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1 LACROSSE MANUAL

2 Table of Contents WELCOME... 1 PLAYER CONTRACT... 2 GOALS... Error! Bookmark not defined. NORCO LACROSSE METHODOLOGY... 6 SKILLS AND TERMINOLOGY... 8 SKILL EXPLANATIONS Quick Stick Collarbone Pump Fake and Look Back Fake Hard Pumps Off Ball V-Cut and Backdoor Cut V-Cut to Pick Windup and Sidewinder Face-Dodge Hitch-and-Go Rocker Money Pass Question Mark MJ Moves Shallow Cut Cycle Clear Through V-Cut Dodge/Split Staircase Dodge First Contact Screen Shot i

3 Fade Shot Behind the Back Shovel Pass Post-Up Rips Alley Technique Pursuit Angles Backpedal Footwork Trail Checks Show Slide Double Bandit Wheel Spider Collapse DRILL PROGRESSIONS AND EXPLANATIONS Box Drills Progression v0 Passing v1 Monkey in the Middle v0 Pass Down Pick Down Shooting v2 Pass Down Pick Down v2 Weave Pass Down Pick Down v2 Weave Pass Down Pick Away v2 Alley Dodge and Shallow Cut v2 Weave Alley Dodge and Shallow Cut v1 Off to On Ball lvl Off to On Ball Fight Through the Pick v1 Pass Down Pick Down v2 Off to On Ball ii

4 4v3 Pick and Cycle (Popcorn) v1 Dodging and Defending Progression v 1 Behind Short 1v1 Behind Bump'n'Run Behind Navy Drill v2 Behind Tight 1v Team Offense and Defense Progression West Gennv 3v3 Clear Through West Gennv Sideways 3v3 Wing Dodge v4 Double Team v4 ND Drill v4 EMO/MDD v6 For Points NORCO PRACTICE PLAN Day Day APPENDIX iii

5 WELCOME 1

6 PLAYER CONTRACT Norco High School Lacrosse Club Boys Player Contract As a student/athlete on the Norco High School Boys Lacrosse Club, I promise: - To be a positive leader within my school, understanding that my position as a student/athlete is one of privilege and responsibility. - To be a worthy representative of my team, teammates, coaches, and sport, abiding by school and community expectations and reflecting my team s values of commitment, hard work and sportsmanship. - To maintain my health and fitness levels by following the training rules as prescribed by the coaching staff. - To reflect the knowledge that a commitment to excellence is nothing without the commitment to hard work and practice. - To attend every practice and game unless excused by my coach. - To accept the responsibilities of team membership and sportsmanship such as cooperation, support of my teammates, shared responsibilities, positive interactions, and mutual respect for everyone. - To reflect a positive attitude by expressing my feelings and ideas intelligently and appropriately. - To refrain from the use of alcohol, tobacco products, illegal substances, or any other substances that will have a negative effect on my performance as a student/athlete. - To understand the proper behavior is expected at all times, and that time spent in ISS (In School Suspension), OSS (Out of School Suspension), or in Saturday School will result in decreased playing time and possibly dismissal from the team. - To understand that any knowledge I have of player contract violations or actions that compromise the integrity of the NHS Boys Lacrosse Team must be addressed with my coaches or I may be subject to the same consequences as the offender. I. Classroom Expectations - Players must maintain passing grades and good attendance while on the lacrosse team. - Players must conduct themselves in the classroom and at school as a positive representative of the NHS Lacrosse Club. II. Practice Expectations - Players must be on time to practice. - Concentrate, Listen and Learn. Move quickly to get in position for each drill. When an activity is stopped to correct an individual, or a team, pay close attention in order that you will not need the same correction. - Give your best effort at all times. - Make your teammates better. Praise and encourage your teammates. NO CRITICISM, ALIBIS, EXCUSES or COMPLAINING. - Accept responsibilities for mistakes. Know your assignments and plays. - Have all your equipment with you everyday. - Be enthusiastic. Enjoy yourself. III. Game Expectations - Whether you are playing or not, all members must remain supportive of each other and recognize that every individual sacrifice is directly related to the team s success. - Players will execute the coach s instructions to the bests of their abilities. - All players must have all of their equipment. (including mouthpiece) - Players will respect the opposing team, opposing coaches, referees and fans. - No players will leave the field until all equipment and trash is in its proper place. 2

7 IV. Travel Expectations - Players will carpool to and from games with teammates in vehicles driven by parents/adults. (Remember you are representing your team, sport, and NHS Lacrosse Club.) - Exceptions will only be made in extreme circumstances, when prior arrangements have been agreed upon by the coach and parents of the involved player(s), and when both the passenger player and driving player have submitted completed NHS Lacrosse Club driver/passenger forms to their coaches. V. Violations and Consequences As a member of a team you have a responsibility to yourself, your teammates, and coaches to be at every practice and game. By missing practice and/or game time you are missing valuable experience with your teammates and valuable instruction from your coaches. Other than medical or family emergencies there are no excused absences from games or practices. Coaches should be notified of any forthcoming absences PRIOR to the practice/game you expect to miss. Any and all scheduling conflicts should be made known to the coaches PRIOR to the start of the season. Late to practice or leave early from practice: - 1 st Offense Warning - 2 nd Offense Will not start following game and possible reduced playing time - 3 rd Offense 1 game suspension - 4 th Offense Player may be removed from team. Missing Practices or Games: - 1 st Unexcused Absence Will not play in 1 st quarter of following game, P.T. for remaining 3 quarters may also be reduced - 2 nd Unexcused Absence 1 Game Suspension - 3 rd Unexcused Absence Removal from team - Please note excessive excused absences could also result in removal from the team. - If a player misses the practice a day before a game that player is not eligible to start in that game. Violations of classroom, practice, game, & travel expectations: (Consequences are handed out with the sole discretion of the head coach.) Consequences include, but are not limited to: - Not Starting - Sitting out a quarter or a half - Sitting out the remainder of the game - One game suspension - Removal from the team 3

