The Fundamentals of Ridgefield Lacrosse

By Mark Winkler & Roy Colsey

SEPT 2013

Summary

This document is designed to give our youth coaches an overview of our program, our systems and our core fundamentals.  It is designed around the basic principles that we use at the high school level.  With a structured approach to player development, we expect to clarify our purpose, our teachings and our techniques.  We hope this clarification leads to player and coaching consistency among our various youth levels.

Ultimately, we hope the players have a positive experience and learn key lessons that they can take with them the rest of their lives and the share the love of lacrosse that we have.

Contents

Section I: An Overview

1. Safety
2. Expectations
3. Clinics
4. Opportunities / Format

Section II: Evolving Ridgefield Lacrosse Players

1. Expectations for incoming Ridgefield Freshmen Lacrosse Players
2. Ridgefield Fundamentals
3. Basic Situations
4. Suggested Drills
5. Practice Plans
6. Basic Situations
7. Evaluating Personnel

Section III: Beyond Fundamentals

1. Primary & Secondary Dodges
2. Basic Team Offense
3. Basic Team Defense
4. Rides
5. Clears
6. Situations

SECTION I: An Overview

Safety:

• Equipment
  • Boys: Helmet, gloves, arm pads, shoulder pads, mouth piece
  • Girls: Eye goggles, mouth piece
• Coaches: Every coach should be compliant with required CPR/First aid training

Fields

• Playing on Ridgefield Fields is a privilege not a right, all players, parents, and coaches are expected to help maintain the integrity of the town facilities and fields
• Players are expected to use non-disposable water bottles
• Players & coaches are expected to ensure fields are clean after practices & games
• Chewing gum and food is not permitted on the turf fields
• Please do not walk on RHS track while wearing cleats

Coaches:

• Every coach is expected to:

1. Understand and be able to teach the fundamentals of Ridgefield Lacrosse
2. Create a dynamic practice plan for every practice
3. Arrive prior to practice start time
4. Stay on field until last player is picked up

Coaching Clinics:

• 2 separate live boys & girls clinics will be scheduled during the winter
• The boys clinics are hosted by Roy Colsey & the girls clinics are hosted by Cece Berger
• The sessions are videotaped for coaches to review at their leisure
• All coaches should familiarize themselves with this document prior to the clinics so they can ask questions
• Boys Clinic #1
  • Understanding & teaching our fundamentals
  • Sample practice plan & drills
  • Goalies
  • Face-offs
• Boys Clinic #2
  • Basic offensive & defensive sets
  • Riding / clearing
  • Man-up / Man-down
• Girls Clinic #1
  • Understanding & teaching our fundamentals
  • Sample practice plan & drills
  • Goalies
  • Face-offs
• Girls Clinic #2
  • Basic offensive & defensive sets
  • Riding / clearing

Ridgefield Lacrosse Opportunities:

• All boys & girls players are expected to play in their specified grade levels
• Fall:
  • Boys: Superstar 3^rd grade to High School
  • Tryouts:
  • Girls: Pick-up lacrosse 6^th & 7^th grades
• Winter
  • Boys: RYL clinics, Superstar both @ the Danbury Dome
  • Girls: RYL clinics @ Danbury Dome, grades ??
  • Registration:
• Spring
  • Boys: RYL K-8^th grade
  • Girls: RYL K-8^th grade
  • Tryouts:
• Summer
  • Boys: Superstar 2^nd grade to High School
    • Tryouts:
  • Girls: Superstar 5^th to 8^th grades
    • Tryouts:

Ridgefield Youth Lacrosse Format

• Boys:
  • Program starts with K level
  • House Program: K-2^nd grade (all players expected to play House)
  • 3^rd Grade: equally split teams
  • 4^th Grade: equally split teams
  • 5^th to 8^th Grades: Placement decided by evaluations
  • A & B teams are expected to practice at same time for each grade
• Girls:
  • Program starts with 1^st Grade
  • House Program: 1st-4^th Grades
  • 3^rd Grade: equally split teams
  • 4^th Grade: equally split teams
  • 5^th to 8^th Grades: Placement decided by evaluations
  • A & B teams are expected to practice at same time for each grade

SECTION II: Evolving Ridgefield Lacrosse Players

• We know not every youth player will play high school lacrosse
• The youth curriculum is designed to prepare incoming 9^th graders for the expectations of the varsity coach to give every player the best opportunity to play at the next level if they so desire
• The required skills have been summarized and broken out over the K-8 youth program to assist coaches with their practice plans.  A separate K-2 curriculum has been created, this document focuses on 3^rd-8^th grades.
• It is important to note:
  • Winning & losing is secondary individual and team skill development.  There must be a proper balance between playing games and working on skills.  Too many clinics can be boring to the players, while playing too many games does not allow players to work on areas of need and taking risks.  Will a player work on their weak hand if a game is on the line?
  • Keep the atmosphere fun!!
    • Maximize touches
    • Minimize standing around
    • Balance teaching with fun drills
    • Change the drills
    • Create healthy competition (ie relay races)
    • Allow the players to fail - failures are teaching opportunities and people are typically more open to teaching after failing
  • This document is merely a guide for planning and communication purposes, it should never be meant to discourage a new player from attempting to play lacrosse for the first time at any level
• Travel A players are expected to make lacrosse their primary sport.  These players are expected to play in a summer lacrosse program in addition to their spring seasons
• Desired Attributes:
  • Tough, team player, gives effort at all times, coachable, fundamentally skilled

