Defensive Lacrosse Drills

If you follow any type of team sport you will notice a very common trend.  The team with the most disciplined, well organized and effective defense wins a lot more than poor defensive teams.

What is sad is that most poor defensive teams either spend very little time practicing defensive skills, or they are trying to over complicate the defensive side of the game.

The objective is very simple for a defense; stop the offense, sounds simple enough, but commonly forgotten.

Many young lacrosse players get more confused on the defensive side of things than the offense.  It is this confusion that causes indecisiveness and missed assignments.

Defensive Lacrosse Skills

Footwork

Proper footwork is often the source of many defensive problems.  It is all too common to see a young player know what to do, but defeat themselves by getting out of position due to lack of footwork fundamentals.

We have included TWO specific drills that if used repeativly will build young player's instincts and muscle memory using proper footwork techniques.

Offensive Numerical Mismatches

It is very common for the offense to have a numerical mismatch, say a 3-on-2 situation.  Too often the offense wins this, but that can be avoided.

By practicing and utilizing some very simple slide techniques your defense can shut down those mismatches with confidence.

Pressure Drills

The defense has to pressure the offense, it will cause them to make mistakes and lose possession of the ball or take inaccurate shots.

By practicing defensive pressure you can train your defense to be aggressive, yet in control of the field, thus giving your players tons of confidence.

Stick Usage

The big defensive stick can sometimes be hard for a young player to manage, but with the proper amount of practice and the right drills stick usage can be a very effective skill.

Goalie Drills

You have to give your goalie plenty of practice here.  We included some simple, fun, yet challenging drills.

 

Based on our experience and opinion the 10 defensive lacrosse drills included in our book are the simplest, yet most effective methods of improving overall defense.

We have tried countless methods over the years and these seem to work out the best.

You can get our "45 Youth Lacrosse Skills and Drills" here.