8 I have read and understand the rules and regulations for player conduct for the Norco High School Lacrosse Club team. I understand that lacrosse is a team sport and in order to be successful we must have full dedication by all the players on the team and abide by the above rules and regulations. I have been made aware of the consequences for any inability I might have to follow the guidelines put in place by the coaching staff. I agree to abide by the rules and regulations of the Boys lacrosse team. Player s Name: (please print) Player s Signature: Parent/Guardian s Name: (please print) Parent/Guardian s Signature: 4

9 TERMINOLOGY Dodges LACROSSE SKILLS Attackman Middie Defense Goalie DRILLS Attackman Middie Defense 5

10 PRACTICE PLAN Warm Ups Individual Drills NORCO LACROSSE METHODOLOGY Welcome to the Norco Lacrosse Box/Field Hybrid Development System. Combining cutting edge philosophies, concepts, and drills from the traditional field lacrosse game and the Canadian box lacrosse game, our system creates playmakers by teaching all positions to learn high-level stick skills and dodging techniques as well as defensive footwork and mentality. Much of our training is done in an All Position/No-Position format meaning everyone gets reps at both offense and defense. The Box Lacrosse element of our methodology places our players in an environment where they will learn to handle the ball in tight spaces as well as to feed and finish with cutting edge techniques. Players' IQ develops quickly with the consistent work in twoman game situations. Learning the pick and roll game on and off ball is second to none in teaching how to read the defense as a dodger, a cutter, and a feeder. The field lacrosse skills begin with 1v1 dodging and defending in an effort to establish an aggressive mentality of relishing 1v1 battles. Every player, regardless of their position, will learn both our offensive and defensive skills and techniques. Our competitive, up-tempo practice atmosphere geared towards drill progressions creates an environment where players adapt to certain situations. We believe players use a small percentage of their potential skill set in lacrosse. Our system will bring out those skills that lie dormant in their game and will transform them into better all-around players. 6

11 In order to execute our up-tempo practice philosophy, coaches must follow these steps: Use the common terminology that we are establishing. 1) One Whistle Rule - do not have coaches whistling over each other during drills. 2) Quick Reps vs Play it Out - know when we are going to use quick whistles to get a ton of reps and when we are going to let the kids play it out. In general, our Box Progressions are all quick rep drills and our 1v1 Dodging and Defending Progressions as well as our Team Offense and Defense Progressions are more play it out type drills. 3) Coach during the drill and not before it. Try to keep your drill explanations quick and get the kids going. Four coaches don't all need to chime in with different teaching points as you are explaining the drill. You can go back and reteach the detailed techniques during the drill. Quickly starting the drills also forces the players to communicate with each other and get organized. 7

12 SKILLS AND TERMINOLOGY It is very important for our players to understand the skills we are trying to teach and use consistent terminology in introducing these skills to players. This allows us to revisit these skills in multiple drills and get our players to master them. Skills we will cover: Quick Stick Collarbone Pump Fake and Look Back Fake Hard Pumps Off Ball V-Cut and Backdoor Cut V-Cut to Pick Pick and Slip Windup and Sidewinder Face-Dodge Hitch-and-Go Rocker Money Pass Question Mark MJ Moves Shallow Cut Cycle Clear Through V-Cut Dodge/Split Staircase Dodge First Contact Screen Shot Fade Shot Behind the Back Shovel Pass Post-Up Rips Alley Technique Pursuit Angles Backpedal Footwork Trail Checks Show Slide Double Bandit Wheel 8

13 Spider Collapse 9

14 SKILL EXPLANATIONS Quick Stick Although Quick Stick is a fairly common skill, it can be used for far more than just getting off quick shots and passes. When teaching kids to throw and catch, you want them to keep their stick in the box area, have the head of their stick square to the passer, give when they catch the ball (don't snap at it), move their feet and body to catch the pass, and throw a sharp overhand pass. You can cover all five of these principles simply by doing quick sticks; it is the best and easiest way to teach kids the fundamentals of passing and catching and naturally makes them use their Collarbone technique. Collarbone Collarbone refers to keeping your stick up and rested on your shoulder whenever possible as you are dodging, passing, and shooting; it is one of our triple threat positions along with Windups and Sidewinders. Having your stick in the Collarbone position forces to you to go overhand and move your head and shoulders to scan the field and find passes. This creates natural fakes; as you move your upper body, you manipulate the other team and can get quick passes and shots off in the other direction and open up dodging lanes. You can easily throw Pump Fakes, Look Back Fakes, and Hard Pumps from this position and get your stick right back to your collarbone as you are reading the defense/goalie and anticipating your next move. One of the best things about the Collarbone technique is that you can do it with any footwork; you can do it on the run, shuffling, and backpedaling, therefore, it can be used in nearly any situation and any place on the field. Pump Fake and Look Back Fake These are quick fakes generally done from the Collarbone position. A Pump Fake is simply a quick fake forward and a Look Back Fake is a fake behind you by turning your head and stick and looking back. Faking is one of the most important and under used 10

