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Looking to make your practices more efficient and effective? Wondering what it takes to get the most out of your players? Salisbury men’s head lacrosse coach Jim Berkman reveals seven practice tips and two essential drills that should pay major dividends for your program. Coach Berkman and his coaching staff have implemented these drills and tips with great success for more than 20 years. Last year, Salisbury captured its ninth NCAA Division III national championship.
1) Have Fun – Salisbury’s style of practices reflect this. Aim to go out and enjoy yourselves each day so that you’ll want to come back the next.
2) Get Your Guys Excited to Come Back – Leave practice thinking you can’t wait to be back on the field tomorrow. To do that, players need to enjoy being out there, the developing relationships, the drills you run, and the style of play you implement to keep it fun.
3) Development and Improvement – Each day, Salisbury looks to set up numerous individual drills at the beginning of practice to help develop players into complete players. Whether it’s shooting, footwork, or stick skills, we want to see them improving their skills so they can become better players and a better team overall.
4) Intensity – Try to play hard all the time. Simulate game-like intensity in every practice. The only way for this to happen is if you are fit, playing a high-paced style, and moving quickly from one drill to the next with no down time.
5) Play Fast – The Seagulls look to play fast in every drill they do. A major goal is trying to move the ball and create a pace that opponents aren’t used to playing and to take teams out of their comfort zone. To do this in a game, you must do it every day and for 120 minutes in that two-hour practice segment.
6) Repetition – Practices should be game-like where players get numerous touches to repeat situations within the offensive or defensive game. This allows the players to improve and develop over the course of a season.
7) Develop a Core of Drills – For Salisbury, this has been in the works for more than 20 years. While this may be constantly modified and changed over the years, this core of drills should be known by every player to eliminate down time. When you go from one drill to the next, you don’t want to go more than 15 seconds by the time the next drill starts. To do that, players must know the drills and get to them quickly.
This team drill reinforces ground balls, rolling away from pressure, redirecting the ball, and keeping the stick to the outside. One at a time, players quickly scoop up the ground ball after it’s been rolled out from a coach. After picking it up, players sprint one direction before turning around and moving the opposite direction and passing to a teammate nearby or behind. Players need to be always looking up the field during a ground ball situation and find that outlet pass.
The Breakout Drill reinforces breaking out wide, redirecting passes, making accurate up and over passes, and cutting. It’s key to get to your spots on a save or any unsettled situation. We want the two bottom defenders to get wide, arc out looking for the ball (slightly behind the goal line), look up the field, redirect across the field, and then look to a third man up the field for the third pass. It’s key to get your players to the right spots on the field during unsettled situations or saves. If the redirect is done correctly, usually you have an easy clear up the opposite side of the field.
The previous clips can be seen on Championship Productions’ DVD “30 Essential Practice Drills for Lacrosse” with Jim Berkman. To check out more practice drills, simply head over to our lacrosse library.
Pick up two effective full-field team warm-up drills designed to get your entire squad involved early in practice. University of Virginia head men’s lacrosse coach Dom Starsia first walks you through the drills using whiteboard illustrations before moving to the field for live simulations. The drills can be performed at any level of lacrosse and should make for great additions to your team practices this season.
Start with a number of lacrosse balls down on one end with a goalie. Get three attackers inside the box on one end and three more on the other end of the field. Also, assemble a good amount of balls on the GLE on the opposite end with another goalie. Eveyone else is lined up on the three corners (opposite boxes and the midfield line) on both sides of the field (six spots total).
Goal: This drill is about getting players moving early in practice and improving full-field stick handling, especially while running. This is an opportunity to look high and away and diagonally up the field and to get attackmen a lot of extra shooting.
The first defender or midfielder gets the pass from the goalie and passes diagonally to the opposite midfielder or defender. He then throws to the next defender or midfielder diagonally. Like before, the receiver then throws to the highest attackman before all three attackers touch the ball. The last attackman shoots on net. Meanwhile, you should be going in the opposite direction at the same exact time.
Variations of the Drill: The midfielders and defenders stay in same line after each pass. Or try “Two steps with the ball.” This is when you know where you’re throwing the ball, so throw it without carrying it to improve the quickness of the exchanges. Look to get two or perhaps three balls going at once.
Start with two goalies behind the cage at one end, four defensemen in front of the cage, a group of middies or LSM at the midfield line, and then four attackmen down at the opposite end and in front of the cage.
Meanwhile on a different team, get four defensemen down where the four attackmen are, four middies at the midline, and then four attackmen down at the opposite end (lined up with the opposing defenders). According to Coach Starsia, “This drill is the essence of how we want to play in a full-field setting.”
