NM Youth Lacrosse
Practice Plan for U15
105 minutes max
0:00 – 05:00
05:00 – 10:00
10:00 – 15:00
15:00 – 20:00
20:00 – 25:00
Partner Pass
Knee Pass
2 Man Active Pass
Upfield Passing
3 man weave
- 4 man 2 ball
- Star drill
- 3 man box
- 4 corner
25:00 – 35:00
Ground Balls
- Back to Back
- 2 on 1
- GB with trailer
35:00 – 40:00
Water Break
Split Field Offense/Defense
40:00 – 55:00
Offense
Shooting / Dodging
- Skeleton dodge
- Cone drill
- Box drill
55:00 – 75:00
75:00 – 80:00
85:00 – 95:00
95:00 – 105:00
Defense
Footwork – Def Passing - Clearing
Unsettled Scrimmages
- Disadvantage Dodging
- Fast breaks
- Slow breaks
- 4v4
- 3 v 2 or 4 v 3 keep away
Water
Controlled Scrimmage
- 6 v 6 Offense/Defense
- Man Up
- Man Down
- Clearing
Full Field Scrimmage
NM Lacrosse Stick Skill Drills
1. Choke-up on the Neck Passing
a. Both partners standing 25-30 yards apart
b. Both men put top hand on the neck of their stick (top of the shaft)
c. Must come over the top and keep hands away from the body or this is very difficult
d. Once this is done successfully slide hand back to regular position
e. Throw passes with no arc, straight line, in the BOX
2. Partner Passing
a. Emphasize basics
b. Lower hand away from the body
c. Stick in the imaginary BOX above the shoulder
d. Push / Pull on the stick
e. THROWING MAN step toward target
f. Over-hand throwing motion – stick rotates over the top in a circular motion like the hands of
a clock
g. RECEIVING MAN call out “HERE’s YOUR HELP”
h. Stick in the “BOX”- at all times on the field
i. Soft hands- like catching an egg
j. Don’t stab
k. Catch it like “THIRD EAR”
3. Knees Passing #1 Two Knees / #2 One Knee
a. #1 One man on Knees, one man standing
b. 20 yards away
c. Standing man rolls ball back to kneeling man
d. Kneeling man picks up the ball and throws from the knees
e. KEY COACHING POINT- Rotate Torso and get hands away from the body
f. Over-hand throwing motion – stick rotates over the top in a circular motion like the hands of
a clock
g. Knees do not move off the ground
h. #2 Kneeling guy puts his stepping foot forward so he is on one knee
i. 20 yards away
j. Standing man rolls ball back to kneeling man
k. Kneeling man picks up the ball and throws from the knees
l. Must be far enough away to have to work hard to throw – to short and they will flip the ball
off their shoulder
4. Active Passing
a. Progression of partner passing
b. Moving forward and back moving towards ball and towards target
c. Catch roll and throw
d. “Here’s your help”
5. Ground Balls
a. 1st Progression- 1 Man -Coach roll out ball- scoop & return
i. GBWG- “Ground Balls Win Games” learn it, live it, love it
ii. Call out “BALL”
iii. Both “BUTTS” low (stick Butt and man’s Butt get LOW)
iv. Scrape KNUCKLES
v. Accelerate
vi. Bring it to your HEAD
vii. Listen to your stick (cradle with stick head by your EAR)
viii. Look up to pass (Always, Always, Always move the ball off a ground ball)
b. 2nd Progression- Add breakout man (accelerate, listen to stick, look up to pass)
i. Pass to breakout man
ii. Turn for Over the Shoulder catch
iii. Roll ball back to coach
c. 3rd Progression- 1 V 1 ground balls – Start Back to Back
i. Start without sticks
1. On the whistle use legs to drive opponent away and get their head over the
ball. First defender to get face over the ball can pick the ball up
ii. Move to sticks after a number of reps
1. Don’t RAKE
2. Scoop through the ball
3. Accelerate
4. Listen to your stick
5. Look up to pass back to coach or breakout man
d. 4th Progression – 1 V 1 with Trailer
i. First players starts three yards ahead of second player
ii. Coach rolls the ball so player 1 has a clear path to ball
iii. Second player chases player 1 attempting to attack his back hand and disrupt scoop
iv. Player 1 calls ball, scoops, curls from pressure and gets to space
v. As player 2 pressures player 1, player 1 attempts to free hands and pass back to
coach.
