Practice Plan: Team Defense & Transition

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Activity 1: 44 Break Game
Activity 2: Shell Drill
Read the D Game
Activity 4: 2v2 with Slides
Activity 1: Scoop and Chase Game

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 & Objected: Team Defense & Transition

Team Defense & Transition is designed to help U8 and U10 players understand how to work together to protect the goal, regain possession, and quickly move the ball up the field. The objective of this plan is to introduce young athletes to simple team-defense concepts—like staying between the ball and the goal, supporting teammates, and communicating early—while also learning how to turn defense into fast-break opportunities. Through age-appropriate drills and small-sided games, players build habits like recovering to the middle, forming shape, and making quick outlets after a turnover. This approach teaches discipline, teamwork, and awareness, giving players the tools to defend as a group and transition effectively into offense.

10 Minutes

Activity 1: 44 Break Game

Set Up

Create a small playing area— in this video, we’re using the restraining area. Place two attackmen and two defensemen in the playing area at both ends of the field. Set up midfielder lines on either side of the midfield line. To start the drill, designate one team to be on offense and send two midfielders from each team onto the field. Play continues until a dead ball situation occurs, such as a goal, save, or turnover. At that point, the two midfielders who were just on defense will exit the field, and two new midfielders will enter to help in transition. The midfielders who were just on offense will get back and play defense. Attack and defense remain in for every rep, while the midfielders rotate—playing offense, then defense, and then subbing off.

Coaching Points & Principles

Transition play – try to get quick opportunities if possible on offense
Incorporate 2 player games like Picks or Shallow Cuts
Defense should apply pressure to the ball to force turnovers

Progressions

Add in a shot clock
put 3 attack and 3 defense in to make 5v5

Tags

2-Player Game 4v4 Advanced Game - Live Play Intermediate Men’s Lacrosse Small Area Games Small Area Games Transition U12 U14

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10 Minutes

Activity 2: Shell Drill

Set Up

On one end of the field, put 5 offensive players and 5 defensive players out, with 4 perimeter and 1 crease player. Use cones to create an 5×5 – 8×8 house area in front of the goal. The offense will move the ball on the perimeter, and the defense will work together to approach the ball, and off ball players working to sink in to help the house. Defenders 2 passes awat should be all the way inside the house, with the adjacent teammates with 1 foot in the house. Have the offense move the ball around so the defense has to constantly move on and off ball to maintain position.

Coaching Points and Principles

Defensively
- Players approaching the ball should break down with their stick out, thinking about the angle of approach, keeping ball carriers away from the middle.
- Off ball defense get you sticks up in the passing lanes
- Communicate “Ball” “1 slide”, “2 Slide”
Offense
- Move the ball quickly, and think about spacing make good 8-10 yard passes

Progressions

Add in cuts/motion
Play 6v6 of 4v4

Tags

5v5 Advanced College Communication Defense Disruptive - Light Physical Opponent High School Intermediate Lacrosse IQ Men’s Lacrosse Off Ball Defensive Play Positional / Tactical Team Defense Principles Team Systems & Conceptual Play U12 U14

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10 Minutes

Read the D Game

Set Up

On one end of the field, put 6 offensive player and defensive player in the play. The game starts stationary, with an offense player starting with the ball on the perimeter. You can put your offense up in any set depending on what you play and/or an upcoming opponent may play. To start the drill, all the offensive player will look away from coach, and coach will point to a defender that will be the 1st slide. On coaches whistle, the defender guarding the ball, leaves the field, touches the sideline, and then sprints back into the play. The offense must read the defense and slide package, and move the ball quick enough to creating a scoring opportunity.

Coaching Points and Principles

Defense Principles
- Protect the house, Communicate, keep sticks in passing lanes to prevent skip passes
Offensive principles
- Move the ball towards pressure (direction slide is come from from), have zero second decision making (shoot, pass, or attack space), and stay spread to make the slides longer

Progressions

Play 5v5
Youth levels, you can start with 3v3 and 4v4 to get them to start seeing the slides and moving the ball correctly,
Start from a certain scenario, like a pick

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10 Minutes

Activity 4: 2v2 with Slides

Set Up

Create a small area to play, with 1 offensive player and 1 defensive player on each end. We have the players split into two teams, so every player gets experience on both the offensive and defensive side. Both sides will work at the same time for maximum reps. We are using cones to split the field in half, so the players can get an idea on spacing knowing where to be as a defender or crease offensive player. The drill starts with a midfielder dodging the alley guarded by a defender. As they approach a scoring area, the defense on crease will slide to the ball. The ball carrier must recognize, and we want the areas offensive play to call for the ball or follow slide to receive a pass and finish with a shot. The Players on crease will move to the opposite line, and the players who just ran down as midfielders, will become the crease players

Coaching Points & Principles

Defense – On crease, make sure you are IN BETWEEN your player, and the ball carrier. You should be a stick length away ready to slide. When you slide, make sure you are taking s good angle of approach attacking the offense hands and front shoulders
Offense – Ball Carrier should get hands free with a small step away if needed, to make a quality pass. Player on crease should show or follow the slide calling for the ball!

Progressions

Put 2 players of each on crease, choose 1 to slide to the offense has to read the right look!

Tags

Anticipation & Recognition Beginner Game - Live Play Intermediate Off Ball Defensive Play Off Ball Offensive Play Transition U10 U12

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Activity 1: Scoop and Chase Game

Set Up

Split the group into two teams, and put them in alternating lines at the midfield. On a Half field, we would have 4-6 lines of each color, being a full team drill. If working in smaller spaces like video, you can do 3-4 of each color. The drill starts with coach rolling a live ground ball into the play. The first player in each line will go try to win the ground ball. Which ever team wins the ball, gets the ball to the goalie and initiates a clear. If you don’t have a goalie, just have the players clear to a Coach up top. Once they successfully clear the ball, they will go back in on offense, and attack the goal. Coaches can manipulate the rules or constraints to make uneven situations or get players to explore other team concepts like picks, off ball play, etc..

Coaching Points and Principles

Ground balls – players should be working hard to win ground balls to start the drill
Clearing – Team is spread out and finding open spaces
Even & Uneven scenarios

Progressions

Add extra players in on offense to creat uneven looks
Number the lines up top, so only select players go into the drill (1,2,3,4 would be a 2v2 groundball play)
Shot Clock – Once on offense, create a shot clock to speed up play

Tags

3v2 3v3 3v4 4v3 4v4 5v4 5v5 Advanced Game - Live Play Ground Ball Battles Ground Balls Intermediate Men’s Lacrosse Small Area Games Small Area Games Transition U10 U12 U14

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