The goal is that when we receive the ball, we want to move it up the field quickly while under pressure and make good passes. This drill really helps with fine-tuning these areas. Go 3-4 minutes in one direction and then 3-4 minutes in the other direction. Look to get two balls going at once.
The goalie will receive a pass behind the net and the near defender will break out and receive the ball from the goalie. The riding attackman will go with that defender and play him. We want some pressure here, but we’re not looking for checks. We want to have the guys be able to catch the ball under pressure. The skill for the defenders is to plant and turn. There should be no jogging to the side. Always be moving to the pass you’re throwing.
Next, there’s a midfielder breaking out, with a defending middie mirroring him with some pressure. Then it moves to the attackman with a defender on his back. That attackman passes it to the goalie. Then on the opposite side, we are doing the same exact thing. All the players in similar colors are working together. If players are first catching a pass, the next they will become chasers on defense.
Goals: Work to get open and catch and throw under pressure while moving up the field.
Tip: After three minutes, reverse the ball and work the left-hand side.
The previous clips can be seen on Championship Productions’ DVD “Practice Organization and Drills for Lacrosse” with Dom Starsia. To check out more videos featuring drills and practice tips, visit our lacrosse library.
With many programs starting up preseason practices in the coming weeks, it’s important that players are working on a preseason conditioning program to get back in shape and to prepare for the rigors of a long season.
Agility is crucial for a lacrosse player, especially when it comes to cutting, dodging, changing direction, and changing pace of play. Follow along with Syracuse University Strength & Conditioning Olympic Sports Director Veronica Dyer as she leads you through a number of agility workouts that are particularly effective for lacrosse players. Whether it’s five minutes or a half-hour every day, look to implement agility training into your preseason regimen this year.
At the beginning of the year, Dyer likes to make sure that players have a solid, general base of fitness. At Syracuse, athletes will do some kind of agility training every day, whether its five or 25 minutes. First, always trying to challenge your players and really work on cutting, change of direction, and change of pace. Players must be agile to get away from defenders and outrun opponents. This is a huge part of their game.
This can be used as a warm-up or as part of an agility training session. All you need is one cone. Players will start by moving around the cone in a clockwise direction. Make quick choppy steps and look to get around the cone as quickly as you can. Switch directions.
Next, start behind the cone. Hop forward and back over the cone with both legs together. Go quickly when you hop forward and back. Then switch to side-to-side. After this, switch to using just one leg. Start with the right leg going forward and back over the cone. Then switch to side-to-side, working on lateral motion. Finish by going with the left foot for both.
*Note: Lateral drills can help strengthen ankles.
Finally, it’s time for straddles. Place your feet on each side of the cone and a little bit more than shoulder-width apart. You will jump, turn, and spin, ultimately facing the other direction. Go about five times like this before switching directions. The object here is to land solid on your feet and establish a good ready position.
The “T” Drill is a combo of sprinting, shuffling, and backpedaling. You can use any combination of these in general. Work on sharp shutting here and getting that mobility of changing directions in quick fashion. Set up four cones in a “T” pattern, all about five yards apart. Each player will start with a sprint to the middle cone, then shuffle to the left cone and touch the cone, sprint to the far right cone and touch, shuffle to the middle cone, and then backpedal to the beginning. Start again immediately once you get back to the start.
Key: Be sharp and distinct with all movements.
Set the cones up in a “M” pattern. You can do any combo you’d like, but try this one to start. Begin at the lower left cone. Start by sprinting straight up, shuffle to the middle, pivot and shuffle to the top right, then backpedal to the lower right. Walk back over to the start and repeat. Once done the second time, start again but reversing the motions.
Key: Give 100% effort on each rep. Remember, you want to train the way you want to perform.
Set up the cones in a simple box formation. Here, let’s sprint, shuffle, backpedal, and shuffle to the start. Then reverse the direction.
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 featuring lacrosse training and conditioning drills, click here.
The majority of shots that players take in a game are on the move in some way or form. Therefore, it’s important for players to become comfortable and proficient with shooting on the run from a number of different positions on the field.
With Johns Hopkins University Offensive Coordinator Bobby Benson as your guide, you’ll learn about different techniques for shooting on the run. Coach Benson first breaks down each drill before having his team run through multiple reps at full speed.
First, no matter where you are a player on the field, you must always move your hips toward the goal. This is how you generate the most power and accuracy. When it comes to practicing it, set up cones down the middle of the field (about 5 total, with the second cone being about 10 yards away and slightly to the right or left) starting at the midfield line.
Players should initially make a dodge at the initial cone. At the next cone, concentrate on turning your hips and going to the pipe. The last two cones are set about five yards beyond the third cone, about 3 yards apart from each other, and 12 yards away from the cage. Run between the two cones so you make your move toward the goal and not running away from it.
Remember, your shot should not be much different than other shots: Keep your arms back, keep creating tension, and keep swinging through.
