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Essential Goalie Drills: Footwork and Warm-Ups

By adam.warner - Last updated: Tuesday, April 9, 2013

In this week’s player development feature, follow along with Haverford School (PA) boys lacrosse coach Travis Loving as he reveals goalie footwork drills and his go-to in-season warm-up. In addition to reinforcing proper technique and fundamentals, these drills will get your players adequately prepared to cover every angle of the cage.

Goalie Footwork Drills

We begin with a series of goalie footwork drills that place an emphasis on technique and will help players explode to the ball. Notice that all drills are performed with a lacrosse stick in hand.

Side to Side – Players hop from side to side with quick feet across a designated line on the field.

Right Foot Side to Side – The drill is the same as before but now players should only use their RIGHT foot.

Left Foot Side to Side – The drill is the same as before but now players should only use their LEFT foot.

Side to Side Mixed – Start with side to side both feet and then the coach will direct which foot to use from there.

Front to Back – This drill is similar to before, but now players will be going front to back with their steps instead of side to side.

Front to Back Left Foot – Now players should only use their LEFT foot.

Front to Back Right Foot – Now players should only use their RIGHT foot.

Figure Eight – Players should now jump with two feet in a figure eight pattern.

Figure Eight in Reverse – Now do figure eights in reverse order. Start at the back right.

Figure Eight on One Foot – Now do figure eights on just one foot.

Formal Warm-Up

Check out this formal goalie warm-up done every day at Haverford. A coach will start by shooting against the goalie in net from about 15 yards out. He will start with high shots on both sides of the net — stick-side high and off stick-side high. By doing this, the goalie doesn’t know where the next shot is going. Also, the coach will always walk around the field and shoot from different spots to mix up the angle.

Overall, the coach won’t make too many adjustments when it comes to positioning or corrections. Meanwhile, it’s key to make sure the last three shots are on cage. From here, the coach will then shoot around the hips and go around the horn once again. It’s critical that the goalie can’t anticipate the shot on net before it’s even released.

The previous clips can all be seen on Championship Productions’ DVD “High School Coaching Academy: Training the Lacrosse Goalie.” To check out more goaltender-oriented videos, simply visit our lacrosse library.

Filed in Lacrosse Newsletter • Tags: Drills, Goalie Drills, Goalie Positioning, Haverford School Lacrosse, Inside the Crease, Issue #55, John Nostrant, Travis Loving

Essential Stickwork Skills: Proper Catching & Throwing Techniques with Nick Myers

By adam.warner - Last updated: Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Watch as Ohio State head coach Nick Myers breaks down fundamental stickwork skills and drills that coaches can incorporate into practices to help their athletes become complete lacrosse players. Coach Myers starts by discussing some stick pocket basics before moving into the importance of triple threat positioning.

Stick Pocket Basics

When it comes to building a stick pocket for a lot of younger players, they are often building it with the wrong idea. The goal might be to get a harder shot or fancy fake. But when you are building your stick, you need to start with the basics: Throwing, catching, getting the ball in and out of your stick, and being able to build on that. Ultimately, becoming proficient in these areas will make you a better dodger, shooting, and feeder.

So what exactly makes a successful stick pocket? There should be a nice gradual progression. In other words, as you place your hand in your stick and roll it out, you don’t want your lower strings to be too tight. You want your top string to be the tightest and the bottom string to be the loosest. This is crucial towards getting you to be able to do all of the key fundamentals (dodge, shoot and feed).

When you put a ball into your stick for the first time, you should have a nice groove where the ball sits down in your pocket. You should also have a legal stick that enables the ball to settle in nicely for a two-handed cradle and a one-handed cradle.

Catching & Throwing Tips

When catching and throwing with your stick, it’s critical to avoid wasted motion. This is when your stick is down at the hip and when every catch and throw looks completely different. Instead, you want to build consistency with your catching and throwing.

Look to implement a skill cue called “11 to 1 Passing”. If you were a clock, you’d want to go from 11 to 1 with your stick. Therefore, shorten your release and get off a quicker and snappier pass.

Another key is getting into your triple threat positioning. This is when you catch the ball and you’re in a position to dodge, shoot, or feed. As you catch the ball, the stick should be going back towards the 11 o’ clock position and then snapping it out to the 1 o’ clock position. Even if you get a bad pass, you still want to bring the stick to 11 o’ clock. When following through, crack your top wrist right at your target, and that top hand will force the ball to really snap out of your stick.

