Station Work – Complete Player Development

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Activity 1: 43 Unsettled Game
Activity 2: Line Drills w/ Escapes
Station 1: Musical Groundballs
Station 2: Half Court Small Ball
Station 3: Groundball Shooting
Activity 6: Scoop and Chase Small Area 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.

Practice Theme: Small Area Games for Complete Player Development

This practice is built around the idea of developing well-rounded players through high-repetition, small-group stations that emphasize both fundamentals and game-like decision-making. By breaking the team into smaller groups, players get more touches, more movement, and more engagement—eliminating downtime while simulating real game situations.

The session aims to teach players how to play fast, smart, and connected by cycling through drills that touch every major component of the game—passing, shooting, defense, ground balls, and small-sided play. The focus is on learning through doing and transferring those skills into gameplay.

Session Objective:

By the end of this session, players will:

Demonstrate improved ability to move the ball under pressure and make quicker decisions.
Show progress in core technical skills: passing, catching, ground balls, shooting, and defensive positioning.
Understand how individual skills connect to team play concepts such as spacing, communication, and ball movement.
Build confidence through high-rep, game-realistic drills that challenge both skill and game IQ.

8 Minutes

Activity 1: 43 Unsettled Game

Start Practice with a fun game to get the energy up and kids moving!

Set Up

Create a small plating area, inside the restraining box. Add 2 goals so you have a full field within the playing area. Split you group into 2 teams, and put each team in a single file line at their respected defensive end. Start the game by putting 4 offense and 3 defense in, giving a team a starting advantage. Play until a dead ball, the last player to touch the ball on the offense is out. The 3 defensive players stay in and transition to the offensive end with a new teammate joining. They will go play 4v3 on the opposite end, until a dead. Continue this for about 8-10 minutes and your players will get a lot of touches and gameplay!

Coaching Points and Principles

Offense – Fine the advantage (2v1). We want players to start seeking their open teammates in these transition scenarios so we get the best shot possible
Defense – Communicate, get into a zone type shape where you can play the ball and slide for help. Keep your sticks up in passing lanes making it hard for the offense to make easy passes!

Progressions

Play full field with older players (HS/College) for a more intense workout
Give a shot clock, for faster play

Tags

4v3 Fundamental Team Offense & Defense Game - Live Play Intermediate Men’s Lacrosse Small Area Games Small Area Games Transition U10 U12 U14

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8 Minutes

Activity 2: Line Drills w/ Escapes

This is a good time to work on some of our core fundamentals including passing, catching, and escapes on the run!

Set Up

Put players in lines about 15-20 away from each other. Start the ball with a pass, once that player goes and passes to the next teammate in line, they will play token/guided defense. The player with the ball will add in some form of escape. In this drill we will work on 3 different escapes

Hitch – After you catch the ball, get loaded for a shot and then hitch around defender
Roll Away – Roll away from the defender, working on stick protection
Fakes – Have players throw quick pump fakes before getting around defende

Coaching Points and Principles

Try to get the pass off right away, after you get around defender
Execution of the escapes including stick protection and control
Make good long passes to your teammates

Progression

Add different escapes like face and split dodges
Have the defender player tougher defense

Tags

All Attack Ball Control (with the ball)Defense Dodging & Escapes Guided - Token Opponent High School Intermediate Midfield Passing Team Passing U14

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8 Minutes

Station 1: Musical Groundballs

A great game to emphasize competing for ground balls

SET UP

Create a small field using cones and put all the players shoulder to shoulder about 8 yards away from the game area. Coach will place as many balls -1 in the game area, than there are players. You have 8 players, use 7 balls. On the whistle, each player must go get a ball, and bring it back to the start line. The 8th player who doesn’t win a ball, can play defense and try to steal until everyone has returned back to the start point. Continue this progression until its 2v1 and you can declare a winner!

PRINCIPLES AND COACHING POINTS

Ground Balls
Competing
Hustle!

PROGRESSIONS

– Use less balls to make game go faster (8 players 6 balls, then 6 players 4 Balls…

Tags

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

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10 Minutes

Station 2: Half Court Small Ball

A fun game that will work on decision making, and letting the kids get creative!

Set Up

You can play this game as half field, or full field. Make sure you are USING TENNIS BALLS OR SOFT LACROSSE BALLS for this game. Split players up into two teams, and play 3v3 or 4v4. One player on the defensive team has to play goalie, so it’s always an unsettled game. If the defense turns the ball over, or there is a dead ball, the defending team will clear it past restraining line (like basketball half court) and then they will be on offense. This is a great game for station play or small groups

Coaching Points and Principles

Unsettled offense and defense – Players should recognize the situation
- Offense – Draw a defender and find an open teammate / off ball move to space
- Defense – Play zone-like defense with slides and recovery
Awareness and Game IQ

Progressions

Change the number off players
play a full field version with 2 goals

Tags

3v2 4v3 All Beginner Fundamental Team Offense & Defense Game - Live Play Intermediate Small Area Games Small Area Games Transition U10 U8

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10 Minutes

Station 3: Groundball Shooting

This drill works on our groundballs and into a step down shot!

Set Up

Set the players up in a line about 10-12 yards from the goal. Add a cone about 5 yards away from coach, which will be the point they need to shoot at. Coach holds a stick out that the player must run under, scoop a ground ball, and then get loaded to take a shot

Coaching Points & Principles

Groundballs – get Low and accelerate through!
Get loaded quickly after, and try and shoot before the cone
Shooting – change planes, aim for columns!

Tags

Beginner Ground Ball Battles Ground Balls Guided - Token Opponent Inside Finishing & Goal Scoring Men’s Lacrosse Positional / Tactical Shooting Team Shooting U10 U12 U14 U8

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Activity 6: Scoop and Chase Small Area Game

Finish with this game that will work on everything the kids had been practicing earlier, into a live competitive 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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