Full Field Skeleton Breaks

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.

Passing with Pressure

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.

Hard Corners

Coach Starsia’s teams have moved away from line drills. Line drills typically don’t simulate things that happen often on a lacrosse field. For Virginia lacrosse, they are better off with this effective stick drill early on in practice.

Offensive players will be at one end of the field and defensive players are at the other end. This drill will be outlined for just the offensive players, but you can use this drill in different shapes and with different groups of players.

The goal here is to pass the ball hard around the perimeter of the field. We can do a variety of things with this. First, we can pass the ball right-handed. Be sure to throw the ball hard and stay in your own lines. One guy will pass the ball and then step to the end of the line.

Then if you want to fly through the drill, you add a second ball to hard corners. Now, you simulate the passes thrown in a 1-4-1 offense. Then you can turn it around and have the guys throw it left-handed.

We talk about throwing the ball as hard as you can. One of the biggest challenges that players face from high school to college is learning to exchange the ball hard. The tendency is to float the ball, but it gets you in trouble more often then not.

Next, players can follow their pass. Also, we can practice V-cuts, cutting in and cutting out, or we can have guys catch the ball right-handed and then throw left-handed. You could do a dodging run. Overall with this, we get a chance to replicate basic stick handling skills that are very important in order for us to run our offense successfully.

USA Full-Field Passing

Next, we move to full-field drills. Coach Starsia picked this one up from legendary coach Richie Moran in 1978. We will divide the field in half length-wise. Start with three attackers and a goalie on one end. We will then have a line of middies and defenders at the midline. And then we will have another line of middies and defenders at the other end of the field. The goalie will start below the GLE. All of these players will be on the right half of the field length-wise.

We will have two balls going in the drill at the same time. The sequence is as follows: The first middie breaks out and the goalie throws to him, and then he throws to the next middie at the midfield. This players carries up the field. Then there’s a give or carry to the upfield attackman and the ball goes to that attackman.

All three attackers will touch the ball before it moves to the goalie. The ball then immediately heads up the other end of the field like before. Ultimately, we’ll have two balls going on one side of the field and two balls going on the other side of the field – all at once.

It’s important to emphasize for the attackmen to spread out as much as possible. We are looking to stretch out the field. We have a lot of balls going and get a ton of guys handling. All the middies and defenders are handling as they move up the field. We wind up with a lot of stickwork with guys in motion. The drill is also helpful because it gets everyone moving and making realistic movements and passes.

The previous clips can be seen on Championship Productions’ DVD “Practice Organization and Drills for Lacrosse.” To check out more lacrosse drills, visit our extensive video library.

Starsia is now officially in a league of his own. Thanks to Virginia’s 13-9 win over Cornell in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse tournament on May 21, Starsia earned career win No. 327 to pass Jack Emmer for the most victories at the Div. I level.  Starsia is also one of only three coaches in the history of the sport to earn 100-plus wins with two different programs. The longtime coach won 101 games with Brown from 1983-92.

Check out our entire Dom Starsia lacrosse DVD library, which includes All-Access Virginia Lacrosse, Practice Organization & Drills for Lacrosse, and High Scoring Team Offense, among many others.

Also, be sure to check out video clips and feature articles featuring Coach Starsia from previous Inside the Crease lacrosse newsletters, including a breakdown of key defensive techniques, plus a behind-the-scenes look inside a Virginia lacrosse practice.

The 2011 Virginia men’s lacrosse team is coming off a thrilling 13-12 win in overtime against Bucknell in the first round of the NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse tournament. The Cavaliers are now  slated to play Cornell on Saturday beginning at 12:00 PM in Hempstead, N.Y.

Overview

Virginia men’s lacrosse has always placed a high priority on its team offense. According to head coach Dom Starsia, everything comes down to being able to score enough goals to win. That’s why being equipped with an effective offense is such an important part of lacrosse. Here are four key principles that Starsia looks for in his offensive weapons:

1. Ability to beat your man.
2. Recognition of where slides are coming from.
3. Ability to handle the ball under pressure.
4. Ability to hit a shot and finish opportunities

With these principles in mind, Starsia’s teams often find success by implementing the 2-3-1 offensive set and attacking with a dodge from the top. Let’s break it down some more so that you can benefit with your own lacrosse team.

Chalk Talk: Dodging from the 2-3-1 Set

One offensive area that Virginia has been particularly successful at over the years is dodging from the top. Let’s start things out in a 2-3-1 set and break this concept down a little bit further.

Players 11 and 12 are midfielders and will start out at the top of the offense. 7 should be another midfielder and will be positioned on the crease. Meanwhile, 6, 9 and 14 are attackers, with 6 and 14 starting out on opposite wings of the goal, and 9 positioned behind the net, hence the 2-3-1 set.

The play begins with a dodge from the top via one midfielder. Here, we want a dodger who can penetrate to the goal and can get himself in an area that is dangerous. The goal here is for this player to get to the middle of the field and stretch the defense.

The play commences with a dodge from 11 at the top. The ball will initially start with 14 on the wing. 12 will then make a V-Cut and 14 passes the ball to 12. With a little V-Cut of his own, 11 now sets up his dodge. He should come to the middle of the field to meet the ball and give him some room to dodge on the backside. 12 will throw the ball to 11, and now he’s in a position to initiate the offense.