Note: Coach Benson likes to have players practice spinning around as they shoot so they are facing the other direction. This helps with follow-through and swinging that opposite hip into each shot.
The next dodge is from the high wing. After making an initial move, players should split down the side in this case, turn their hips to the pipe as they shoot, and finish between the two cones. Concentrate on getting those hips toward the goal as you shoot.
Now start from the mid or low wing. Too often when guys dodge from the wing, they end up drifting away from the cage. We want to make sure we are going towards the goal with these shots.
Finally, we are coming around from behind the goal. The biggest mistake guys make when dodging from behind or when shooting around the cage is that they drift and don’t turn the corner. The first cone is placed where we want to make our move, the second is at the goal line, and then split the last two cones when coming around the edge. When you get to the goal line, it’s key to turn those hips and make a beeline for the front of the cage. Your back should be facing the opposite side of the field when done. Swing the right hip into the shot and bring the back around.
This drill is perfect for practicing dodging on the run. It forces you to shoot the ball out of your split dodge. Players will catch the ball inside the box and won’t have a ton of time to shoot the ball at 10-12 yards. Therefore, focus on staying inside the hash marks and moving north-south. That means we are going to the goal. Work on spinning around with each shot and getting your hips into it.
You can also do the same drill from behind the goal. Start with a pass across, split the top side hard, and work on turning the corner and finishing in front of the cage. If you do this drill correctly, you should finish in front of the cage and move right into the opposite line.
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.
North Carolina head women’s lacrosse coach Jenny Levy uses 3 v 2 drills every day during practice. These specific drills teach players the fundamentals of the game, put them in a competitive arena, force them to execute, and create an environment that is fun and creative. Check out these competitive and highly effective drills and look for ways to implement them into your own practice plan this season.
Pick a line on the field. Separate opposing teams into distinct jerseys. Place a coach in front of the players with a bunch of balls. The five players are all set up on the line. The coach will roll out a ball in front of the players and they are forced to use their skills to pick up a ground ball.
Players should focus on choking up on their sticks and boxing out. If the team with two players gets the ball, they must get out of the double team by making a good pass across the line they started from. If the team with three players gets the ball, they must make two passes before the ball comes back over the line.
Coach Levy runs this drill on a daily basis. Not only is it competitive and fun (keep score), but it also forces the kids to pick up ground balls under pressure and to make good passes to get out of the pressure, either man up or man down.
Note: The two-player team can choose to outlet to another player behind the line if their in-drill teammate isn’t open.
Coach Levy credits Virginia coach Dom Starsia for this drill. You’ve got three attackers on the baseline and they step into play. You’ve also got two defenders in front of the cage waiting for the players to step in and play. The ball starts with the middle line. This player must pass to either wing and then get the pass back. Once it gets passed back, both of the wing X’s must try to hit and stay at the elbow, but also must move to get up to these elbow positions. The player with the ball is in the middle and must read which defender will pick her up. For instance, maybe she works one side to go the opposite way. Perhaps the defense stays or maybe one defender will play her.
In this situation, if the defense switches, the defenders must communicate to see who will pick up the ball. Coach Levy encourages players and attackers to be aggressive. Remember, this is a shooting drill. We don’t want two or three passes here and moving the ball around too much. We want the players to be courageous, aggressive, and to make a hard move on cage.
As X moves around the crease to the right-hand side, she will be picked up by one of the defenders. We want her to be a threat but also to read the rotation of the defense. If she passes to a wing player that’s open, we want them to immediately attack the cage.
Note: The two wing players must maintain their space. The tendency is to crash the middle but that enables the defenders to play a small amount of space and guard two players. Wing players will create bigger slides for the defense by maintaining space.
In this situation, the attacker behind the cage must read the defenders, especially the one going to mark the ballside. We want to train the offense to recognize the defender that is on her but also the second defender who is sliding and where she is sliding to. This will leave the backside player open. We want the players to look backside for a cross-post feed. That open player can step into space and score an easy goal.
Defensively, the player on ball is really working on her movement around the crease, depending on which side the ball goes to. The off-ball defender is critical here. This player must communicate effectively and anticipate that next pass. Her recovery to that next pass is really important. We want to teach that as the backside defender slides, the front defender should take a higher angle so the only place for the attacker to go is down the line, which creates a lower shooting angle (and much better for the goalies to pick up).
Recap: This drill is very competitive, very fast moving, and trains attackers to read space and read the defense sliding. Also, it trains defenders to communicate and cover a lot of space in a limited amount of time.
The previous clips can be seen on Championship Productions’ DVD “6-Minute Competitive Drills for Lacrosse” with Jenny Levy. Check out more competitive lacrosse drills by visiting our video library.
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