Fundamental Skills
A lacrosse beginner is considered to be anyone who has been playing the sport for less than two years. Some children will advance quicker than others due to athletic ability and the amount of time they practice on their own. Age is also a factor; a fifteen-year-old is likely to advance faster than an eight-year-old.
This section is a fundamental skills foundation for the beginning lacrosse player. It is an overview of the basic skills and concepts players need to know and provides drills and games that foster the growth of these fundamentals.
Games
At the youth beginner level, the most important thing to do as a coach is to keep things light and fun for everyone. There is no reason to turn kids off from the game of lacrosse by being too serious or too demanding. Our philosophy is to try and show beginners that lacrosse is a fun game that get…
Passing Drills
The single most important drill for a lacrosse player at any level is throwing against the wall. This is an extremely important drill for a beginner lacrosse player to utilize on his own time. At the lower levels, the player who gets against a wall for ten to fifteen minutes about 3 or 4 times per…
Ground Ball Drills
Ground ball drills are easy to vary and are usually fun and simple for beginners. The first ground ball drill that you can run with your players is very basic. Just have them line up about 10 yards away from you. Slowly roll the ball and have them scoop it up, and throw it back to you.
Face-Offs
As you gain experience, you’ll begin to see how having a dominant face-off man can change the course of a game. It can make or break a game. It starts fast breaks and creates scoring opportunities. It also prevents an opposing team from gaining momentum by possessing the ball after EITHER team sco…
Passing
The lacrosse pass is a fundamental lacrosse skill. Most successful teams have the ability to move the ball quickly and effectively transition from defense to offense. Fast breaks and quick attacks can result when you have the ability to effectively pass the ball.
Dodging
The lacrosse dodge is a fundamental skill of lacrosse. Developing good dodging skills is critical to the ability of your team to score. The goal of any dodge is to protect the stick for a pass or shot. All dodges share a common goal which is to keep the stick and ball away from the defender to set…
Checking
The lacrosse check is an essential element of the game. The game is very physical and contact is a big part of it. Being aggressive and physical is a very good quality to have for a lacrosse player, especially for defensive and midfield players, but even attackers can benefit from a good checking…
Cradling Drills
Since stick skills are the most important thing for beginners to learn, most of the drills and games that follow focus on stick work. Another important aspect of teaching young players is allowing them to have fun. So, coaches have to find a balance between working on their players’ stick skills…
Scooping
Scooping a ground ball in lacrosse is one of the most important skills in this sport. There are numerous opportunities in a lacrosse game that require a player to scoop a ground ball. The lacrosse scoop is a technique used to gain possession of the ball when it is on the ground.
Shooting
If you want to shoot hard, you should grab a bag of balls and shoot until your arms fall off. While the mechanics of shooting are technical, I have simplified them into six major points. Shooting a lacrosse ball has elements of a batter’s swing, a golfer’s drive, and a pitcher’s throwing motion. I…