Coach Roy Colsey’s Expectations for Incoming Freshmen Boys Lacrosse Players

1. THROW AND CATCH WITH BOTH HANDS CONSISTENTLY AND WITH FLUIDITY
2. PERFORM A SPLIT DODGE AND SWITCH HANDS TO EITHER SIDE- STRONG HAND TO WEAK HAND AND WEAK HAND TO STRONG HAND.
3. UNDERSTAND A PRIMARY DODGE VS A SECONDARY DODGE ON OFFENSE (I.E.- SPLIT DODGE IS PRIMARY, ROLL DODGE IS SECONDARY).
4. SCOOP A GROUND BALL USING EITHER HAND WITHOUT RAKING THE BALL (YES THEY STILL RAKE!)
5. Effectively protect the ball while being pressured
6. Ability to exchange the ball (pass & get open by V cut) while being pressured defensively
7. UNDERSTAND LANGAUGE AND GET INTO 400 SET, 300 SET AND 200 SET (400 SS WOULD BE NICE AS WELL)
8. PLAY MAN TO MAN DEFENSE USING THEIR HANDS AND FEET AND TAKING SOMETHING AWAY FROM THE OFFENSIVE PLAYER. THIS INCLUDES ATTACKMEN WHO ARE RIDING A DEFENSIVE PLAYER WITH THE BALL
9. RECOGNIZE AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF AN ODD MAN SITUATION ON OFFENSE BY FINDING AND EXPLOITING THE 2 V 1 SITUATION WITHIN THE LARGER SITUATION
10. RECOGNIZE AND PROVIDE HELP IN AN ODD MAN SITUATION ON DEFENSE IN A SIMPLE "STOP BALL", "FIRST PASS" SCHEME.
11. UNDERSTAND BASIC CONCEPTS OF MAN UP (FAST BALL MOVEMENT- GET BALL THROUGH X) AND MAN DOWN (ZONE)
12. UNDERSTAND AND USE A "TRAIL CHECK" IN APPROPRIATE SITUATIONS.
13. IDENTIFY MATCH-UPS AND GET THE BALL TO PLAYER COVERED BY A SHORT STICK DEFENDER
14. ALL PLAYERS SHOULD UNDERSTAND BASIC SLIDE PACKAGES. A SLIDE PROVIDES HELP TO A BEATEN DEFENDER. A SLIDE MEANS SOMEONE IS OPEN ON OFFENSE AND WE NEED TO MOVE THE BALL QUICKLY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE
15. UNDERSTAND CONCEPT OF DODGE-PASS-PASS-RE-DODGE

Coach Cece Berger’s Expectations for Incoming Freshmen Girls Lacrosse Players

Fundamentals:  

• Webster definition: fun·da·men·tal - forming or relating to the most important part of something.  Of or relating to the basic structure or function of something
• The following basic skills or fundamentals are the pillars or foundation of our program
• Every coach is expected to be familiar and understand how to teach the Ridgefield Lacrosse Fundamentals
• The fundamentals are expected to be taught & retaught at every level
• Our players should not outgrow the fundamentals, they are expected to build on top of them

Chasing Ground Balls (FUNDAMENTALS):

• Chasing & picking up groundballs is all about the effort – We must emphasize the importance of this effort at ALL times!  Every time a ball is on the ground is an opportunity to teach effort.
• Dropping a pass or making a bad pass are physical mistakes that will happen, we expect our players to pick-up the ball with maximum effort
• Equally important, never let the players rake the ball, this shows a lack of effort and is potentially dangerous
  • K-2 grades should treat all rakes as a turn-over in possession
• We teach getting two butts must get low
• Right handed, left foot leads beside the ball
• Left handed, right foot leads beside the ball
• Must accelerate through the ball to get it off of the ground quickly
• Player should communicate, Ball; when the ball is on the ground & Release; after he/she picks up the ball
• Upon picking up the ball player should
  • Cradle up next to ear
  • Roll away from pressure not into pressure
  • Look to move the ball
• If the player does not pick up the ball thee first time…try again (teach the importance of effort)
• What to do in ground ball scrums:
  • It is important that our players are taught to run through the ball in a scrum, even if they miss the ball, hopefully their momentum drives the ball in their direction
  • If two players arrive at the same time or when our wing middies are waiting for a ball to pop-out on a face-off, teach our players to box out, similar to form taught to basketball players going for a rebound
  • Boxing out requires getting low and using legs to push the opposing player off the ball with their hips
  • We also want to teach our players to play the ball with their feet or tap in in a direction with their stick to get out of traffic
• Grades 4^th grade & above, players should be aware of protecting butt-end against their leg when running through a groundball

Defending Ground Balls (FUNDAMENTALS):

• This is the situation when the player is one step behind the player about to pick-up the ground ball
• Teach our players to look for the butt-end of the player that is about to pick-up the ground ball stick, poke check the back hand or lift the butt-end so they miss the ground ball
• Do not push from behind

Throwing (FUNDAMENTALS):