e. 4th Progression – 2 v 1
i. Call man
ii. Call ball
iii. Make outlet pass after scoop
iv. Stay in passing lane
v. Make two passes back to lines
Active Passing Drills
1. 4 man 2 Ball
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Right Hand / Left Hand
Progression 1 – Catch and throw heading towards end player
Off-Hand catch, How to catch balls thrown to your “Off-side”
Catch Left / switch / Throw Right
Catch Right / switch / Throw Left
Progression 2 – Throw and catch one pass heading towards player and then catch over the
shoulder
Player 1
 Active pass
 Move your feet
 Move back and forth
 Roll right and left
 Jab right and left etc etc.
Player 2
 Catches while
moving to the ball
 Passes directly
back to end player
Player 4
Player 3
 Catch
 Active feet
 Pass
2. Star Drill
Benefits
 Hitting moving target
 Moving without ball
 Move to open space
Concentrations
 Focus on hitting the stick
 Drop head of stick behind ready to pass right away
 Show 100% of head
 Lead receiver
 Talk “Here’s your help”
 Right hand then Left Hand
Variations
 Multiple balls
 One cradle
 Zero cradle
 Choke up
 Behind the back
 Free style
 Fastball
Need Even number of players
- Pass to player that is two spots over and who is already moving and calling for the
ball
- Move to the spot you passed to
1
2
6
3
5
4
3. Triangle Drill
Adds V cut to Star Drill
 Progression 1 – Right and Left
 Progression 2 – Catch and roll opposite
 Progression 3 – Roll ball out after change of direction – roll and pass
 Progression 4 – Catch over the shoulder, roll around the line pass to over the
shoulder as next player V cuts then rotates around line
Line 1
Line 2
Line 3
4. Hoosier Drill
Benefits
 Throwing back across body
 Torso Turn
 Catch and pass on the move
 Both direction right and left
1
Pass
2
3
4
5
Pass
Line
After entire line has gone through positions move down one spot
5. Upfield Passing
Benefits
 Progression from stationary stick drills
 Pass and catch on move
 Hit the stick
Concentrations
 Correct passing technique
 Hit the stick
 Catch to your ear and move the ball back
6. 3 Man Weave
Benefits
 Head man pass
 Pass and catch on the run
 Upfield pass progression
Variation
 Catch – drop ball – scoop – pass
7. 4 Corner Perimeter Drill – Long Passes
Benefits
 Create Passing Lane
 Step towards target
 Keep stick to outside away from defense
 Catch left rotate and pass right
 Catch right rotate and pass left
 Pass and then cut opposite
Variation
 Add next player up as loose defense
 Multiple balls
Catch
Left
Roll
Pass
Right
D
Pass
Right
Roll
D
Line
Catch
Line
Left
D
Roll
Pass
Right
Catch
Left
Line
Line
D
Catch
Left
Pass
Right
Roll
Shooting and Dodging
1. Skeleton Dodge and Shoot
Outside “Mid” Lines rocker step and shoot inside – Middle line split and shoot
 Shoulders point to target
 Hands back
 Follow through with shoulders finishing facing end line
 Right hand and left hand
2 “Attack” Lines Dodge – Rocker Step - Shoot
2. Cone Drill
Benefits
 Hitting moving target
 Shoot on the run
 Catch and shoot quickly
Concentrations
 Keep stick in shooting position
 Quick and short shots
 Quick wrist fakes and then shoot
 Quick sticks
 Shoot low
 Turn bad pass into a goal
 Right and Left
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Pass first then dodge out to receive pass from other line
Front shoulder points towards goal
Finish towards goal with shoulders parallel to end line
Catch with stick in shooting position
Right shot
Left shot
Line 1
With balls
- Left Pass
Line 2
With balls
- Right Pass
3. Box Drill
Progression from cone drill – add defense
Benefits
 Hitting moving target
 Space and Time
 Take a check
 Catch, split, and shoot
Concentrations
 Keep stick in shooting position
