All Access Stanford Lacrosse: Agility and Conditioning Drills

In the latest edition of All Access, we head out to Stanford, California for a behind-the-scenes glimpse at a recent strength and conditioning session with the Stanford University women’s lacrosse program.

Follow along as Stanford sports performance coach Lesley Moser leads the team through dozens of agility and conditioning drills designed to improve quickness, acceleration, turning, and cutting – all critical skills needed for lacrosse players. Once you have picked up this effective agility program, look for ways to incorporate the exercises with your own squad this season.

For the following agility exercises, Moser sets out a number of cones five yards apart from one another. These will be important throughout the drills.

Agility Workout – Part I

1)    15-yard jog

2)    15-yard skip

3)    15-yard shuffle

4)    Knee hugs; five yards out. Leg cradles, five yards back. Keep your knees up, toes up, and pull your toe up to your chin.

5)    Forward lunges five yards out. Then backward lunges five yards back.

6)    Lunges with a twist for 10 yards.

7)    Backward SLDL 10 Yards. Note: For this exercise, stand on one leg while the other points backwards in the air as your hands reach out in front of you. Your head looks straight ahead. Your arms should reach out and keep your palms face up. It’s about balance and control.

8)    Lateral lunge (both sides); 10 yards out and back. Take wide steps out.

Agility Workout – Part II

1) World’s Greatest; Lunge and then put one hand on the ground as the other reaches up to the sky. Tilt your head and body to the sky and open up the body.

2) Straight leg kicks 10 yards (hands behind your back). Stay tall, move forward, and make leg kicks. Then move forward again.

3) Heel toe walk for 10 yards. Feel free to use your arms with this one.

4) Ankle twists for 10 yards. Look to make quick little ankle steps moving forward.

5) Mini skips for 10 yards

6) A-Skips for 10 yards

7) A-Skips Lateral (Go for five yards out and back)

8) Shuffle out five yards and shuffle back five yards. Go three times total. Your head faces forward. Maintain good balance and posture throughout. Drop the hips and not the back.

9) Carioca 15 yards out and back

10) Two-inch run to sprint for 10 yards, then jog back. Go three times total. This exercise is exactly how it sounds with “two-inch running” before going into a full sprint for the last 10 yards.

11) 5 squat jumps

12) 4 split squats each side. Your chest stays out as you are still going for height.

13) 8 pogos

14) 8 tucks

The previous clips can all be seen on Championship Productions’ DVD “All Access Agility and Conditioning” featuring Stanford Lacrosse. To check out more videos in our strength and conditioning collection, or to visit our All Access library, head over to our video library by clicking here.