From here, the crease player will move out to the right just a few steps as 11 makes his dodge down the alley. All the while, 6 looks to clear through and makes an inside cut into the crease area. 12 will then follow where 11 vacated and provides an outlet in that area of the field. Next, 9 moves into 6’s spot and becomes an outlet in the area near the GLE. 14 will hold down the backside pipe and is a threat to score there. 7 will anticipate a slide and there should also be options for 11 to create his own shot and take it to the cage. If he can’t get to the cage, the offense will break down.

The overall goal here is to create some unsettled opportunities by dodging from the top and making the defense to react to it. If the dodger doesn’t have a shot, his options are to make a through pass to 14 for a shot, pass to 7 on the backdoor, or throw the ball to the frontside for 9. The attackman should always look to the backside for something to show up – especially after the defense has initially reacted and has to recover. Also, 14 can come hard on the dodge with 6 and 12 getting open off the seal.

Film Breakdown

Follow along with Van Arsdale as he highlights offensive tactics when dodging from the top using actual Virginia game footage. Note the player movements and roles as described above and in the video.

The previous clips can be found on the Championship Productions ‘DVD “High Scoring Team Offense” with Dom Starsia. To check out addition offensive videos in our exclusive catalog, click here.

Overview

During 1-on-1 play when defending against shots on goal, the goal for the defender is to create unsettled situations. Unfortunately, with their back to the goal, they have a natural disadvantage. Meanwhile, an attackman knows exactly where he’s going, so the defender must react to that. Therefore, it’s crucial that defensemen have an opportunity to make up for those disadvantages. Here’s how they can close the gap.

Proper Stance

First, it’s critical that a defender is always maintaining proper stance. His feet should be shoulder-width apart, knees are bent and one foot should drop back a little bit behind the other. In other words, players should be in a drop-step mode, which will give them some ground they can make up.

Also, defenders should remain low, never up high or straight up. Remember, you almost can’t be too low. Staying low gives you the chance to change direction and drop step quickly in order to gain an advantage.

Meanwhile, keep the head of the stick pointed at the offensive player. The distance between the head of the stick and your body is called the cushion. This is the margin of error in this situation. With that cushion, a defender has the chance to regain territory and gain an advantage.

Technique: Poke Check & Drop Step

With this technique, once an offensive player makes his move, the defender should poke him with his stick and then drop step. Also, it’s important to remember when approaching the goal line extended that the onus is on the defender to get above the GLE about 2-3 yards – and get there before his man does. Here, the defender must get his hands on the offensive player and ride him out and away from the goal. Defenders should not shy away from contact. Get your hands on your opponent and push him into a position where he can’t attack the goal or score.

In the situation where you get beat, try to get your stick on the inside of your opponent. If a player starts to shoot, you can still put your stick in a position to prevent the shot or deflect it. Remember to make contact below the GLE. If the offensive player gets there first, he has a major advantage on the defender.

The follow segments can be seen in their entirety on the Championship Productions’ DVD “Developing the Dominating Individual Defender” with Dom Starsia. Check out more defense-oriented videos in our extensive catalog by clicking here.

This unique perspective gives coaches and players at every level a chance to see how a top college program works on their clearing and transition areas. Coaches can also pick up tips, approaches and overall guidance that can be used for their own practices, like how to simulate different clearing situations, from a save to a turnover or a loose ball.

In this instance, the offense works on moving the ball around the horn and implements different plays each segment. On each simulation, Starsia dictates a particular change of possession, like a loose ball, goalie save or turnover. The defense then works on clearing the ball and making a clean transition up the field in order to set up the offense on the other end.

The Cavaliers went 16-2 overall in 2010 and reached the NCAA semifinals before falling to eventual champion Duke by a score of 14-13. The squad is a title contender once again in 2011 and faces a tough schedule that features eight teams that saw postseason action last year.

This behind the scenes look is featured on the Championship Productions DVD “All-Access Virgina Lacrosse Practice with Dom Starsia.” Be sure to check out our entire All-Access catalog, which also features Duke, Bryant, Navy and Notre Dame.

1.  Virginia (Coached by Dominic Starsia)
2.  Syracuse
3.  Maryland (Coached by Dave Cottle)
4.  North Carolina
5.  Duke (Coached by John Danowski)
6.  Princeton
7.  Cornell
8.  Stony Brook
9.  Denver (Coached by Bill Tierney)
10.  Georgetown
11.  Loyola (Md.) 
12.  Delaware
13.  Drexel
14.  Johns Hopkins (Coached by Dave Pietramala and Bobby Benson)
15.  Hofstra
16.  Army
17.  Villanova
18.  Yale
19.  Brown (Coached by Lars Tiffany)
20.  Notre Dame (Coached by Kevin Corrigan)

1. Virginia (Coached by Dominic Starsia)
2. Syracuse
3. Notre Dame (Coached by Kevin Corrigan)
4. North Carolina
5. Maryland (Coached by Dave Cottle)
6. Princeton
7. Johns Hopkins (Coached by Dave Pietramala and Bobby Benson)
8. Cornell
9. Loyola (MD)
10. Duke (Coached by John Danowski)
11. Hofstra
12. Georgetown
13. Harvard
14. Delaware
15. Stony Brook
16. Lafayette
17. Yale
18. Navy (Coached by Richie Meade)
19. Massachusetts
20. Bucknell

Receiving Votes:  Robert Morris (Coached by Kenneth (Bear) Davis), Brown (Coached by Lars Tiffany), UMBC (Coached by Don Zimmerman)