passing U10 U12 U14 U8

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Station 1: Tic Tac Toe Game

A change of pace and fun game to do with younger players that emphasizes teamwork and hustle!

Set Up

Using Lacrosse sticks, create a tic tac toe board on the field. Split the players up into 2 teams, and each team has different colored balls. This is like a relay race as well, so the next teammate cannot run to place a ball, until their teammate returns. Play until the team makes 3 in a row!

Coaching Points and Principles

Teamwork!
Working Hard
Awareness

All Beginner Block - On Air (no opponent)Small Area Games Small Area Games U8

Tags

All Beginner Block - On Air (no opponent)Small Area Games Small Area Games U8

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Station 2: 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

Tags

Ball Control & Cradling Beginner Game - Live Play Ground Ball Battles Ground Balls Intermediate Men’s Lacrosse Small Area Games Small Area Games U10 U12 U14 U8

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Station 3: Back2Back2Back Groundballs

Summary

This ground ball game is great for youth lacrosse teams looking to add in some competition and fun, being a progression to a traditional ground ball drill.

Tags

Ball Control & Cradling Beginner Game - Live Play Ground Ball Battles Ground Balls Intermediate Men’s Lacrosse U10 U8

Set Up

Put 3 players back to back to back, with a ball on the ground in the middle. Players must start with their stick on their shoulders and heads up, no cheating! On the whistle, it’s a live groundball. Who ever wins the ball, can either go to a goal to try and score, or make a pass to coach to end it.

Principles and Coaching Points

Ground balls
use body to box out and feet to kick ball loose
Play under pressure
Awareness, find the outlet or goal with win game

Tags

Ball Control & Cradling Beginner Game - Live Play Ground Ball Battles Ground Balls Intermediate Men’s Lacrosse U10 U8

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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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