Up 1 Add 1 Transition drill
I remember when I played many many years ago the only fast break our coach worked on was the 4v3 break. As the game has evolved we have learned that fast breaks come in so many different ways to the point that people do not even say the words “fast break” anymore but now we hear more often “unsettled situations” I love this drill because it works on taking advantage of having the extra player at every stage. You even get to work on clears as well!
Full Field Zig Zag Passing drill
What a great stick skill drill to have players catch and pick up ground balls at different angles and at different distances. This is also a great drill for when you are vastly outnumbered as a coach as you can have many balls going at once.
Box Triangle Stick Skill Drill
This drill is also commonly used in hockey and soccer. For lacrosse this not only works on the stick skills of the offensive player but also teaches the defense how to slide and recover as well as handle Man Down or unsettled situations.
Simple Pregame Faceoff Routine Working on Pops and Clamps
Sometimes we just need a simple routine for our face off guys to go through before a game or practice. Something to build the muscle memory and create focus before competition begins. This simple routine can be your answer.
West Genny drill
Named for legendary lacrosse power West Genesee High School in upstate New York this a fast-paced drill that is all about transition and finishing around the goal that has become a staple of lacrosse teams around the country.
6v6 Unsettled Breaks
This is a drill to work on 6V6 in transition, ball movement and team defense in a fast paced fun drill. This is a great drill if you are working with a large group of players.
2v2 alley in ground ball
What happens immediately after a loose ball pick-up? Here we focus on ground balls, ball movement, rides and clears all in one drill. Drills that directly emulate game scenarios, are fast-paced, and focus on a number of fundamentals simultaneously in every activity are great and this one certainly does that.
5 minute 2v1 drill
This fast drill encourages a tremendous amount of hustle from the players, the drill offers up a fast 2V1 to 2V2, it is really a shooting drill, encourages players to quickly recognize and ‘make plays’ as well as defenders learning to handle the ball in close quarters close to the cage, as well as attack players playing defense. High pace, high energy will add passion to your practice and get the kids moving and engaged.
Pinch and Pop Face Off Drill
Controlling the ball on a face off is key part of the game. This drill works on repetition and technique so that when it is game time you are guaranteed possession of the ball.
Man up Man down skill builder
This is a great drill to test who should be on man and man down as it forces fast ball movement under pressure. It also forces the defense to work as a unit and rotate to the ball.
Over under face off drill
This is a great drill to work on communication between your face off man and his teammates coming in from the wing.
The V drill
The V Drill is a great way to teach the proper mechanics and fundamentals of a double team. Traps and double teams apply to Defensemen and Middies applying a trap to obtain a possession, Attackmen riding, and even, dare I say it, Goalies, who may find themselves at the end of the game down by one getting pulled to help create a turnover. So, knowing how to properly apply the trap is something worth practicing - for everyone.
3 Man Ground Ball Elimination
A simple but effective twist on a traditional ground ball drill to make sure every player practices ground ball technique. All too often when we do one vs one or two vs two ground ball drills the losers never actually practice picking up a ball, rolling away and making a pass.
Backside Box Backside Exchange Stickwork Drill
This drill works on a very specific and underappreciated skill, the exchange pass to the backside. The quickness and accuracy of an exchange pass to the backside often determines whether the defense has enough time to recover the backside. This skill is important for all offenses, but particularly offenses that rely heavily on the dodge-pass-pass-dodge/shoot concept like this 2-3-1 motion offense fade play.
Face Off and Fast Breaks Team Drill
All too often we are left with the decision of having our face off men work on face offs on their own or practice with the team. This drill is a competitive face off drill that gets the team involved. Therefore no need to separate the face off men for the group.
Ground Ball Box Out Drill
This is a great drill to get them used to responding to defensive pressure when picking up a ground ball, and a good drill to use as a pre-game warm up.
5 minute 2v1 drill
Backside Pop Backside Exchange Stickwork Dril
This drill works on a very specific and under appreciated skill, the exchange pass to the backside. The quickness and accuracy of an exchange pass to the backside often determines whether the defense has enough time to recover the backside. This skill is important for all offenses, but particularly offenses that rely heavily on the dodge-pass-pass-dodge/shoot concept like this 2-3-1 motion offense pop play.
Sideways 3v2 Rapid Zone and EMO Drill
This drill is perfect for getting rapid fire reps that will improve your players’ ability and understanding of how to beat a zone. Many zone and man up plays utilize the idea of overloading one side to create a 3v2 or 4v3 against one side of the zone. In this drill we start our offensive players in that overload and instead of walking slowly through how to play against a zone, we give them the opportunity to play it out many times in a short segment
Dodge Slide And Recover Drill
The defender must slide at the right moment to avoid leaving their own man open, and the other defenders must communicate the slide to ensure that the player being slid to is ready to pick up the open offensive player. This drill is a great way to practice this technique.