Soft Hands

When throwing back and forth, focus on catching the ball deep back by the ear. As the ball comes to you, receive it back by the ear and right into your 11 o’ clock position. You can even pretend the ball is an egg, and if you have soft hands, the egg will not break.

The previous clips can be seen on Championship Productions’ DVD “Explosive Skills & Drills for Offensive Lacrosse” featuring Nick Myers. You can check out dozens of other shooting videos by visiting our extensive lacrosse library.

Filed in Lacrosse Newsletter • Tags: Drills, Inside the Crease, Lacrosse Drills, Lacrosse Newsletter #54, Nick Myers, Ohio State Men's Lacrosse, Stickwork, Stickwork skills

3 Individual Drills for Shooting on the Move

By adam.warner - Last updated: Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Follow along with Johns Hopkins offensive coordinator Bobby Benson as he reveals three effective individual lacrosse drills focusing on shooting on the run. Coach Benson will first walk through each drill before having his team run through live simulations at game speed.

On the Move

This drill is a great way to practice shooting on the run while getting in some conditioning. Start with a pile of balls up top and have just one player go at a time. To begin, have the player dodge down one alley and shoot and then dodge down the other alley and shoot. If you’re on a football field, stay inside the football hash marks when sprinting and shooting the ball. If you don’t or have trouble getting your hips to the goal, you can always put cones down to run within.

The player should start each rep by splitting to the right before shooting the ball. After the shot, he/she should come back to the top and get the next ball. From here, the player will go down the left side alley, shoot it, come back, and then go to the right side. Go for 60 or 90 seconds for each player and look to implement this at least a few times a week in practice.

Shooting with Two Players

Now let’s add two people to the drill to really increase the speed. This time, we will have one player go down the left side as the opposite player goes down the right side. Players go alternate back and forth for the duration of the drill. Meanwhile, it really forces players to pick up their speed of play and to get off hard shots on goal. Remember: This drill does you no good if you don’t practice it at full speed!

Up the Hash

Finally, here’s another great individual drill that simulates coming around the goal from behind. It also simulates those situations when a base defender comes sliding up the field in any kind of adjacent slide package.

A coach will stand with a pile of balls up at the top of the box. One at a time, players will sprint toward the coach from behind the goal (start at GLE on one side of the net). As the sprint toward the coach, they will catch a pass, turn the corner, and then finish the ball going towards the front of the cage. Coaches: Remind your players to catch it first, then turn the corner and get off an accurate shot. Also, it’s critical to practice this on both the right and left sides.

The previous clips can be seen on Championship Productions’ DVD “35 Championship Shooting Drills for Lacrosse” with Bobby Benson. To check out more shooting-oriented videos, head over to our lacrosse library.

Filed in Lacrosse Newsletter • Tags: Bobby Benson, Drills, Inside the Crease, Johns Hopkins Lacrosse, Shooting, Shooting Drills

3 Exceptional Drills to Improve Your Quickness/First Step

By adam.warner - Last updated: Tuesday, March 12, 2013

For many lacrosse players across the country, mid-March means its preseason time, a period to get prepared and conditioned for the regular season. To work on that first step and improve your overall quickness this spring, look to implement these dynamic conditioning drills led by renowned fitness expert Rob Rose.

Ball Drops

The following drills focus on proper form and technique of a linear first step. You can eventually progress to angles and lateral movement from here, but the first drill we cover is a good launching point.

The goal: Be as efficient as you possibly can. If you can’t do this on a hard surface like a basketball court, you probably won’t be able to use hard balls and may have to go with using your hands. In terms of equipment, look to use two lacrosse balls.

Set 1: Ready Position

Start in a nice low ready position. Your feet should be side by side and wider than shoulder width. You should always be on the balls of your feet. Goal: Get the ball before it bounces twice. The goal for the coaches is to challenge the players. Make sure that the players don’t step back when accelerating to catch the ball.

The coach should bounce the ball. As soon as he/she does, the players are off and getting to the ball quick. Accelerate out and go through. Do not step back. While it may seem quicker, it’s inefficient. Instead, try a drop and push technique. As you get better at it, you will get quicker. Get a quick arm snap too.