 Quick and short shots
 Quick dodge and then shoot
 Shooter has shoulder pointed towards goal
 Jab step / Freezer
 Split
 Change hands
 Quick sticks
 Shoot low
 Right and Left
Defense passes then goes out to play defense
Offense Line
- Catch Right hand
- Split Left Hand shoot
Offense Line
- Catch Left hand
- Split Right Hand Shoot
Shoulder
Towards
Goal
Defense Line
- Pass then defend
- Left hand pass
Defense Line
- Right hand pass
- Second player in line makes
- First player moves out and plays
dummy defense – or use cone
4. Shot Location Drill
Benefits
 Seeing instead of staring
 Placement of shot
Shooting Line
Passing Line
Coach behind net
Points where to shoot
Scrimmage Drills
4 v 4 Disadvantage Dodging
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Work on defensive slide principles
o Communicate who is “COLD”
o Who has “TWO”
o Yell “FIRE” when slide happens
O4
O3
D4
“I got 2”
D3
O2
“I’m COLD”
D2
“FIRE”
D1
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O1
O1 starts with ball
D1 starts at disadvantaged position (shoulder to shoulder)
O1 dodges
D1 works to recover
D2 slides
O1 passes to O2 for shot unless D3 slides then ball moves to O3
3 v 2 regroup with goalie
Offense
Defense
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Offense
Coach
Goalie
Offense
Defense
Coach shoots on goalie
Offense starts outside of box and moves 10-15yds in after shot
Goalie clears to defense
Defense passes to offense inside of box then moves into play
Offense moves outside of box and then turns back into zone
3 v 2 on goal
2 v. 1 Situations
Offensively: A1 has the ball and
therefore must be a scoring threat
first. If the defender never plays
him, A1 should run in an shoot
the ball. At some point the
defender has to either slide to the
ball or keep backing up allowing
A1 an easy shot. If the defender
slides to A1 early, he must read it
and give the ball to A2. A2 must
stay in a passing lane where A1
can deliver the ball to him.
D
A1
Defensively, D is trying to
buy as much time as
possible without backing
up too much. At some
point, probably 7 yards or
so he must commit to
stopping the ball.
A2
3 v. 2 Situations
A1
D1
D2
A2
A3
Offensively: A1 takes the ball hard to
the cage drawing D1. As D1 slides to
A1 he passes to either A2 or A3,
usually it will be A3 because most
kids are RH. A3 must go upfield a
little bit as well as turn to face the
cage. When A3 gets the pass from A1
he must be ready to either shoot or
pass (to A2).
A2 must find the passing lane, either
upfield or on the crease so that A3 can
find him and get him the ball. He
doesn’t want to get too close so that
D2 can play him.
Defensively: D1 wants to wait as long
as possible to slide. He doesn’t want
to slide up field, rather hold his
ground; this will make his slide back
to the middle shorter. The tighter they
play, the more likely the offense will
take an outside shot. Ideally A1 takes
an outside shot, which is the easiest
save for the goalie.
4 v. 3 Situations
Offensively: A1 runs very hard toward the
cage trying to score. At some point A1
either has to shoot the ball, D2 doesn’t
slide, or pass the ball. A1 only real look
is to A2 (the point man). After A1 passes
the ball he should stay high in order to get
the ball back.
A2 has 4 options: first he should be a
shooter. Second he needs to read D1 and
D3 to find the open man. Typically A3
will be open, but if D1 and D3 cheat and
slide too quickly than A4 will be open on
the backside. A2 can’t get too low, he
must stay high enough where D1 has to
slide far enough not to get right on him.
A3
A4
D3
D1
D2
A2
A3 wants to come up field so that he can
turn the corner and be in position to shoot
or pass to A4.
A1
A4, again must find the passing lane to
A3.
