Unsettled Drills for Up-Tempo Lacrosse

with J.B. Clarke,
University of Tampa Head Men's Lacrosse Coach;
2026 NCAA National Champions;
2x SSC Coaching Staff of the Year (2024, 2025);
2022 NCAA National Champions;
2022 United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) NCAA D II Coach of the Year (along with staff);
Limestone College Head Men's Coach from 2011 to 2021;
3x NCAA D-II National Championships (2014, 2015, 2017);
Back-to-Back NCAA D-II National Champions ('14-'15);
2014 and 2015 USILA Division II Coach of the Year;
2016 NSILA D-II Coach of the Year; 2016 NCAA Tournament Runner-up;
5 straight Conference Carolinas Regular Season & Tournament Champions;
Washington College Head Coach from 1999 through 2012;
400+ career wins; has coached in the NCAA Final Four at the D- I, II and III levels

JB Clarke does an excellent job of identifying the potential of implementing a fast paced, transition oriented lacrosse strategy. In this video he lays out the optimal way to teach this type of game through a combination of discussion, illustrations and live action practice footage.

Coach Clarke breaks his presentation down into two parts:

Part I: Coaching Your Team to Take Advantage of Unsettled Situations
In part I, Coach Clarke discusses his experiences as a college lacrosse coach and how the importance of the unsettled game became apparent to him. Clarke shares his coaching philosophy, which is the foundation of teaching a team to take advantage of unsettled situations in a lacrosse game. He shows how to "attack the pressure" through different strategies and move from ground ball to goal. Concepts such as Ground-Ball-to-Goal, C.H.A.O.S. (Constantly Harass and Create Opportunities to Score), and Attack the Pressure are explained and then demonstrated in live action drills.

Part II: Practice Structure and Drills for Mastering Unsettled Lacrosse
In Part II Coach Clarke introduces his eight favorite drills:

• Flying Rats - A fast paced 3v2 drill with a goalie that forces uneven number situations and turns them into scoring opportunities.
• Toomey - A great drill where defensemen play offense, play defense and are forced to clear and ride. It emphasizes that defensemen and goalies are the key to an upbeat, fast paced offense.
• 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11 Lines - Arguably the best drill for teaching the unsettled game. This drill has endless configurations and can be setup to stress every facet of an unsettled offense and defense. Coach Clarke introduces some of his favorite variations and offers valuable coaching tips on how to get the most out of your team.
• The Cornell Drill - A half field scrimmage drill that is designed to keep both the offense and defense off kilter. This drill takes the basic 4v4 drill and expands it by introducing concepts that force players to adapt to constantly changing game situations.
• Broken - A dynamic 6v5 drill where the ball is introduced from a variety of locations. The offense is forced to constantly adapt to a changing offensive flow, while the defense learns the importance of playing from the hole, out.
• NAZ - A full field drill that combines a fast paced transitional offense, with uneven man, or fast break situations. This allows you the ability to teach the game while conditioning your athletes.
• 2v1 Dynamic Ground Balls - This drill was designed to emphasize the Ground-Ball-to-Goal concept. Coach Clark has transformed the traditional man-ball drill into a fast break offense drill where middies learn the importance of immediately attacking the goal from a ground ball situation.

Each of the drills is diagrammed on a white board prior to being performed by the players on the field. All the drills imitate game situations and are designed to be run fast. They also reinforce correct stick work and communications between players. Coach Clarke believes that the players need to compete in everything they do. By making sure all the drills mean something, athletes are motivated to improve.

This is an excellent video for coaches who are looking to teach a high speed, dynamic lacrosse style.

65 minutes. 2012.