Tip: Make your first step a small one. Otherwise, you will be off balance and won’t have the power for your second.

Set 2: Rapid Fire

Now it’s time to really challenge your players. When in ready position, have your players move their feet quickly (while in place) before accelerating to the ball.

Set 3: 180′s

Stay with the rapid fire, but now let’s get into a 180 position. Every time the coach yells “TIME,” the players will turn and do a 180. After doing it straight on, move into 180s at an angle.

Look to perform this drill at a distance of 5-7 yards

Tip: If you don’t have any balls or a hard surface available, then make the goal for each player to get to the hand of the coach before the other player does. Go two players at a time.

The previous workouts are featured in Championship Productions’ DVD “Complete Conditioning for Lacrosse” featuring Rob Rose. To check out more videos featuring lacrosse drills and exercises, click here.

Filed in Lacrosse Newsletter • Tags: Agility, conditioning, Conditioning Drills, Inside the Crease, Lacrosse Conditioning, Quickness, Rob Rose

Conditioning Tips and Core Workouts Perfect for the Preseason

By adam.warner - Last updated: Tuesday, February 12, 2013

With the 2013 lacrosse season getting ramped up, it’s now a perfect time for players to focus on conditioning, strength training, and getting into game shape. Follow along with Syracuse University Strength & Conditioning Olympic Sports Director Veronica Dyer as she leads you through a variety of core exercises and conditioning tips that are particularly effective for lacrosse athletes.

Conditioning Tips

Lacrosse is a dynamic sport and you need to have a good base of aerobic and anaerobic conditioning. At the beginning of a season, it’s important for athletes to establish a general base of fitness. At Syracuse, players are required to do some basic testing when they arrive on campus, including a mile run and three 300-yard shuttles within a certain amount of time.

Meanwhile at Syracuse, Dyer makes sure that early season training is geared toward conditioning so the players can focus on other strength and conditioning areas for the rest of the year. The training will begin general and then get more complex as the year goes on.

For instance, early training sessions may consist of longer runs and interval training. As the team gets more conditioned, the training staff will lower the time goals and implement shorter intervals and shorter rest time — all while increasing the speed to accomplish each one.

Closer to the beginning of the regular season, the staff typically knows that players are in game shape so it’s not necessary to tax them too often. While some conditioning is still important, the bulk of work is now geared toward the games. In season, it’s usually left up to the players to work on their conditioning.

Abs & Core Exercises

Core development is imperative in lacrosse. In these exercises, we will incorporate bars to simulate lacrosse sticks. Players start out with their backs on the floor, knees bent, and feet flat on the ground. The sticks are held out over the stomach/chest area.

1) Overhead Sit-up

Start with the bar straight up over your head. Crunch up and do a full sit-up, extend at the top, and then come back down. Keep your movements nice and controlled and keep your arms up. Make sure that your core area is engaged during each rep. Go for 10-15 reps.

2) Flutter Kick and Press

Start with your back on the floor and legs straight out. Get your arms up over the chest. While raising the bar up and down, make a flutter kick motion with the legs. Keep those legs straight and be sure that the motion is coming from the hips. Every time you press the bar, that’s one rep.

3) Jackknife

Get one leg straight up in air. Meanwhile, hold the other leg straight out and just an inch or two off the ground. Your arms should be straight up. The goal here is to reach up to your top toe. Keep that leg straight. After 10-15 reps, switch legs.

4) Jillknife

Similar to the Jackknife, but this time the bar should be underneath the top leg. Reach for the bottom toe. Your other leg is just off the ground like before.

5) Superman

Put your chest on the ground and hold your arms and legs straight out. Contract lifting legs and arms off the ground with the bar. Get a nice and controlled motion going up and down. Look to hit between 15 and 20 reps and don’t forget about your breathing techniques.

6) Extended Double Crunch

Get on your back to start. Crunch up, bring your knees to the chest, and bring the bar over top of the legs before extending back out. Keep your arms straight the entire time. Also, don’t let your feet or arms touch the ground at any time.

The previous clips can be seen on Championship Productions’ DVD “Agility Training and Conditioning for Women’s Lacrosse” with Veronica Dyer. To find more videos offering lacrosse training and conditioning drills, click here.