All of the offensive players must stay
spread out so that the defense has a long
distance to slide. If the offense stay too
tight than the defense doesn’t have far to
slide and therefore an easier job.
A1
4 v. 4 Unsettled Situations
D4
A2
D3
D1
D2
A3
Offensively: In this unsettled
situation where, D4 is chasing or
running with A1, the defense is not
set up and there are opportunities to
go to the cage. A1 should try to
beat his man and draw a slide. All
the other offensive players should
stay spread out and look for a pass if
their defender slides.
A4
Any time there is an unsettled
situation where there are even
numbers the player with the ball
should go hard to the cage and try to
force the slide. If that player can
force that slide, there is usually
never a 2nd slide. If the player with
the ball jogs to the cage, it gives the
defense time to settle in and figure
out who is going to slide and who is
second slide.
Additional Scrimmage Drills
7’s or 9’s: 4 v 3 or 5 v 4 from any point on the field….Start across the midfield line in 7 or 9 lines, 4
or 5 offense and 3 or 4 defense. Coach rolls out ground ball for offense. Gain possession make the
first pass up field or to the opposite side of the field. (STRETCH THE FIELD) Don't do this drill from
just one point on field, throw loose ball out to many different points. Emphasize draw a man and dump
(Be like a magnet, attract a player) and then move ball quickly. Don't bunch up, Look for "ONE
MORE" pass all the time. We should usually score a "LAY UP" goal. Do not dodge your man...you
are a man up! Always try and get ball down the side through "X" if you can, which makes the defense
turn their heads...MOVE THE BALL, and make the easy passes.
Circle the net: 3 v 2 or 4 v 3…have kids run around crease…coach rolls ball out in any direction...
kids play uneven until a goal. After we pick up a ground ball move the ball to the opposite side of the
field!!
Keep Away: 3 v 3 in the alleys, 3 v 3 in the soccer circle, 5 v 5 in the restraining box. Do this in two
of these places during the 15 minutes. Have kids "show and go" ……."Show" or cut for the ball and
then…. "Go" clear through for the next player. Draw and dump, Defense should try to take ball away,
don't let them just cove their man, they must go to the ball and take it away...double team.
Keep away with fast breaks: 3 v 3 in the soccer circle….You can use two ends of the field. After
three total (not consecutive until U-11's) passes (2 passes if a young group), the player who receives the
final pass goes in on a fast break towards 3 defense, and 3 attack who are ready for the play. The
remaining players are passed a ball by the coach and go down to opposite goal on a 3 v 2.
Virginia Breaks: Two teams. 3 v 2 ground ball on one side at midfield line. Team who picks up GB
goes down to the offensive end on a fast or slow break. Emphasize getting the ball down the side
through X on a slow break. Make sure we have cutters on the back side toward ball at X (time the cut).
Perform the same drill with a 2 V 1 on the opposite side...same rules apply. This helps recognition of
fast / slow breaks, GB's and pushing the ball.
Back side drill: 4 offense, 4 defense. Lined up in a square…each def player is playing an offense
player. Coach rolls ball towards an offensive player (he should have a CLEAR advantage…TWO
adjacent def players must go to ball and cannot get back into hole until off player passes ball....other
players now play a 3 v 2...get the ball to the opposite side ASAP!!!!!
5 Line 1 v 1’s: Set up in 5 spots (1-3-2 set up). Emphasize the player keeps his Eyes up, Coach hold
up fingers just as dodge starts (make them say the number of fingers you have help up as they
dodge..they need to keep their head up!!!). From the top. One move and GO. "Split and Go". From
the side and behind start one direction, change direction QUICKLY and sprint to net (HEAD UP)...
From "X" you need to get to the 6 V 6 or the Island. Progression Talk....
2 v 2’s: Set up with offensive / defensive players at top of the box. Start with one offensive player and
one defensemen on crease. Top offensive player dodges toward goal. As he splits down one side or
the other and "beats" his man…the defenseman on the crease must slide EARLY. Offensive Player on
crease curls to the opposite side and finds a passing lane / Alley. Progression....dodger either question
marks (?) or feeds crease for a shot.