15 skills in lacrosse. It teaches kids to manipulate their surroundings when they have the ball in their stick. Every time a player comes off a pick, we want them to use Look Back Fakes to freeze the defense and see the Quick Slip if it is open. Hard Pumps Hard Pumps are more pronounced versions of fakes from the Collarbone position. Hard Pumps go to the far side and near side of a goalie or defender you are trying to throw the ball around. As you throw a Hard Pump and quickly get your stick back to your Collarbone, you can get the goalie or defender to move and anticipate your next fake, shot, or pass. The best times to Hard Pump are when finishing, off the catch, off the dodge, and off the cut. Off Ball V-Cut and Backdoor Cut An Off Ball V-Cut is when the adjacent player cuts into his defender topside and then pops out hard to create separation and catch the pass without pressure on his hands. Backdoor Cuts must be learned alongside with Off Ball V-Cuts because they are the answer to beating the defender if he over plays your pop out. V-Cut to Pick 11

16 V-Cut to Pick puts you in the right position to set a pick so that the defender does not see you coming. Also it puts you at a better angle to Pick and Slip to the net. Pick and Slip As players learn to set proper picks, they will start to force the defense to switch. In order to beat the switching defenders, the pick man can use a Slip to create separation and get a step on the defender that is switching onto him. Windup and Sidewinder Windups and Sidewinders are our other two triple threat positions along with Collarbone. A Windup is a quick crow hop and setting your feet in a shooting position while bringing your stick back similar to a hockey player loading up for a slap shot. Windups should be used to sell the other team that you are shooting or throwing a long pass. It is very important to set your feet for a split second in order to really sell it. A Sidewinder is essentially a moving Windup. It can only be done out of a backpedal where you are opened up to the middle of the field and dragging a defender toward you in an odd man situation. Out of both a Windup and a Sidewinder, you can read your defender and set up your dodge by either Face-Dodging if he overplays you up field or Hitch-and-Go if he plays you straight up. Face-Dodge 12

17 A Face-Dodge is a move you make off of your Windup or Sidewinder. It allows you to beat your defender down the side if he overplays you topside. It is an aggressive and explosive move where you pull your stick across your body and get it away from your defender as you run by him. After you face-dodge your defender, you can either Shovel Pass to an open man, get your stick back to your Collarbone or Sidewinder position, or use a Question Mark to roll back if really overplays you. Hitch-and-Go A Hitch-and-Go is a move off of a Windup or Sidewinder. By really selling shot, you can often get your defender to freeze for a split second, opening up a great opportunity to beat him. Your Hitch-and-Go move is a great way to get the defender chasing you giving you the opportunity to combo with other techniques in order to beat your man under control. You can use a Rocker out of your Hitch-and-Go to get another step on the defender as he begins to catch back up; or you can use a Question Mark move to roll back out of your Hitch-and-Go if the defender really overplays you as he is catching up. Rocker A Rocker is a quick fake rollback to get the defender to freeze for a split second and give you a step in the same direction. It is most commonly used by attackmen at 5 x 5; however, it can be used in any area of the field. It is a great escape move for defenders and goalies that pick up a groundball under pressure in their own end and need to free their hands to make a play. When you Rocker, you should quickly drop step your outside foot and turn your back to the defender and then explode quickly right back in the same direction. It is a great move to use off a Hitch-and-Go as it freezes the defender a second time right as he is catching up to you. Money Pass 13

18 A Money Pass is when the dodger steps back and throws a quick pass back in the other direction across his body without switching hands. Question Mark A Question Mark move is when you pop out toward the sideline and switch hands in order to break pressure and make a play. Ideally it is one-step and a jump shot or pass. Like the Rocker move, it is most commonly done by attackmen at 5 x 5 to set up a Fade Shot; however, it can be used anywhere on the field including as an escape move in the defensive end. It also sets up your MJ Moves that you can use to beat a double team. MJ Moves An MJ Move is named after Michael Jordan as it is a post-up move he often used to beat double teams. It is essentially a fake Question Mark move or a more pronounced Look Back Fake. As you are getting pressured and/or doubled, you pop out into a Question Mark Move. You switch hands for a split second like you are going to roll back and then immediately switch back into your original hand and go the other direction. Shallow Cut A Shallow Cut is quick Cycle that starts on the perimeter and ends on the perimeter. If someone is dodging toward you, you can Shallow Cut in order to get out of his way and just hook back in behind where he came from. This is such a great move because it opens up a Money Pass opportunity back to the cutter for a quick dodge that catches the defense off guard. Cycle A Cycle is a general term that describes any time a group of players work together in a circular motion and essentially switch spots. A Cycle can happen in many different ways both on and off ball. It is a great way to get guys cutting and moving without sacrificing spacing. 14

