POP LACROSSE MINDSET

Lacrosse is more than just a game. It's an education through athletics for athletes to take on qualities of life to becoming a person who believes in themself. These qualities consist of accountability, discipline, and leadership.

 

Accountability- Being held responsible for your actions. ​

​ 

Discipline- Understanding the importance of creating and maintaining good habits. 

​

Leadership- Acquiring the qualities listed could position yourself in a role of trust and importance.

​
Operation
Our sessions begin with a routine. Each session starts with warm-ups five to fifteen minutes long that consists of dynamic stretching and a blend of stick skills and footwork. Once warmups are concluded we move on to the focus of the day depending on the position and experience of the player or players.  

 

All positions
Players must have balanced stick skills with both hands in the field game. Being able to pick up ground balls, catch, throw, shoot, protect, and make good decisions at full speed is key to being a contributor. All positions will learn the overhand release point when passing and shooting. All players will also be taught the face dodge, split dodge, and roll dodge. These three dodges are foundational moves for lacrosse players. All players will practice footwork that relates to lacrosse. This includes shuffling, drop step, crow up, finalizer, hitching, rocker step, and more. While being taught skills, players will be taught why it'll benefit them to develop their craft and how the opposition may react to a particular scenario.

 

Offense
Learning to catch, throw, and shoot at an overhand release point will be our primary focus during the start of our time together. While the player is learning the overhand catch and release point they will make passes and take shots from different parts of the field while both setting their feet and on the run. Players will also be taught different release points. Other release points include sidearm, underhand, shovel, twister, through the legs, and behind the back. Learning these is not to show-off or look cool. They are to be used to give the ball carrier the best opportunity to make a play. Along with stick skills, they will be taught footwork, sequences of dodging patterns, and how the defense may react. Players will also learn the reads that pertain to offensive sets, principles, and motions. Coach will occasionally play defense on players to have a better understanding of what it is we need to work on for the individual. 

 

Game context: Goalies are taught to scout and pick up shooter's habits. If a player can only shoot sidearm a goalie picks up on this and now the shooter is predictable. But if a player can shoot from multiple angles it will keep the goalie guessing where the shooter will release from next. 

 

Defense
When teaching defense we will focus on staying in front of the matchup, angle play, and stick skills (including stick checks). Footwork development will include ladder patterns, shuffling, backpedaling, drop stepping, approaching, recovering, and more. On top of building a strong foundation, the defenseman will learn to utilize the D-pole the way it is built. From picking up ground balls, maintaining separation, timing checks, and keeping it up in the passing lane. We will also develop an understanding of slide rotations, pick games, and clearing.

​

Game context: Off ball defenders still have responsibility. One of these responsibilities is to keep their stick up in the passing lane. This can deter the ball carrier to throw a skip pass across the field. 

 

Terminology

For the most part, lacrosse has a universal language and players will learn it during our time together. Learning these terms will allow players to lead their teams and react to coaches quickly. Terms like rollback, alley, hot, GLE, skip pass, fire, one more, c-curl, and hitch will be taught along with many more. 

 

Game context: Your team has the ball and needs to substitute players. Often the term “yellow” is called from coaches to slow the tempo down. This allows the team with the ball to control possession and get new players on the field.