Aggressive Ground Ball Play

Every ground ball has the potential to change the game, provide momentum for your team or deflate your opponent. Your players must develop the mentality that they will go after and fight for every ground ball.

2010 NCAA National Championship coach John Danowski teaches and demonstrates the importance of effort, technique and the three phases of ground balls.

Danowski delivers a combination of non-contact skeleton drills and live contact drills that work on these concepts while also simulating game situations. All drills are broken down into individual, group and team drills. Each position participates in every drill--offensive or defensive, to help develop a high lacrosse IQ.

Ground Ball Phases (important components)

• Face-off (Wing Play) - Train your players to box out and pick up the ball on their right or left side, allowing them to get inside position no matter where the ball is located. Drills include the draw play drill and the box play drill.
• Offensive End - Players must chase with two hands, move the ball off the ground, bust adjacent to the ball, and move the ball two times (make two passes to spread out the defense). All of this leads to swarming, which Coach Danowski explains and diagrams in detail. Live 2-on-1, 1-on-1 and skeleton swarming drills are demonstrated and explained on the offensive end.
• Defensive End - All of your players must be alert for the ball at all times. Players must chase with two hands, give great effort, understand the 7-on-6 situation, run to daylight (run to the open area), turn away from pressure, put themselves in a good position at least 85% of the time, and breakout. A live half-field drill actively trains these fundamentals.

55 minutes. 2011.