19 Clear Through A Clear Through is when someone from the perimeter cuts into the crease and stays inside. Usually it happens when someone is dodging toward you and you need to get out of his way to create space. Once you clear into the crease you should fish hook and look back for the ball. V-Cut Dodge/Split A V-Cut Dodge is using a V-Cut with your stick to the inside of the V to allow you to jab step and make a move without switching hands. You are trying to get the defender to open his hips so you can cut back in the opposite direction. A V-Cut Split is when you start a V-Cut Dodge and the defender anticipates it so you throw a second jab step in and turn it into a split dodge. Staircase Dodge A Staircase Dodge is a series of getting into your defender and then popping out and exploding up field that is often set-up using an initial V-Cut Dodge. If you do this multiple times in a row, eventually the defender will take a poor recovery angle and allow you to corner in on him and beat him back to the middle of the field. Also, every time you pop out it provides you with an opportunity to free your hands and look for feeds. It is very important that you make First Contact with the defender each time you pop out toward the sideline so that you create separation on your terms and don't get bumped too far out. Additionally you must explode up field each time and not back toward the defender where you came from. Getting really good at this move will allow you to beat double teams as you keep working out and up on one of the defenders until you get yourself in a position to beat them both topside. First Contact This term refers to the dodger creating separation with the defender by initiating contact and getting into him. 15

20 Screen Shot A Screen Shot is exactly what it sounds like: using your defender as a screen so the goalie cannot see the ball as you shoot it around him. Screen Shots can happen randomly, but it is a very high level skill to create one on your own by setting your defender up using a Windup, Sidewinder, and/or a Hitch and Go. When shooting a Screen Shot, you want to shoot right off of your defenders shoulder or hip and aim for the near side pipe. The goalie will naturally move to the far side a little bit to try to see the shot coming at him and will have very little time to react to it and get back to the near side. The other beauty of a Screen Shot is that the deceptive nature of it does not require precise accuracy, just the ability to shoot it to the correct side of the goal. Fade Shot Fade Shots are the lacrosse equivalent of basketball's fade-away jumpers. You shoot a Fade Shot off a speed move from behind - you shoot back across your body as you fade to the sideline and up-field rather than turn the corner. You want to take one step toward the perimeter and torque your body and shoot back across your body as you get to 5 X 5. Behind the Back Many people see Behind the Back as improper fundamentally; however, it is not a very difficult skill to learn and opens up many more options for players. At the core of passing is a push/pull motion with your hands. When throwing regularly, your top hand pushes and your bottom hand pulls. If you go to throw a Behind the Back pass, all you do is switch jobs with your hands, now your top hand pulls and your bottom hand pushes. So if nothing else, it is good for players to experiment with because it teaches them how to use their push/pull motion and get more comfortable with their stick. It is great when used coming off a hard topside move to spot feed a player slipping to the goal or Cycling underneath. This is very similar to a backhand drop pass in hockey - you just need to put it in the right area and let your teammate make the play. The other area a Behind the Back can be useful is in shooting back against the grain if you run out of angle. 16

21 Shovel Pass A Shovel Pass is often used to pass the ball around a defender when you are dodging with your stick out like after a Face-Dodge. Like Behind the Back, Shovel Passes teach players to use a push/pull technique. Learning how to Shovel Pass is important because it lets you dodge with your stick out away from your defender and still make plays. Post-Up Rips These are moves that used when engaged with your defender in a tight space. Generally this is off of a post-up move on a dodge from behind, however, they can also be used as escape moves along end line or when dodging off of picks if the defender steps out and bodies you. The basis of Post-Up Rips is to allow you to get your strong hand and get around the defender who is all over your back. If the defender's head of his stick is up-field as he is bodying you out, you will dip low and rip underneath his stick with your elbow propelling yourself around him as you come out of your move - often set up with a quick Rocker step. If the defender is playing you with his butt end up-field, then you will do the same thing except now you will clamp his butt end with your elbow as you accelerate past him rather than lift under his stick. Practicing these moves and post-up situations gets players comfortable and patient with the ball even when a defender is all over their back and cross-checking them. Alley Technique Alley Technique is your defensive body position when guarding a player trying to speed dodge down the alley or clear the ball up the sideline. Many offenses these days revolve around a midfielder initiating with an alley dodge to their strong hand to get the defense to Slide and Wheel. Therefore, on defense, we want to disrupt that pattern by taking away the dodger's strong hand by using our Backpedal Footwork and getting our body into the 17

