When coaching girls lacrosse, it is crucial to understand that confidence on the lacrosse field starts with mastering the basics—and cradling is one of the most essential. It’s not just about keeping the ball in the stick; it’s about giving young players the control, rhythm, and poise they need to move with purpose. A strong cradle allows athletes to protect the ball under pressure, transition smoothly, and set up every play with confidence.

The right mix of instruction, repetition, and encouragement can turn hesitant hands into high-impact players. These practical tips and easy-to-teach strategies work for any kind of young player. Give your team the tools they need to develop, compete with confidence, and truly enjoy the game.

All lacrosse players know that solid stick skills set a great player apart from a decent player. Sheehan Stanwick Burch, a four-time All American women's lacrosse player and US Lacrosse Hall of Famer specializes in taking decent players and making them into great players. Burch has mastered teaching new players how to cradle with a few simple points and reminders that she covers in her course, Girls Lacrosse Drills & Tips Video Library, as well as many other key lacrosse concepts. Anybody can learn to cradle effectively, so let's dive in!

Tips to Know

If you’re coaching girls' or women’s lacrosse and want your offense to start putting more points on the board, it all starts with smarter shooting. These unique strategies taught by seasoned professionals will give even the best players a better chance at improving their shooting skills. These strategies are easy to integrate into practice and effective at every level of play. Whether you're working with players who are seasoned shooters but want unique skills, or elite players just entering the attacking scene, new shooting techniques can give your players the tools to score with confidence. These shooting methods are game changers for players looking to step their game up to the next level.

The best way to improve specific skill sets is to learn from a seasoned professional, and Coach Jamie Munro is surely an expert in the field of lacrosse shots. In his time playing for Brown University, Munro used his shooting skills to score a whopping 152 points. Additionally, he coached a D1 women’s lacrosse team and started his own lacrosse company.

Coach Munro shares a treasure trove of women’s lacrosse skills in his ‘Women’s Lacrosse Skills Master Classer Class’ program, ranging from, but not limited to footwork drills, cradling tactics, defensive strategies and elite-level shooting techniques. Listed below are the two of the most foolproof lacrosse shots that will leave defenders and goalies stunned. 

Fade Shot

If you look at the numbers, it’s safe to say that the sport of Lacrosse continues to be a growing sport. In the United States alone, participation grew over 3% in 2017 with over 825,000 people playing the sport. That was the 12th consecutive year of growth with a net increase of at least 20,000 players each of those years. Participants include boys, girls and men and women from the youth level up to the high school and collegiate years.

With the increase comes the need for more knowledgeable coaches who can teach the game the right way. Sure, some coaches have played the game and have a good idea of the types of drills and practice sessions needed. But for the more beginning level coaches, it’s helpful to have some drills to fall back on that can help improve your team. Here are five drills that we think can help.

Catching Drillsg Drills

Catching drills are important because throwing and receiving are such important parts of the game. Start with some stationary drills between paired up players. Have them make some throws and catches from their left side and then their right side until they are comfortable.

Move to catching drills where the players are running. They need to learn to throw and catch while on the move while also alternating between their right and left hands.

Finally, have them practice making poor throws so it’s more difficult to make the catch. This will get them practicing extending to catch passes or moving their stick from one side to the other.

Clearing Drillsg Drills

Goalies need to practice making clearing passes after a save. Practice this by having one player shoot the ball while another moves downfield towards the midfield line to receive the pass from the goalie. You can start with the goalies making passes to stationary players and then change it up by having receivers on the move catching the goalie passes.

Ground Balls Drillls Drill

Pair players up and roll a ball so that each player has an equal chance to get it. The goal is to have them battle for the ball and not allow the other player to win it. Some tips here is for players to practice using their body to box out the other and gain possession or kicking the ball loose from a scrum to get a better advantage. This drill will teach players how to aggressively gain possession of the ball for their team.

Cradling Drillsg Drills

Have players cradle the ball while running down the field. First using both hands and then switching to one hand and alternating between each hand. This is needed when a player needs to ward off a defender with their opposite hand.

Shooting Drillsg Drills

These can be done in a variety of different ways to simulate game conditions. They should practice shooting on the move going to both their left and right, and sometimes with a defender in front of them. They can also practice shooting after scooping a ball off the ground or when coming from around the back of the net. You can also use cones to add specific target areas for players to improve accuracy.