Duke Men's Lacrosse Coaching Clinic: Preseason Preparation and In-Season Planning

featuring:

John Danowski,
Duke University Head Coach;
first D-I men's lacrosse coach ever to reach 400 wins;3x NCAA champions, including back-to-back seasons (2013-14);2x NCAA Men's Lacrosse Coach of the Year;seven ACC regular season titles and four ACC tournament titles; Team USA Head Coach; 2018 Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) Men's World Championship (Gold medal)

Ron Caputo,
Duke University Assistant Coach;
part of three NCAA Championships as an assistant with Duke;
works closely with the defense;
led two players to 1st team All America status and one to ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors

Matt Danowski,
Duke University Assistant Coach;
works closely with the attackmen;
as a player was the NCAA's all-time leading scorer;
2007 National Player of the Year;
2007 recipient of the Tewaaraton Trophy and the USILA Lt. Raymond J. Enners Award;
2x USILA Lt. Col. J.I. Turnbull Award (nation's top attackman);
4X MLL All-Star

Ned Crotty,
Duke University Volunteer Assistant Coach:
works closely with the defense;
2010 Tewaaraton Award winner (Duke);
2009 USILA's Lt. Col. J.I. Turnbull Award (nation's top attackman);
plays in the Premier Lacrosse League;
is a member of the U.S. Men's National Team;
3x MLL All-Star

Planning for the preseason can be a stressful task for any coach, no matter how many years of experience they possess. The window of time between the first practice and the first game provides a critical opportunity to establish standards, build culture and strengthen fundamentals. This video featuring John Danowski and three other assistant coaches from his staff at Duke University presents a comprehensive plan for how best to maximize the time available for optimum team improvement and performance. You'll learn how to be sure your team is fully prepared before the first game begins.

Before beginning the season, coaches must identify both the tangibles (staff, personnel and resources) and the intangibles (physical, mental and emotional readiness of players) within their program for the upcoming season. This presentation explains how to address these concerns while also taking a big picture look at the preseason, plus a micro look at how best to utilize smaller increments of practice time.

Instructional Time and Team Meetings

Coach Danowski's segment on how to make the most of team meeting time is quite useful, as few coaches take the time and energy required to plan these meetings effectively. In the preseason, when fields are shared and weather is unpredictable, team meetings provide invaluable instructional time. You'll see how to make every minute of your team meetings count.

Team Standards and Daily Priorities

Establishing standards of play and priorities is essential to an effective team culture and performance. This video outlines how to establish those standards and how to embed them in the minds of your players.

Furthermore, you'll find out how to create practice priorities and daily priorities. The Duke coaching staff focuses more on establishing standards and priorities rather than on drills and skills. Their extensive preseason checklist is sure to include items that even the most experienced coaches overlook.

Many coaches look at the preseason and feel overwhelmed, not knowing where to begin. If a team cannot plan well and lacks a positive culture, skills and strategies become obsolete. This video is an excellent resource for coaches looking to make effective use of their most valuable resource: time. Coach Danowski shares how to plan effectively to make the most of every minute in the preseason.

77 minutes. 2020.