22 alley forcing the dodger to either go very wide toward the sideline or back to the middle and screw up his offensive motion. Pursuit Angles One of the most important things for players to learn is how to take proper Pursuit Angles on defense. This should not be limited to just defensive personnel; attackmen must also learn Pursuit Angles, as it will be crucial to their ability to ride successfully. Too often in lacrosse, defenders follow the same arc as the ball carrier and end up getting beat topside. Pursuit Angles are the cornerstone of on-ball defense as it allows defenders to constantly take straight lines in order to beat ball carriers to specific spots on the field. Backpedal Footwork Defenders in lacrosse generally do not use enough Backpedal Footwork in learning how to stay in front of ball carriers. Defensive backs in football constantly practice backpedals in order to guard wide receivers. Hockey defensemen constantly practice skating backwards in order to keep good position on forwards bringing the puck up the ice. The same should be true in lacrosse. Backpedal Footwork in lacrosse translates into defenders learning how to keep good body position in staying in front of dodgers as well as allows them to keep their stick out in front and cause easy turnovers. Combining this with proper Pursuit Angles gives defenders the tools they need to win man-to-man battles. Trail Checks The on-ball defender uses Trail Checks when he gets beat with speed and a teammate is going to slide to the ball carrier's face. In this scenario, the ball carrier will bring his stick back behind him to protect it from the slide and make a pass or shot opening up a perfect opportunity for the on-ball defender to Trail Check from behind. Often times the on-ball defender gives up on the play and starts his recovery as soon as he is beat and the defense Slides; however, if he stays with the play and hustles after the ball, 18

23 he will create quick Double opportunities. Generally you only have one shot at landing a Trail Check so you must be patient and wait for the stick to show behind. Show A Show is when a defender places himself into a dodging lane in order to impede the dodger from continuing to the goal on that path. The closest off-ball defender(s) to the ball should Show on every dodge. This is a read position - from the Show position the defender decides if he should Slide, Bandit, or Double by anticipating what the dodger is going to do and what the on-ball defender is going to do. Defenders should only get into a Show position enough such that they can still get back to their man if the ball is passed and no dodge occurs. Often times if an adjacent player Spiders to get into the skip pass lane, it will naturally put him in a good Show position. Slide A Slide is when a defender decides to go support the ball out of his Show position. Usually it is because the on-ball defender gets beat badly or if the Show guy anticipates the on-ball defender will get beat. A Slide is an obvious move by the defense to support the ball; therefore it is pretty easy for the other team to create offense off of getting the defense to Slide. A Slide is our worst-case scenario to stop a dodger. Double A Double is anytime we either surprise the other team by jumping the ball carrier. You can Double out of the Show position on defense when the on-ball defender is doing a great job at keeping the dodger in front of him and the dodger just keeps trying to get to the goal. Eventually the dodger will work his way closer and closer to the defense giving the off-ball defenders an opportunity to jump him and surprise him with a Double team. Bandit 19

24 Bandit is when the defense Shows and the dodger moves the ball. Bandit means "get back to your man." All of the defenders that were Spidering in and Showing just get back out to play their own man. Wheel This means rotate into the ball - it is just a quicker word to say than "rotate" which makes it more ideal for in-game communication. Whenever the off-ball defenders need to Spider and Show to a dodger, they must be also be ready to Wheel in case the offense moves the ball faster than the defense can recover or Bandit. Spider Spider is a general term for the off-ball defenders helping into the crease and getting back out to the ball. The extent of which an off-ball defender can Spider into the crease is determined by how many passes his guy is away from the ball. If he is one pass away, he should only spider in to about half way or just enough to get himself into skip lanes to the backside - this should also put him into a good Show position if the dodge happens to come his way. If he is two passes or more away, he can Spider all the way into the crease as he will have time to get back to his own man and he knows that the two adjacent defenders are positioned into the skip lanes to his man. Collapse Collapse is a call made to get all of the perimeter defenders to just Collapse into the crease. Common scenarios will be in transition to get the defense packed in, whenever a dodger penetrates the defense, or when the ball is fed into the crease. DRILL PROGRESSIONS AND EXPLANATIONS We design our drills to create a learning environment that forces players to master certain skills and techniques in order to succeed. The vast majority of our drills are part of bigger 20

25 Drill Progressions that allows us to teach various skills and techniques and then build on them without changing the entire drill and ruining the practice tempo. These progressions allow us to make our practice plans simple and look at the big picture of what we are trying to teach our players. In addition, we try to do most of our drills in what we call an All-Position/No-Position format. This means that every player gets equal offensive and defensive reps. We look at our basic offensive and defensive skills as paramount for all players to learn regardless of their position - defenders must be able to handle the ball and attackmen must be able to ride and defend on-ball. Here are our three key Drill Progressions that we will use for Norco Blue Chip: Box on the Field Progression 1v1l Dodging and Defending Progression Team Offense and Defense Progression The reason we use these three is because they give us the most reward for only having five hours of training time to spend with the players. Plus the three of them cover pretty much everything we would like to teach the players as far as skills and techniques as well as gives us a chance to create an organized offense and defense that will make the scrimmages that much better and fun to watch. Box Drills Progression We strongly believe that the best lacrosse players in the world train in both the field and box lacrosse game; therefore, we try to integrate box drills and concepts into our practices every day. These drills are all done in All-Position/No-Position format meaning every player gets reps at both offense and defense. Although we will not be using a box lacrosse facility, we can still do these drills out on the field in tight spaces and get what we want out of the drills. In order to get the most out of these drills, you must follow box lacrosse rules and strategies including: 21