• Foot placement – Just like throwing a baseball, step with opposite hand you are throwing, right-handed throw should step with left foot
• Hand placement- BOTTOM HAND IS ALWAYS ON THE BUTT-END, TOP HAND SHOULD BE NO MORE THAN 12” FROM THE BOTTOM HAND. HANDS ARE NEVER TOUCHING EACH OTHER ON THE STICK!  It is important that stick is held in fingers, not in the palms (similar concept as golf)
  • Top hand keys
    • PUSHING HEAD OF STICK TOWARDS THE TARGET
    • Snap wrist, similar to following through on a basketball shot
    • Top hand thumb should be on the side of the shaft
    • Suggested drill – Have players perform one handed throws during partner passing
  • Bottom hand keys- PULLING BUTT END AWAY FROM TARGET
• Down the line wind up and follow through.
• Hands high and away, recoil down the line, step DIRECTLY TOWARDS YOUR TARGET, push, pull, follow through down the line

Catching (FUNDAMENTALS):

• Hand Placement – Bottom hand is always on the butt-end, top hand should be near top of shaft for beginners
• Stick should be held in fingertips…soft hands
• Head of stick should be forward from butt-end, this will allow the player to “give” with the ball

Cradling (FUNDAMENTALS):

• Again, stick should be held in fingertips
• Stick held vertically with two hands – we do not teach horizontal cradling as the player is not able to shoot or pass quickly out of this position
• Bottom hand is loose, should just be used as a guide
• Top hand should do all of the work
• A good visual aid is have the player remove glove of their strong hand, arm should be at a right angle with palm facing away from their face.  Now bend wrist back (should look like a waiter holding a big tray.  Place a ball in their palm and have them rock the ball back and forth; do not let them grasp the ball.  Centrifugal force should keep the ball in their palm.  This is the correct feeling of cradling
• Correct cradle should have the head of the stick next to their ear, helmet protects the stick
• Player should simply turn their shoulder to also protect their stick

Switching Hands (FUNDAMENTALS):

• The visual aid we use to teach switching is
• Imagine two eyes located on the top inside portion of the head
• The player must turn the head of the stick so the eyes are looking at him/her
• At the same time, we want them to slide the shaft into their bottom hand like putting a sword into a sheath
• Switch hands after the hands meet
• Eyes face the player….slide…bump…switch

Dodging (FUNDAMENTALS):

• Simply put, dodging is nothing more than the ability to get by a defensive player
• This ability is obviously important as it can:
  • Allow us to clear the ball
  • Put the ball carrier in a good scoring position
  • Force the defense to slide, which can allow us to put an adjacent player in a scoring position
• There are several types of dodges, some of which we discuss in the advanced section of this document.  For fundamentals we will focus on the split dodge
• The offensive player is attempting to get the defensive player going in one direction, plant their outside foot, switch hands and change directions
• Offensive player must run hard, plant foot hard and explode while changing directions
• You can see, the ability to switch hands will allow the player to complete this dodge at full speed

Shooting (FUNDAMENTALS):

• We teach overhand shots!!
• Stick in fingertips
• Bottom hand on the butt-end, top hand 4” to 6” apart
• Get hands way back, weight on back foot
• Chin to front shoulder, straight line to stick
• Head of stick slightly above the butt-end or bottom hand
• Hips & butt should be facing the sidelines, side of player’s body facing the goal
• Bottom should pull and be used as a guide
• Top hand should snap wrist at end, this is important for accuracy.  This should be part of the player’s follow through
• Release ALL of the player’s potential energy by following through – player shuld end up with rear shoulder facing the goal
  • Bottom hand down and across
  • Top hand snapping it through
  • At the end, hips and rear shoulder should face the target
• Like most other sports, use of core and weight shift is important for generating power
• Shooting effectiveness in increased by changing levels.  Meaning if the player’ss stick is high shooting overhand, it will be difficult for the goalie to see the ball or guess if the player shoots low

Man-to-man defense (FUNDAMENTALS):

• Good athletic stance- Feet shoulders width apart, bend at the knees, weight on the balls of your feet.  STICK OUT IN FRONT-POINTED AT THE OFFENSIVE MANS WAIST- bottom hand on the butt end and top hand about 6” above that
• GIVE A CUSHION TO THE OFFENSIVE PLAYER, BUT GO OUT AND PLAY THE MAN, DON’T WAIT  FOR HIM TO COME TO YOU, GO OUT TO MEET HIM AND THEN BACKPEDAL AS HE TRIES TO DODGE YOU, DROP STEP, SIDE STEP AND THEN RUN WITH THE MAN, LOOKING TO LIFT UNDER HIS HAND OR ELBOW TO DISRUPT THE SHOT OR PASS.
• This is similar to a defensive back playing a wide receiver
• We expect our defensive players to play defense with their feet and their hands
• Checks are not necessary and in most cases puts the defensive player in a bad position 
• IF YOU ARE REALLY BEAT, TRAIL CHECK WITH YOUR STICK OVER THE MAN’S STICK SIDE SHOULDER AND BE READY TO CHECK HIS STICK WHEN HE BRINGS IT BACK TO THROW OR SHOOT. IF YOU CAN TOUCH HIM WITH YOUR HANDS, DO IT, JAM HIS HIP AND DRIVE HIM USING HIS WAIST AS YOUR CONTACT POINT- NOT THE SHOULDERS OR BACK!
• POSTITIONING- TAKE SOMETHING AWAY FROM THE MAN- EITHER HIS STRONG HAND OR THE MIDDLE OF THE FIELD.  IF WE PREDICT WHERE HE GOES, OUR DEFENSE IS MUCH MORE PREPARED TO HELP AND THEY KNOW WHERE TO HELP. THE WORST WAY WE CAN PLAY DEFENSE IS STRAIGHT UP, SQUARE TO THE MAN.

