Winning with the Clamp: Advanced Face-off Tactics & Techniques

with Kevin Reisman,
Cornell University Assistant Coach;
4x All-American for Limestone College; played for Ohio Machine - Major League Lacrosse (MLL) Steinfeld Cup Champions (2017);
2x USILA Lt. Raymond J. Enners Award winner (Most Outstanding Lacrosse Player - Division II);
4x All-Conference Carolinas First-Team selection; 2017 Conference Carolinas Defensive Player of the Year;
2017 NCAA DII National Championship Game Most Outstanding Player (2017);
3x Conference Carolinas Tournament Most Outstanding Player; 2014 Conference Carolinas Freshman of the Year;
led the nation in face-off winning percentage for three straight years (2015-17)

It's not enough to just win the clamp anymore - every face-off player has to know what to do and where to go once they have secured the ball in the back of their stick.

In this video, Coach Reisman presents a series of lessons and drills designed to instill, reinforce and perfect the technique necessary to win the clamp, get to your feet and safely escape with the ball. He introduces these concepts through 12 drills, some with multiple variations, that build upon each other in a series of progressions.

Clamp Technique

It all starts with the clamp. Reisman opens the video by discussing and demonstrating the proper technique for executing a quick and strong clamp, which is the first step in getting the ball up and out from the face-off X. Reisman begins with one-handed clamps, emphasizing the importance of the right hand and the need to shoot the pinky into the ball and move down the line. From there, Reisman adds the left hand and continues to layer on important intricacies vital to a successful clamp. He puts these principles into practice with a series of simple drills, each with its own set of variations.

Footwork and Exiting Techniques

Equally as important as securing the clamp is getting off your knee and onto your feet. In this section, Coach Reisman demonstrates how to quickly and properly get off the right knee with a strong left hand punch and a big, explosive step to protect the stick and create separation.

While still emphasizing the technique of the clamp, Reisman demonstrates the left hand punch drill, which shows how to crush down on the ball with right hand and punch with the left while exploding out of the stance and taking a big first step.

Exits

Finally, Coach Reisman introduces the different areas of the field the face-off player can escape to with the ball in their stick. To help the face-off player be ready for the unscripted and unknown game scenarios, he discusses and demonstrates the different types of fakes and feints that can be utilized to throw the opponent off and take the ball anywhere. Reisman also shows how to stay strong on the ball in a 50/50 battle, rotating with choppy steps while looking for help on the wings.

As a four-time All-American player in college, Coach Reisman picked up many of the best techniques for winning face-off. This video gives you the opportunity to glean all of his best drills and suggestions and apply them with your own players.

44 minutes. 2019.