26 Encourage players to set moving picks and play physically off ball - don't worry if this breaks the rules of field lacrosse, it teaches them to play the two man game much better and it also forces the defense to work harder. Make players stay on their Natural Side as much as possible - this means rightys should be on the left side as you are looking down at the goal and leftys should be on the right side. Players can play both sides if they want to work on both hands, however, during the drills they should stay on their side and not switch hands. Have the defense work more on cross-checks and footwork rather than takeaway checks - since this is All-Position/No-Position work, the drill will be ruined if a long pole just tries to start checking and taking the ball away from another long pole who is playing offense. Have the defense fight through picks whenever possible. Although many of these drills are with an offensive advantage, you can get good defensive work by establishing "never quit mentality" by making them fight through picks and keep their feet moving the whole time. Lastly, make players finish using Hard Pumps and getting the goalie moving rather than just ripping outside shots from bad angles. These are not necessarily fun drills for goalies because they should be getting scored on nearly every rep, so make sure to keep them rotating in out pretty quick so they aren't just sitting in the cage getting discouraged. Remember, many of these box drills are done in uneven scenarios with an offensive advantage in order to teach certain skills and movement. These are not necessarily field lacrosse 2v1, 3v2, and 4v3 game situations where you just draw and pass to the open man. It is important to remind your players as they go through these drills so that they run them properly and get the most out of the skill training. Some of them may wonder, "Why would we pick and dodge in a 3v2?" The answer is that you probably wouldn't in a game. We are teaching the skills and not the situations. Here are the drills we will be doing in our Box Progressions: 2v0 Passing 2v1 Monkey in the Middle 3v0 Pass Down Pick Down Shooting 3v2 Pass Down Pick Down 22

27 3v2 Weave Pass Down Pick Down 3v2 Weave Pass Down Pick Away 3v2 Alley Dodge and Shallow Cut 3v2 Weave Alley Dodge and Shallow Cut 1v1 Off to On Ball 1v1 Off to On Ball Fight Through the Pick 2v1 Pass Down Pick Down 2v2 Off to On Ball 4v3 Pick and Cycle 2v0 Passing Start with two lines of players only 5 to 10 yards apart at the goal line. This is a simple partner passing drill as the players move up and down the field/floor in their lines, however, it allows you to introduce a lot of offensive skills as well as get the players a ton of touches with the ball. Have the players do all of the drills with their sticks to the inside as this is a way to get the players used to the "Righty" and "Lefty" side that they will need to know for their box drills. Only have the players go for about 40 to 50 yards and then turn and come back the other way. You can either put your goalies in the drill or put them in the cage and have the players finish on them as the go towards the goal. Here is the general progression of skills that we follow: 1. Shuffles with Quick Sticks 2. Running with Collarbone 3. Running with Collarbone and Pump Fakes 4. Backpedal with Sidewinder 5. Backpedal with Windup and a Face Dodge 6. Backpedal with Windup and a Face Dodge and a Shovel Pass 7. 2v1 Monkey in the Middle 23

28 This drill is a way of getting a ton of reps at using Hard Pumps as a way of getting a goalie/defender to move and throw the ball around them. Start with two players 10 yards apart and a defender in the middle. The defender just tries to knock down pass and intercept the ball - he does not throw check. The guys on the outside use Harp Pumps to try to get the middle guy moving so that they can anticipate their next move as they bring the stick quickly back to their Collarbone. After a few minutes, switch the guy in the middle. 3v0 Pass Down Pick Down Shooting This is a skeleton drill to get the players using their Pass Down Pick Down and getting used to the motion so that you can progress into 3v2's. Have three lines up top and the balls with the middle line. To start with have the two outside lines break down to the low wings. Have the middle guy throw a Pump Fake and then pass down to the line that coincides with his strong hand and V-Cut in and set a pick for the man he just passed it to. That guy comes off the pick and passes across to the other side of the floor to the man who catches the pass and quickly feeds back across to the pick guy slipping to the goal. The players should be using Hard Pumps to get the goalie moving and finish in front of the goal. After doing this for a little while, switch it up and have the guy coming off the pick pass back to the slip man and then that guy feeds across for the shot. 3v2 Pass Down Pick Down Transition from the 3v0 Pass Down Pick Down Shooting drill right into 3v2's by adding two defenders. Have the defenders stay in for 3 reps and then switch. The middle guy is going to follow his pass down and set a pick. Make sure the offensive players are using all of the skills including Windups, Look Back Fakes, Pump Fakes, Rockers, and Collarbone. Start the defense in an "I." As the ball carrier carries up off the pick, he will have a 2v1 off ball with the slip and the feed across being covered by only one defender; he should look back to the slip guy every time. 24