Face-offs (FUNDAMENTALS):

• A combination of balance, quick hands, and anticipation of the whistle makes an effective face-off player
• This is probably why many ex-wrestlers perform well at the face-off X
• We teach the pinch & pop
• Line stick up, use motorcycle grip
• Put pressure on the bottom sidewall
• Right foot, right hand and head should all be aligned
• Best position is player’s standing on both feet not leaning on their knee
• The first move on the whistle is punching the left hand forward in attempt to pinch the ball into the head…remember putting pressure on the bottom sidewall pinches the sidewalls together

Goalies (FUNDAMENTALS):

• Our goalies should be
  • Athletic
  • Explosive
  • Relaxed
  • Not afraid of the ball
• We realize this probably means it will be one of the best players on the roster
• There are 5 basic goalie positions
  • Pipe
  • 45
  • Center
  • 45
  • Pipe
• Hands:
  • Placement, bottom hand slightly more forward than top hand
  • Soft hands
  • Top hand should drive to the ball
• Goalie should be stepping to the ball while driving top hand
• Get big with slight movements

Basic Situations

• Offense
  • Much of the youth game is played in transition rather than organized offensive sets
  • Fundamental offense for grades 3^rd-6^th is beating the defensive player in front of you, going to the net, shoot if it is an open shot or dump to adjacent player
  • Adjacent offensive players need to get in passing lanes and move towards the pass
  • Any organized sets should be a 1-3-2 on even situations and 3-3 on man-up
  • When the ball is in our defensive end, we want two attackmen on the midfield line and one attackman on the restraining line in the middle
  • Yellow indicates we want to slow the ball down, do not go to the goal.  This will be used when we are changing middies, desire to give our defense a rest or if we want to run out the clock
• Defense
  • Straight up man-to-man defense
  • Stop ball is always the primary goal
  • Defense should be in the paint, playing help defense on adjacent
  • The defense is expected to communicate..I have ball..I have left..I have right
  • Man-down???
  • When the ball is in our offensive end, we want our defensemen locked on the attackmen
• Face-offs
  • Wing play
    • Midfielder on the left side of face-off man should come down the line
    • Midfielder on the right side of the face-off man should start in the defensive zone
    • Both wing players should look to beat their respective middies off the line and immediately start to “box-out”

Practice Plans & Suggested Drills

Practice Plan Goals

• Every coach should have a practice plan for every practice
• The plans should incorporate the fundamentals described in this document
• The practices should be dynamic in nature & should be based upon game situations
• Keep the atmosphere fun!!
  • Maximize touches
  • Minimize standing around
  • Balance teaching with fun drills
  • Change the drills
  • Create healthy competition (ie relay races)
  • Allow the players to fail - failures are teaching opportunities and people are typically more open to teaching after failing
• Rule of thumb for practice time:
  • 33% Stick skills (ie partner passing)
  • 33% Stations (ie 1v1s, shooting)
  • 33% Game situations (ie 3v2, clears/rides/ 7v7)
• Coaches are expected to show proper technique and explain why we do it this way
• Sometimes it is helpful to explain a technique by relating it to another sport (we have attempted to do this in the fundamentals section)
• Varsity practices are planned in blocks of 6 minutes, this dynamic nature is used to hold the players short attention spans
• Teaching and re-teaching the fundamentals are the staple of our practice plans.  A minimum of 50% of every practice should be spent working on fundamentals
• Every practice plan should include
  • Partner GBs & passing
  • Magic Ball
  • Cradling & switching hands
  • 1v1s
• Starting in 3^rd grade coaches should demand players use both hands.  For example left wing attackmen should have sticks in their left hand etc.

Suggested Drills (K-2)

• 100 Touches:
  • This is a great way to warm-up while working on hand-eye coordination
  • The side benefit is every time a player drops the ball they are picking up a ground ball without even knowing it (make sure they do not rake in this drill)
  • We have had a bunch of fun with the kids with this – get everyone in a circle around the coach performing the drill
  • Stick should be in fingertips, the player should toss the ball up and come down with it, simulating giving with the ball while catching it
  • Start with Right hand; 25 times, left hand; 25 times, put it on the ground lefty & righty….the purpose is to get each player at least 100 touches in a very short period of time
  • Coaches should change the routine to keep this fun and challenging
  • Bounce off of sidewall once and catch (lefty & righty)
  • Bounce off of shaft once & catch (lefty & righty)
  • Toss ball up & loop head of stick around ball & catch (lefty & righty)
  • Toss ball up, catch behind back, toss back
  • Toss ball up catch between legs, toss back
  • Toss ball up, sidewall progression, go for 1 bounce & catch, then two & catch, etc.
  • Toss ball up, catch with stick over shoulder
  • Toss ball up one handed catch

