5v5 Keep Away 2man on ball / 3man off ball:

This drill is one of the most important environments in terms of mastering the Principles Based Offense.  Here is the set up:

• 5v5
• No space restriction
• pick on ball in a 2man action
• Defense "No switch" fight over picks on ball
• Picks/Slips/Seals off ball in a 3man action
• Defense can switch or stay off ball

I have tried this drill with 4v4 which I like, but I prefer 5v5 because it allows the players to practice their 3man off ball actions as well as making it easier to move the ball in the drill.  I do not use a space restriction because the emphasis is not simply on possession but on running our offense with on ball and off ball picks versus pressure.  With restricted space the ball carrier can be unrealistically trapped and I want her to be able to step back and square up without a restriction of space to set up for using a pick.  The reason we are working against the pressure, no switch, fight over the pick defense is this is how the most athletic teams will play your two man game.  If you master the ability to "Invite" or bait your defender over the pick, it will guarantee creating advantages in 2man game versus the most athletic defenses you will face.  Off ball we give the defense the option to switch or stay which gives the players in the 3man action a chance to work on sticking picks, switching picks, and using seals.

What you will find when your players first start doing this drill is they will pick off ball and the defense will switch and no one will get open.  When the defense switches, we must slip through the gap or seal the switch.  This drill is phenomenal for learning how to seal and slip!

This drill is amazing for 1v1 dodging development.  I say this all the time, this is a dodging offense (as well as a passing and picking offense) but the kind of dodging is in the context of using picks.  The ability to look off your direction, control your defender's approach, to step back and square up at will, to split / roll to come back to a pick, to refuse a pick and use "Hostage Dribble" techniques, and learning how to use hesitation moves is what players learn in this drill.

I did this drill at every one of my practices with my HS team.  One of the things I worked a lot on was jabbing to our of stick side and split dodge roll backs back to our stick side to buy time versus the pressure.  So many kids end up squaring up towards the pick, projecting where they're going turning sideways and allowing the defender to push right over the pick.  Jabbing with a Toe Drag type of stick position as well as the split / roll is a great way to keep the defender honest.  Finally, if the defender knows you want to split / roll, you can cut them off, use hesitations moves and Hostage Dribble concepts when you refuse the pick.

Part 2

I view this drill / game as one of the most important in all of the Principles Based Lacrosse curriculum.  I would do this drill at least 2x per week in season.

First, the main principle this all even pressure keep away teaches is possession; handling pressure on ball, completing passes versus pressure on off ball adjacent players, as well as handling double teams on picks in a confined space.  I like 5v5 better than 4v4 because It provides more variability.  Since we require picks on and off ball simultaneously, the drill naturally evolves where there will be a 2man action and a 3man action.

Another critical principle at work in 5v5 Keep Away is learning how to read the defense in on and off ball 2man situations.  Once you get your players to set picks, it forces the defense into a coverage.  If your players can identify the coverage, they can use the appropriate solution and punish the defense.  For example if the defense switches, the picker can slip while the dodger or cutter engages both defenders.  Or, if the on ball defender pushes out over the pick, the picker sticks the pick and the dodger or cutter can bait or "Invite" the defender over the pick, putting her in a permanently trailing position.  Quite frankly, this is the secret sauce to the Principles Based Offense.  With an ability to recognize coverage solutions, your offense will create advantages consistently.

In women's lacrosse, on ball pick defense is predominantly played in two ways: switch or pressure / fight over the pick and switch late if you have to.  In this 5v5 Keep Away Drill we focus on solutions versus the pressure / get over the pick / no switch because I feel that the most athletic teams will play this way and bully your pick game and if you can master this situation, the switch / slip / Nations looks will be easy.  The full pressure allows the dodger to learn how to control their defender with posture, with pick refusals and fake refusals that result in the ultimate in dodging practice.  You will see jabs, hesitations, roll backs and hostage dribble, post ups and look offs used to perfection, or not!

Off ball, we allow the defense to switch picks, opening up opportunities for seals and slips, but we also selectively use a face guard on one player to work on this situation both in preparation for being face guarded, but also to practice the solution to the ultimate no switch situation.

Finally, a principle that is overlooked on offense that is a major emphasis in the Principles Based Lacrosse model is communication.  Without communication

Rules

• Picks on and off ball creating a 2man and 3man action
• Complete passes (Count passes to make it competitive)
• Confined space, keep it in the 12 above the GLE
• Scripted defense on ball: pressure / no switch or double team
• Scripted defense off ball: deny adjacent passes, can switch or stay on off ball picks, 
• Face Guard: we mix in a face guard on one player at a time

When you watch the video of this drill I want you to watch for two main things: first, did the dodger bring her defender over the pick and turn the corner at a right angle?  If you see dodgers run flat or straight, they didn't create an advantage.  If you see the dodger turn a corner at a right angle, she created an advantage.  Second, is off ball communication occurring as to who is picking for whom?  And third, is the off ball cutter cutting blindly to the ball, or reading her defender and making an appropriate read?