29 3v2 Weave Pass Down Pick Down This is the exact same drill as the 3v2 Pass Down Pick Down except you start it with a 3-man weave to the top of the box and then turn and come back down on the cage 3v2. They should get in three passes during the weave in order to get your rightys and leftys on the correct sides. Have two guys from the offense stay and be the next two defenders for the next group. The defender run up and backpedal into an "I" to defend the 3v2, they do not try to defend or knock down passes during the weave. 3v2 Weave Pass Down Pick Away This is very similar to the 3v2 Weave Pass Down Pick Down drill (use the same three-man weave to start the drill). Now, the middle guy is going to pass down and pick the other side rather than for the guy he passed it to. Also, in this variation you should have defense start side by side rather than in an "I." This way the guy who gets the pass from the middle is being pressured and must dodge into space to feed the off-ball 2v1. Just like the other 3v2 drills, this is a picking and passing drill and not merely a draw and dump drill. 3v2 Alley Dodge and Shallow Cut This drill starts the same as the 3v2 Pass Down Pick Down drill; have the defense in an "I." Now rather than pass down, the middle guy is going to alley dodge to his strong hand. The low offensive player on the side that he dodges toward is going to Shallow Cut and replace in behind him. The dodger can throw a Money Pass, Question Mark, or Behind the Back pass back to Shallow Cut. From there just play out the 3v2 and try to find the open man. 3v2 Weave Alley Dodge and Shallow Cut This is the exact same drill as the 3v2 Alley Dodge and Shallow Cut except you start it with a 3-man weave to the top of the box and then turn and come back down 3v2. 25

30 1v1 Off to On Ball Start with an off ball lv1 on the low wing where the defender is trying to shutoff the offensive player. The feed comes from the high wing on the same side of the field. The offensive player should use Off Ball V-Cuts and Backdoor Cuts to try to get open. If he gets the ball on a pop out away from the goal, he should catch it in a Windup and dodge the defender. The feeder is constantly faking from the Collarbone position. Keep everyone inside the box and have the players waiting in lines stay tight to help you form you the boundaries and keep the drill confined to a tight space. Also, make the dodgers stay on their half of the field - the Rightys should not cross over to the Lefty side and vice versa. After one side goes, have the other side go immediately. lvl Off to On Ball Fight Through the Pick Start this drill exactly the same as the lvl Off to On Ball drill, except now the feeder goes down and sets a pick on the defender. The offensive player dodges off of the pick, but cannot throwback to the pick guy - it is just a 1v1 with a pick. This drill is meant to get the offensive players dodging hard off of the pick as well as teaching the defenders to fight through the pick and never give up on the play. For the defender to beat the pick and stay with his man he must either get underneath the pick and take a flat Pursuit Angle or bump the dodger and get over top of the pick. Although the technique is certainly important for the defenders to learn, this drill is much more about establishing a never quit mentality on defense. 2v1 Pass Down Pick Down This is the same drill as the 1v1 Off to On Ball Fight through the Pick drill except now the dodger can throw back to the pick man. This is a good time to teach the picker to V-Cut into his pick. The dodger should get into the habit of shooting a quick look back to the slip every time he comes off the pick. If the defender freezes, then it just becomes a Look Back Fake and the dodger takes it himself. If the defender continues to fight 26

31 through the pick, the ball carrier should pass back to the slip man using a Money Pass, Question Mark, or Behind the Back pass. 2v2 Off to On Ball Start with two offensive players and two defensive players on the same side and have the defensive players try to shut off. The offensive players will use picks, slips, and V- Cuts to get open. A player on the opposite side will use Collarbone and Pump Fakes to feed the ball across. Once the ball gets passed across, they play out the 2v2; the feeder is out of the play. The offense should use picks and slips to create in the tight space. 4v3 Pick and Cycle (Popcorn) This drill emphasizes working in pairs both with the ball and off ball; 2 rightys working together and 2 leftys working together. Start with one side passing across to the other side. The pair with the ball is working on Pass Down Pick Down and the pair without the ball is constantly Cycling - we call this motion Popcorn. If the ball moves back across to the other side, now the pairs just switch jobs; the pair that was Cycling off ball is now using Pass Down Pick Down and vice versa. It is imperative that the guys picking and slipping with the ball use their Sidewinders, Rockers, Pump Fakes, and Look Back Fakes to play fast yet under control so that they can handle the pressure and find the open cutter on the other side of the field. 1v1 Dodging and Defending Progression We teach a lot of our 1v1 dodging and defending from behind the goal because it forces the offensive player to use a combination of moves and gives the defensive player a clear "goal line" to try to protect, whereas dodges from up top tend to be more of a speed battle. The majority of the time we have our players playing their actual positions in these drills meaning defensemen play defense, attackmen play offense, and midfielders try to get equal reps at both. However, it is good to have your defensemen take a few offensive reps sometimes as well as have your attackmen step out on defense. 27

32 This is the drill progression we use to teach 1v1 dodging and defending: 1v1 Behind Short lvl Behind Bump'n'Run Behind Navy Drill 1v2 Behind Tight lvl 1 v 1 Behind This is a very straightforward 1v1 drill. We start the dodges from behind because it forces the dodger to use a combination of moves and gives the defender a clear place to stop the dodger. Offensively, we emphasize Staircase Dodging, V-Cut Dodging, and making First Contact with the defender. Defensively, we like our guys to use their Backpedal Footwork and try to keep the dodger in front of them as well as take good Pursuit Angles when they get beat. In this drill, we concentrate more on the dodge setup and the initial defensive footwork. Short 1v1 Behind This drill reps out the end of a 1v1 from behind. We start the defender at X and the dodger with a step on him to either side. The dodger must make First Contact to muscle his way up field and look for Rockers, Question Marks, and Mj Moves as he breaks GLE. The defender must take a great Pursuit Angle and get hips around and body out the dodger. Doing this drill after the regular lvl Behind drill allows us to break down the 1v1 into two parts: the set-up and the battle at GLE. Bump'n'Run Behind This drill is all about quick feet and taking good Pursuit Ang es. Start all the way down on the low wings along the end line with the defender engaged with the dodger (just like the way you start the tight 1v1 drill). On the whistle, the defender should bump and run along with the dodger for a few steps trying to force him wide to either side. As the dodger starts making his way up field toward the goal line, the defender should 28