• Groundballs:
  • Partner GBs: 1 player behind another.  Player behind has the ball, roles it out, the player in front chases, scoops, rolls away, passes to the player that was behind, the player behind passes it back, now that player is behind.  Teach effort, rolling away, communicating and coming to the pass
  • Kick-n-Go: Vey similar to partner GBs, instead the player in front starts with the ball on the ground and he/she has to kick it in front of them.  Rolling away from pressure, passing back and forth is the same as partner GBs
  • Playing GB w/ a Step: One player behind the other.  The ball starts out 5 yards in front of the front player.  On the whistle, both players run to the ball, the player in front is expected to run through the ball, protect butt-end and roll-away from pressure, the man behind is expected to check or lift butt-end and play proper defense if the front player picks up the ball
  • Butt-to-Butt: Ball is placed on the ground, have two players positioned butt-to-butt over the ball.  Legs bent, stick held by both hands.  On the whistle, players should box-out in attempt to pick-up the GB.  Players can use feet
  • Magic Ball: 3 to 4 lines of approximately 3 players per line.  The players should be lined up in the alley.  With players looking forward, Coach performing this drill will roll out one or two balls.  Coaches are expected to teach GB effort, technique, cradling, switching hands, boxing out, defensive posture, using hands and legs on defense.  Keep score per line.  This drill can be run by player picking up the ball going to the net and shooting or running back to the original starting line.  The player gets a point if they score or return the ball to the line, he can then go back out and get another ball
  • 2V1 GBs, 3V2 GBs, 4v3 GBs, 5v4 GBs
  • These drills should be done with both hands, we are attempting to develop players with both hands

• Catching/Throwing
  • We suggest teaching the “Mirror Concept” for catching and throwing
  • The concept is very simple, the player with the ball should have their stick to the outside or away from the net, the player catching should mirror them.  So if I have the ball in my left hand, my adjacent teammate that I will pass to should have the stick in their right hand.  If a player stands a mirror with the stick in their right hand their reflected image in the mirror will match them, however the image with have the stick in the left hand.  This makes teaching at all levels simpler than telling the players to get in their right/left or strong/weak hands.  Emphasize this point any chance you get, our goal is to develop players that can use both hands proficiently
  • Mirror Partner Passing:  Have players partner up, line them up 5-10 yards apart.  All players on one side start with the ball in their right or left hand, the opposite partner must mirror them.  Players should switch hands on the whistle. Coaches should be coaching proper throwing/catching technique.  The passes should be crisp….no lolley-pops
  • Head-man the Ball: Lines of 3-4 players 15-20 yards apart.  Players should be passing to the player ahead of them.  The concept is moving the ball up field.  Player(s) in the middle should be catching, rolling and quickly passing the ball up field.  Again, no lolley-pops in this drill.  Switch positions, everyone should get a turn in the middle.  Relay race: 1^st player in each line start with the ball, the teams should move the ball up and down the line 2-3 times, team that finishes first should sit-down when they are done.  Switch hands.
  • Continuous Give-n-Go: Line players up in lines of 4-5 players.  One player should start out 5-7 yards ahead of the next person in line.  The first person in line start with the ball right-handed.  The player 5-7 yards away should be off to the left side in this example.  The first person in line passes to the player ahead (who is mirroring the pass), he/she catches and passes back (give-n-go).  The first player in line should be moving.  Complete two passes, then the next player is up.  After the last person in line has gone, it should be repeated going the opposite direction, now switching hands.  The drill is completed after every player has played the middle position
  • 4 Corner Passing: Exactly how it sounds.  Get groups of 4 players, they should pass ball around with sticks to the outside practicing the mirror concept.  The player catching should roll-away switch hands and pass to the next corner.  Players should switch direction on the whistle
  • Remember, every-time a ball drops on the ground is a opportunity for a GB
• Cradling
  • Cradling lineup: Line all players up, show proper cradling technique.  Each player should have a ball in their stick and demonstrate cradling as explained in the fundamentals section of this document.  Players should switch hands on whistle and continue cradling
  • Relay race: Form lines of 3-5 players, place cones 20-25 yards apart for each line.  First player in each line starts with a ball, on the whistle they should run while cradling ball right handed, at the cone they should switch to left hand.  The player should drop ball in front of next player in line.  All players that have completed should sit-down, first team to complete wins
  • Sharks & Minnows: I think every coach knows this game.  Coaches should emphasize proper cradling technique, stick protection and switching hands by split dodge or rolling away from pressure
• Switch Hands
  • Run the Crease: Two lines of 4-5 players opposite each other on the crease.  Two players start with the ball, on the whistle, they should cradle while running around the crease, they are expected to plant, switch hands (in front, do not roll) and change directions each time the whistle is blown.  The next couple of players in line should have balls in their sticks ready to go to keep this drill moving quickly.  Advanced players should be able to read out how many fingers a coach is holding up while they are running the crease. 
  • Run the Sideline: One line of 5-6 players in either corner of field behind the net.  Set up cones making an area 5-7 yards wide & 10-15 yards long.  First player in line should step out and play defense.  The next player should start with the ball at the intersection of the end line and sideline.  The player with the ball should use the hand that is next to the sideline (left handed if sideline is on the left).  The player with the ball is attempting to clear up the sideline.  The defensive player is using the technique described in the fundamentals to ride the player with the ball out of bounds.  The player with the ball should either run by the defensive player or roll ball and switch hands  
• Dodging
  • Juke-Tag: Cone off a 5 yard by 15 yard area.  A defensive player should be in the coned area, this player is trying to stop the offensive player by using feet and hands to push player out of bounds.  The offensive player is attempting to juke-out the defensive player by using a hard plant and change of direction.  Starts this drill with neither player using sticks, next, give a stick & ball just to the offensive player, eventually both players.  Defensive players should not be throwing checks
  • 1v1s: Another staple of our practice plans.  Emphasize proper defensive technique.  Vary the positions on the field to start, north, south, east, west etc.
• Shooting
  • Let em’ Rip: Simple shooting drill to practice hands, back, weight shift and follow through.  Player should be in shooting position 5 yards in front of cage.  Player should start with hands back, weight on back foot.  Coach simply tosses ball to player so they have to continue to reach, player should catch, transfer weight, unwind & rip it to the center of the cage emphasizing snapping wrist and shoulder follow-through
  • Continuous feeding / shooting: Two lines of players on either side of goal line extended (GLE).  Cone should be placed 7 yards in front of cage.  Balls should be located for both lines of players.  The drill starts with one line cutting to the cone, the opposite line player should feed, cutter should catch and shoot.  Now the feeder becomes the cutter, the next player in the other line should feed.  This is a continuous drill until the balls are gone.
  • Split-n-Shoot: Line of players in front of the cage, Place a cone 10 yards in front of the cage.  Form a line of players 3-5 yards in front of the cone, each player should have a ball.  Player should split dodge at the cone and shoot on the net.  Make sure players run through this drill using both hands.
• Situational Drills
  • Steal the Bacon: Every coach knows this game.  Emphasize our fundamentals during this drill
  • 3v3 Continuous: Lines of three players on each side of the restraining box.  Middle player starts with the ball.  The opposite side of three players should approach the other line to play defense.  This becomes a 3V3 situation after the whistle.  Offense goes to defense to make this a continuous drill.  Emphasize defensive positioning & communication.  Offense adjacent players should be V cutting in and out to get the ball.
  • 3v2: Two lines of defensive players at GLE.  Three lines of offensive players at top of restraining line.  Goalie starts with the ball, should clear to an offensive player.  Defensive players aggressively come out to play defense. One player must communicate that he/she has ball, the other player has next pass slide.  The three offensive players must spread-out to make defensive slides longer and find the open player for a layup
  • 2v1 Continuous: Use two nets on a shortened field.  Two lines of players on GLE of each net, balls should be located on same side for each net (either right or left).  One player starts out on defense the opposite side two players come down on a 2v1 situation.  Offensive players should stay wide, the offensive player with the ball should drive net until covered, make easy pass for layup.  The defensive player must stop ball and slide if passed.  The offensive player that shoots must go back on defense, while two players come down to initiate the 2V1.  Two nets make this continuous.

