A Pair of Game-Like Ground Ball Drills to Foster Good Habits

Individual ball handling and ground ball drills are two staples of Notre Dame lacrosse practices. Often used at the beginning of each practice, the drills reinforce good habits and demand attention each day. The following drills — first diagrammed on the whiteboard and then carried out on the field — will allow your players to get a lot of touches on the ball, repetitions, and build a strong aerobic base.

Ball Bag Drill

The goal with the Ball Bag Drill is to give all players as many ground ball repetitions as possible in a short period of time. We can also give them some element of creativity and ownership of how to run the drill.

Typically used by Notre Dame at the start of each practice, the drill essentially consists of one player, one ball, and 10-15 yards of space. We use one half of the field and take our players and spread them out all over and around the goal area (on the sides, behind, out in front, etc.). Each person owns his/her own 10-15 yard area has his/her own ball. Players will roll the ball out in front, scoop it up, and then perform some kind of ground ball maneuver.

As a coach, look to position yourself in a place where you can see all of the players and coach them as they are doing it. On the whistle, they will begin the drill. There are three different increments: 15 seconds, 30 seconds, and 45 seconds. We will also test the players conditioning-wise to make sure they are still maintaining technique at the end of drill.

The job of the coach is to make sure the players are going full speed and are doing every type of iteration they can do with a ground ball, such as dropping at their feet, rolling away, kicking, using hockey moves, scooping through, scooping and backpedaling, scooping and changing hands, scooping and walking the dog to cut another player off, and scooping and walking the dog and rolling away to get the hands free to throw a pass to an open man.

Benefits: The key here is to give the players as many ground balls in the time period as possible. They can practice all kinds of ground ball situations this way. It’s also a conditioning drill, too. Notice that the heads of the players are curling, they are shielding their body from potential defenders, using their feet, and using the head of the stick – all things they may find in a ground ball situation.

Yo-Yo Drill

The Yo-Yo Drill has similar goals as before: tons of reps, ability to be creative, and a great conditioner. Plus, the drill replicates scenarios the players will typically find in a game.

At the midline or top of the box, set the players up into pairs. Each group has a defined area (or lanes) so they don’t run into each other. You can set up 15, 30, and 45-second increments in this drill, too.

One player in each pair starts with a ball. Each time they will roll the ball out. They will first roll it out to 10 yards, then 15 yards. The ball will roll out and the defender in each group (D2) will chase the ball down. He will scoop, turn and make a curl, and each time he will turn a different way. He scoops, turns and throws a pass back to D1. After the pass, he breaks toward D1 and now D1 rolls the ball to D2. The partner now scoops and throws a pass or scoops and flips. After he gives the ball up, he circles around his partner and his partner throws another ball out, this time to 15 yards. And the drill continues like before.

Benefits: Heavy repetitions, strong technique, lots of changes, and builds an aerobic base.

The previous clips can be seen in Championship Productions’ DVD “18 Drills to Improve Individual Skills” with Kevin Corrigan. Check out more skill development videos by visiting our DVD Library.