33 disengage and take a flat angle to re-meet up with the dodger at GLE and be able to body him out. Navy Drill The Navy drill combines a lot of the skills and techniques that were covered in the earlier lvl drills. It starts with a lvl from behind. The defender uses his Backpedal Footwork to keep the dodger in front of him. As the dodger gets to GLE, he uses a Question Mark move and rolls away from pressure and passes back to the next guy in line. The defender quickly recovers and plays this guy as well. Play out this second 1v1 to the goal. 1v2 Behind This is a double team drill where you start two defenders on one dodger from behind. The defenders try to keep the dodger contained and turn him into a double team by using good Pursuit Angles and Trail Checks. The dodger uses his Staircase Dodging technique to try to get outside one of the defenders and patiently work his way up and out until the defense takes a poor angle and he can beat the double team topside. Tight 1v1 Start this 1v1 just above GLE with the defender engaged with the dodger (just like a post-up in basketball). To start with, just have the two players get into each other for a few seconds; this gets the offensive player comfortable with a defender on his back and gets the defender used to trying to body out the dodger. The offensive player should use his Rocker and Post-Up Rips and the defender just tries to body him out and drive him back below the goal line or out wide. This drill should be pretty physical and it is a good opportunity to get some All-position/No-position work in by having everybody get some reps at both offense and defense. 29

34 Team Offense and Defense Progression In order to teach our players how to play half field offense and defense, we use a progression of drills that emphasize general lacrosse situations and strategies. Strategically, we want offensive players to learn how to initiate the offense with a dodge, draw a slide, and get the ball to the backside for a re-dodge, shot, or feed to a cutter - we call this Dodge-Pass-Pass-Dodge. Our Team Offense and Defense Progression essentially puts the pieces together from our first two drill progressions and you can start to see how everything will be used in game situations. Defensively, we want our players to first and foremost play great lvl defense and take a lot of pride in that. Everything else we do on defense is dependent on how well the on-ball guy can cover the dodger. We teach our players to Show to all dodges and then react to Slide, Bandit, or Double. Whenever the defense is forced to rotate, they call Wheel and rotate hard into the ball. Here is our drill progression: West Genny 3v3 Clear Through West Genny Sideways 3v3 Wing Dodge 4v4 Double Team 5v4 Notre Dame Drill 5v4 EMO/MDD 6v6 For Points West Gennv 3v3 Clear Through West Genny is a short field continuous drill where players go down on offense and then get back on defense. We pull the cages up to the top of the box and split the players into two even teams. Each team has three lines by their goal and all of the balls should be in each goal. One team breaks down for a 3v3. Let everyone get set up, this is not a transition drill. The offense will set up in a triangle and have the point man dodge to either side. Whichever side he dodges, the adjacent offensive player will Clear Through and the backside player will follow up. The offense is trying to draw a Slide and then get the ball backside 30

35 using a Dodge-Pass-Pass-Dodge. The defense should Show off of the Clear Through and then either Slide, Bandit, or Double depending on the on-ball defense. After a shot or turnover, have the three players who were on offense get back on defense. The three players who were on defense go to the back of the lines. The goalie breaks a new ball to the first three guys in line who now go down for a 3v3 the other way. West Gennv Sideways 3v3 Wing Dodge This follows the exact same set-up as West Genny 3v3 Clear Through. Now the offense will set up in a side-ways triangle. Let the guy in the middle line who is going to dodge carry the ball to whichever wing he wants to dodge from. The wing guy will dodge ether topside or underneath. The off-ball offensive player he dodges toward will Shallow Cut. Let them play it out and try to create offense by using a Money Pass or Question Mark to get the ball back to the Shallow Cut and create on the backside. Again, the offense should follow the Dodge-Pass-PassDodge philosophy. Have the defense Show off the Shallow Cut and be ready to Slide, Bandit, or Double. 4v4 Double Team In this drill we force the defense to Double every time, even it may not realistically be the best situation to do so. The reason for this is because we want the defense to get reps at Doubling, it forces the off-ball defenders to play fast and Wheel, and it forces the offense to handle pressure. Start with a dodger on the high wing, two adjacent offensive players, and a backside attackman. The defense is pressuring the ball, pressed out on the two adjacents, and Spidered way in off of the backside attackman. Whichever side the dodger goes toward, that guy is going to Shallow Cut and the defense is going to Double off the Shallow Cut. The backside adjacent defender should Spider way in to be ready to Wheel. Once the defense doubles, you just play it out live; the dodger should Question Mark to get away from pressure and move the ball to force the defense to Wheel. 31