Sample Practice Plans

This is an early season practice plan.  It is not intended to remain static, each element will evolve as the year progresses

4th Grade Sample Practice Plan:

6:00pm-6:06pm 100 touches (1 player 1 ball)

6:06pm-6:36pm Partner Passing

• Mirror passing
• Canadian Box Drill
• Long Toss
• Pass Catch Switch
• Static Over-the-shoulder passing
• Partner GBs

6:36pm-6:42pm Multiple Small Group Line Drills

• GBs to
• GB, pass
• Keep it in the air

6:42pm-6:48pm Water Break

6:48pm-7:00pm Stations

1. 1v1s continuous
2. Shooting
3. Cradling/switching hands
4. Competitive GBs

7:00pm-7:30pm

1. Continuous give-n-go
2. Break in & out passing drill
3. 3v2 competitive GB situational
4. Split dodge shooting

EVALUATING PERSONEL:

• MIDFIELDERS- YOU ARE LOOKING FOR THE MOST ATHLETIC KIDS ON THE TEAM TO PLAY MIDFIELD.  THEY MUST HAVE THE ABILITY TO RUN THE FIELD AND PLAY BOTH OFFENSE AND DEFENSE.

• ATTACK- YOU ARE LOOKING FOR THE QUICKEST PLAYER OR THE STRONGEST PLAYER THAT HAS VERY GOOD STICK SKILLS.  A COMBINATION OF QUICK FEET AND QUICK HANDS IS A LETHAL COMBINATION. 

• DEFENSE:  WE NEED ATHLETES ON DEFENSE, THE TALLER THE BETTER, WITH THE ABILITY TO RUN THE FIELD AND CLEAR THE BALL.  HEIGHT IS A PLUS IN ALL CASES, BUT ANY KID WHO HAS GREAT DEFENSIVE FOOTWORK SHOULD TRY PLAYING EITHER CLOSE DEFENSE OR LONG STICK MIDFIELD.  GIVE EVERY KID  A SHOT AT THIS POSITION AND SEE WHO EXCELS.  WE C AN’T KEEP PUTTING THE BIG, SLOW KIDS ON DEFENSE AND LEAVING THE ATHLETES ON THE OFFENSIVE END OF THE FIELD. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A CREASE DEFENSEMAN, THOSE DAYS ARE OVER.  EVERY DEFENDER NEEDS TO BE ABLE TO COVER THE BALL AND PLAY SOLID ONE-ON-ONE DEFENSE.

• GOALIE:  FIND A KID THAT IS NOT AFRAID OF THE BALL WHO LIKES TO TAKE CONTROL OF THE GAME AND SEE IF HE CAN PLAY GOALIE.  AGAIN, THIS CAN’T BE THE KID THAT WE CANNOT FIND A SPOT FOR.  INSTEAD, TREAT THE GOALIE POSITION AS A HIGHLY SKILLED POSITION AND SEE IF WE CAN GET AN ATHLETE IN THERE.

