Topic 4: Dodging and Ground Balls

Possession of the ball is key for lacrosse teams. Topic 4 is designed to expand your players' basic lacrosse skills by introducing both dodging and technique for groundballs. Remember that solid fundamentals help to create the foundation for more advanced skills and therefore should be practiced diligently. First off, we are going to examine how dodging can lead to success on both offense and defense. On offense, we'll look at how players can use dodges to get their sticks free for feeds and shots. On defense, we'll also see how players can dodge to get their sticks free for passes into the clear. Try incorporating dodges into the Line Drill set-up from Topic 3. Divide your players into two lines with you standing in the middle. Have each player run at you and execute a dodge around you before passing the ball to the player in the other line. In the same way, this topic provides several great drills for teaching young players the right way to field ground balls. Remember that controlling ground balls will give your team a significant advantage in possession and additional scoring opportunities. Check out the videos and tips for everything you need to instruct your players.

Practice Plan

    Warm-up lap with cradling reinforcement

    Stretch

    Line Drills (passing)

    Introduce dodges

    Face Dodge demonstration

    Roll Dodge demonstration

    Split Dodge demonstration

    Introduce ground balls

    2 v. 1 Ground Ball Drill

    1 v. 1 Ground ball Drill

    Scrimmage or Relay

    Final thoughts