Developing High Pressure Team Defenses

with Mike Faith,
Franklin & Marshall Head Women's Lacrosse Coach;
Back-to-Back NCAA DIII Final Four appearances (2016-17);
2x Centennial Conference Champions (2017 & 2015);
former Elizabethtown College Head Coach,
2x Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Champs and 2x MAC Coach of the Year;
Division III All-American midfielder at Salisbury University

During a successful run at the helm of the Franklin & Marshall women's lacrosse team, Mike Faith has established the Diplomats as one of the most dominant defensive teams in the sport.

Coach Faith will teach you the two man-to-man defensive systems that he has used to develop his team into one of the top defensive teams in the country. He'll show you how to transform your basic man-to-man defense into one that is more aggressive and incorporates double teams to create more turnovers. You'll learn three secrets to making basic man-to-man defense more successful.

Next, you will learn Coach Faith's high pressure man-to-man backer defense. You'll see how Faith divides the field into quadrants to teach his teams exactly how to execute this aggressive defense. Backer defenses have been so successful in women's lacrosse that more and more teams are using them. An added benefit is that by learning what makes a backer defense successful, you'll also learn how to beat it with your offense when opponents use it against you.

Each defense and all the drills are presented clearly and thoroughly in a whiteboard session and then shown again in live video walk through and with offense.

Fine Tune Your Man-to-Man Defense

Coach Faith spends a great deal of time explaining how F&M runs an effective man-to-man package while not sacrificing ball pressure, or dictating terms of an offensive team. With an emphasis on playing aggressive defense and doubling the ball whenever possible, learn how he teaches defensive hedging and the responsibilities of the adjacent defenders. Coach Faith runs his team through three drills that work on these responsibilities in different scenarios, focusing on footwork and body positioning to force the ball carrier to their weak hand, the defensive communication required to be successful, and how to hedge and cover for a player that has been beat or is out of position.

Man-to-Man Backer Defense

Coach Faith leads you through the concepts and responsibilities of a man-to-man backer defense. Of prime importance is the understanding of the communication and shifting required by the defensive unit to make this defense successful; and specifically, the role the backer plays. Through a series of five drills, see how to defend the ball as it moves around the 8 as well as how to defend a spread offense. Learn how the backer is utilized effectively as offenses attack the net by increasing ball movement and sending cutters through the 8.

Additionally, by running both backer and man-to-man defenses without using a completely zone premise, Faith allows you to shift in and out of these defenses more seamlessly than if the backer defense emphasized solely zone concepts.

Drills to Develop Defensive Systems

The drills Coach Faith shows are situational in nature, creating chaotic scenarios for the defensive unit, and allowing a team defense to react and adjust to changing situations. These drills place a heavy emphasis on anticipation, communication, and reaction time for a team defensive unit, are easy to understand and implement, and are flexible enough that you customize to fit your team's dynamics

By breaking down his defense on the white-board and showing it with a walk-through on the field, Coach Faith provides great detail and insight on implementing a potent man-to-man defensive system.

70 minutes. 2017.