Set Up
Set up a designated area on the field using cones or lines. In this case, we are using the center circle, which is a good space for the size of this group. Every player will have a ball and will run/cradle through the area. They need to keep their HEAD UP while they are running so they dont run into a teammate. You can see in the video, players are naturally also getting some escape work in when they need to change direction to not hit a teammate!
- Progression 1 – After they have been running for 15-20 seconds, coach will blow a whistle and every player will stop, bounce away a little bit, and get their hands up like they want to make a pass. Have them hold position for a few seconds
- Progression 2 – Once coach blows the whistle, they must find a teammate and exchange balls with, by rolling it out for a ground ball (Communicate!)
Coaching Points and Principles
- Run and cradle with your stick protected, close to your shoulders
- HEAD UP! Dont look down, keep your eyes up so you are running into space that doesn’t have another player
- Look for natural escapes like Jabs, splits, etc.. and reinforce great job to the kids
- Communicate – When you get to the ground ball progression, communicate with teammate so you both expect the same thing
Progressions
- Instead of a ground ball, pass to a teammate to make it more challenging
- Make the space smaller and more challenging, or larger for less experienced players
