The Four-Quarter Practice Plan: Bill Pilat's Innovative Progressions for Lacrosse Success

with Bill Pilat,
Roanoke College Head Coach;
10x ODAC Champions;
10x ODAC Coach of the Year;
5x VaSID College State Coach of the Year;
Ranks fourth all-time in career wins for active men's lacrosse coaches (all levels):
Played college lacrosse for Roanoke (Goalie);
1985 C. Markland Kelly 'Goalie of the Year' Award;
3x All-American and 2x ODAC Player of the Year

The foundation of a successful lacrosse season begins with quality practice sessions. In this video, Roanoke’s head coach Bill Pilat gives you all access to a sample practice that utilizes his unique “Four Quarters” plan.

Each quarter is broken down to provide a flow that starts with a warm up and progresses to individual skill development, and then onto team development and strategy. Coach Pilat’s 40+ years of successful coaching experience shine through in a practice that is both fun and challenging.

Quarter by Quarter Breakdown
The content of each quarter is important to the flow of the practice; the first quarter involves warm ups, stickwork and getting players mentally engaged to start the practice.

The second quarter is for individual skill development and the third quarter is for team skill development. In this second quarter practice session, Coach Pilat covers a faceoff drill progression. Beginning with repetition and quickness drills this segment progresses to competitive and game-like faceoffs. Your faceoff specialists will greatly benefit from this time to work on developing their technique.

Fourth quarter is used specifically for a team scrimmage with situations along with practicing man up and man down.

Halftime
During the halftime period, Coach Pilat reviews a specific area of the game that may often be neglected. In this practice he covers several scenarios when there is a ground ball near the sideline. This is a great opportunity to cover some of the little things that could end up making a big difference in a live game.

Coach Pilat’s innovative approach to practice is both highly structured and player friendly. Your athletes will know what to expect in each quarter and have a good feel for the timeline of each practice. Each quarter of practice is packed with meaningful coaching points that pertain to all facets of the game. The end result is a well-executed, well-run practice that will have your players ready for their next competition!

71 minutes. 2025.