SECTION III: Beyond The Basics

PRIMARY DODGES:

• SPLIT DODGE: TWO HANDS (BUTT END AND ABOUT 6” FROM THE PLASTIC OF THE HEAD) ON THE STICK TO START ALL DODGES…ATTACK THE MAN AND BREAK DOWN HIS DEFENSIVE CUSHION…SHORT CHOPPY STEPS ON THE BALLS OF YOUR FEET…HEAD, SHOULDERS AND HIPS TRY TO MAKE THE MAN BELIEVE YOU ARE GOING IN ONE DIRECTION AS YOU QUICKLY SPLIT TO THE OTHER.  YOU ARE LITERALLY BOUNDING OFF OF YOUR PLANT FOOT AND TAKING A LONG, HOCKEY SKATING STRIDE TO THE OTHER FOOT AS YOU EXPLODE PAST THE DEFENDER.   AS YOU MAKE THIS MOVE, QUICKLY ROTATE YOUR SHOULDERS TO PROTECT YOUR STICK AND GET YOUR BOTTOM HAND TO THE OPPOSITE HIP (I.E. RIGHT HAND TO LEFT HIP IN A RIGHT TO LEFT SPLIT DODGE.

• BULL DODGE: A STRONG HANDED DODGE USED WHEN THE OFFENSIVE PLAYER HAS A CLEAR ADVANTAGE IN PHYSICAL STRENGTH OR SIZE…ATTACK THE DEFENSIVE PLAYER WITH TWO HANDS ON THE STICK (SIMILAR TO SPLIT DODGE), BUT INSTEAD OF USING A SPLIT DODGE, LOWER YOUR SHOULDER AND INITIATE CONTACT WITH THE DEFENSIVE PLAYER IN AN AGGRESSIVE, BUT CONTROLLED MANNER.  AT THIS POINT IN TIME, THE OFFENSIVE PLAYER IS READING HOW THE DEFENSIVE MAN REACTS…IF THE DEFENSIVE PLAYER  GIVES GROUND, CONTINUE TO BACK HIM DOWN AND COLLAPSE THE DEFENSE…IF HE IS STRONG AND TRIES TO STOP YOU BY PUSHING HARD ON YOUR SIDE OR BACK, DRIVE A COUPLE MORE STEPS TO YOUR STRONG HAND AND THEN ROLL BACK TO YOUR WEAK HAND.

SECONDARY DODGES-

• ROLL DODGE- Never use a roll dodge as the initial move when engaging a defensive player.  A roll dodge is a dodge to use once a bull dodge or a split-dodge had been un-successful.  Never use a roll dodge until you have taken at least three steps in one direction!  You have to get the defensive player moving with you before you can attempt to roll dodge him.  Once you have set him up by taking a few steps into a split or bull dodge, you are ready for a roll dodge.  You begin your roll dodge by planting your lead foot and quickly spinning your head around (your body will follow).  In some cases, you can actually leave the stick in the same hand as it was when you originated your initial dodge. Switching hands can happen once you have beaten the defenseman or when you have more space to do so.  The key to a good roll dodge is to give the defensive player a “soft” shoulder and bend at the waist as you make your roll dodge.  By doing these two things, you don’t give the defender any part of your body to push out on as he tries to stop you from going in the other direction.

• ***Note about Face Dodge and Split Dodge- Both of these dodges require the offensive player to set up or “Sell” the dodge.  If the defensive player doesn’t believe that they are going to either shoot or pass the ball at the moment before the dodge, the dodge will be unsuccessful and the defensive player will have a clear advantage.  “Selling” the dodge requires looking in the direction of another player and giving a small head fake or fake eye-contact with another offensive player or looking like the are about to shoot the ball, including a full wind up prior to pulling the stick across the body.  The defensive player must commit to stopping this action before the offensive player can hit this dodge.

• FACE DODGE- Good in tight dodge when approaching the goal or passing a defender who is swinging his stick.  In the face dodge, the stick remains in the strong hand, but is quickly brought across the face to the opposite shoulder momentarily as the offensive player passes the defensive player and his stick check.  Upon passing the defender, the stick is brought back to the strong hand for a shot or a pass.

• SPATULA DODGE- One of my favorite dodges, this is essentially a fancy face dodge.  Instead of bringing the stick across your body with both hands, the bottom hand slides up the shaft slightly as the offensive player runs to the opposite side of the defensive player (i.e.- righty player makes a fake to his right, slides his bottom hand (left hand in this case) up the shaft about 6” and proceeds past the defender to his left side, carrying the stick in one hand away from the defender as he runs past the defensive player.  Upon passing the defensive player, he quickly returns his stick to the strong side of his body and puts his right hand back on the stick to get ready to shoot or pass the ball.

BASIC TEAM OFFENSE:

• Coaching point- Try to ascertain as quickly as possible whether the opposing team is a man to man defense or a zone defense.  If they are in a man to man defense, how are they supporting or sliding to a defender who has been beaten on a dodge?  Are they making their first slide from the crease?  From the near man (Adjacent slide)?  If they are in a zone, is it a pressure zone or a zone where they are packing the defense in and allowing outside shots?  Are they covering the attackman behind the goal at “X” or leaving him uncovered?  What happens if he pushes the corner?  Who picks him up?  Who is left open as a result? Can we push from “X” and get that  player the ball?  Would we be able to run our man-up plays against this zone?

• Team offense can best be described as a group of six players looking to take advantage of the best match-up on the field in order to exert pressure on the defense.  Out of any offensive set, the key to doing this is finding the right match-up (see below), getting that player the ball, and then having the rest of the team occupy their men by using movement and cutting to keep their defensive players attention.  If we are successful in our attempt to dodge and beat the defensive player, we should force the defense to slide and leave a player open.  It is the offensive teams job to move the ball to the open player faster than the defense can recover from their original slide.  IF this happens, we will generate a high quality shooting opportunity.  I like to use the expression, “Dodge-Pass-Pass-Shoot” or Dodge-Pass-Pass-Dodge”, depending on the situation.  What that means is, the offensive player dodges, forces the defense to slide and then makes a pass to the player on his immediate (adjacent) left or right side.  That player in turn “spins”  the ball by passing it again in the same direction to the next player in the offense, who has the option of shooting if the shot is there or dodging if the defense is still recovering. The key to great team offense is convincing the kids that it really doesn’t matter who scores, as long as we put the ball in the net.  My experience has taught me that as soon as the offensive players begin to worry about who is scoring, the entire offense slows down and fails to score at all.  Employ the “ONE MORE” idea as much as possible.  Whenever the opportunity presents itself, make “one more” pass to an open player before taking a shot.  Teams that do this almost always trade a good shot for a great shot and increase their shooting percentage.

• MATCH-UPS: Against a man-to-man defense, we are looking for the best possible match-up.  This means the player on our team who is most likely to beat the man covering him.  Hint- it may not be our best midfielder or attackman.  Games are won and lost based on who initiates the offense.  Don’t forget, if we are employing the Dodge-Pass-Pass-Dodge/Shoot” theory, the guy who initiates the offense rarely gets the goal or the assist.  Rather, each person does their job and we are able to expose the defenses weakness by being patient and beating them at their own game (sliding quickly to a beaten player).  We are using their strength against them by trying to move the ball to the player who was left open before they can recover.  If you understand this as a coach, and the kids make the connection as you teach it, they tend to be very unselfish because in the long run it benefits all of the players on the field and they are all involved in the majority of the scoring opportunities. We wind up with lots of “hockey assists”!

BASIC TEAM DEFENSE:

• MATCH-UPS:

BASIC RIDING:

• Deep Six-
• Poison-

BASIC CLEARING:

• Open (2-0-2)
• 4-3 with midfielder down

BASIC MAN-DOWN DEFENSE:

• Box and 1
• Diamond and 1
• 4 Man rotation and lock the crease man.

BASIC MAN-UP DEFENSE:

• 3-3 Free
• 1-4-1 Free

Rides:

• Deep 3-3   This is our base ride.  Deep Zone Ride w/ pressure on the low ball handlers:  We will use this ride if they are in a sideline clear situation with the defensive midfielder and one attackman on the ball and the other two midfielders across the rest of the field in the two un-occupied zones.  The other two attackman will take the near defensive player and the goalie, thus forcing a long re-direct to clear the ball.

• Poison:  9 man ride- leave one a player of our choice open to bring the ball up…jump him at a designated location or on a call.

• 21    Two attackmen are lined up ready to play the goalie and two deep defensive players.  Their job is to force the long pass by cutting off the goalie and pressuring the man with the ball.  When the opposing team attempts the long, cross field pass, the attackman on the goalie will bust his butt to get to the man receiving the ball while the man who was on the passer will bust his butt to get back and cut-off the goalie so that the only available pass is back to the far deep defensive player. The third attackman is playing “centerfield”.  He is positioned in the middle of the field on the restraining line and has the middle of the field around the restraining line.  He will cover a midfielder of defensive player cutting to the ball in this area.  The midfielders will be in a three across zone and will cover the deepest player in their zone.  As we ride, if we need to sub an offensive midfielder off the field, we will use the man closest to the box first, sub on our long stick midfielder, and then have him “bump” to the middle of the field as the midfielder in the middle of the field “bumps” towards the box and into that zone.  If possible, we will get that midfielder off of the field as well and get on our best short stick defensive midfielder.  The midfielder on the far side of the field will most likely have to go back and play defense.

• 10 Man Ride:

Clears: 

• 202:  Middies stacked on either end of the midline…middle open for cutters.
• 43:  Clear with a midfielder down with the goalie and 2 defensemen and one d-man high to the box side…may be subbed out for a middie.  One midfielder at midfield and one on the far side.  Midfielder starts with the ball…runs it out if he can…otherwise he draws a man or looks up high to the open midfielder cutting down to the ball.

Situations:

• Face-Offs:
  •  Against a strong face-off man-  Long Stick to the opposing teams draw side- stick to stick on their wing man,  Short stick on our draw side…positioning to be determined by outcomes…to start he will be angling in from the defensive area.

• Against an average face-off man-  Long stick to the opposing teams draw side…our best GB middie on our draw side, coming in behind our face-off guy for the GB.

• Against a weak face-off man-  Two short sticks on the wings…one coming draw side behind our F/O man, one coming in from the other wing right down the midline…reacting to the ball as it pops out.

• Side-Line Clear:
  • D man starts with ball, one middie on the far side at the midline, two midfielders stacked at the midline.  D man reads the near midfield zone to determine where to throw the ball.  Goalie is on the near side of the ball, second d man is opposite and low.  Our best handling d man is on the restraining line in the middle of the field occupying an attackman.  If the defenseman is covered by one attackman and the near midfield zone is open, he will dodge the attackman and run it out. If he is covered by one attackman and the near midfield zone is occupied by a defensive midfielder, he will look to hit one of the two midfielders in the center of the field as they cut towards him and up the field.  If they have a man in the near midfield zone and have positioned two defensive players in the center of the field with our two midfielders, the farside midfielder will be wide open and we can clear the ball to him directly with a pass or in-directly with a re-direct to the opposite d-man who can then get it to the near midfielder