Coaching Plans
Welcome to the Coaches Blog here at MyLaxBlog.com. Below you will see a basic practice plan for High School lacrosse. The modules can be moved around but I usually stick to this type of practice plan and change the drills inside the modules. Feel free to email the coach with any additions or ideas that you might have.
The Basic Practice Plan - Usually before practice, I will spend between five and 10 minutes talking with my players. This is important in developing a relationship with my players and gives me an idea of how my players feel on this particular day.
Fitness Module 20 minutes:
You can do multiple things here to make this fun. I usually have some form of Indian run that varies between speed running and distance running. Each day before practice my team will run between 1.5 and 2 miles depending on whether it is a speed training day or an endurance training day. All of our runs include the Indian Run format. Depending on the type of fitness training there may be a competitive flavor added to the runs. If a player falls behind during a team run, and this usually only happens on speed training day, a team captain will run with that player so there is no one left behind. It is important that a player knows that she will not be left behind.
Passing Module 15 minutes:
I have my players practice on moving passes, passes behind their backs, and passes from odd angles. During this passing portion of practice, I will work with players one-on-one to develop good stick habits and accurate passing. There are multiple drills that you can use in this set of drills.
Fun Passing Game Module 15 minutes:
At this point you can get your players into a short fun game such as Box Passing. The main focus of this game for our team is to work on moving our sticks while we pass and to recognize open passing lanes. They will also learn the different angles they will need to hold their sticks so the ball will not fall out while passing. You can use any group drill at this point and turn it into a game and it will be effective. Remember while this is a drill it is also a social time.
At this point you will have incorporated two 5-minute water breaks. You still have an hour to practice on spacing and teamwork.
Spacing Module 15 minutes:
As with the men’s game spacing is an important part of the women’s game. Much of the women’s lacrosse game requires cutting towards goal to receive a pass and this means that players must be aware of spacing and timing so they are not constantly clogging the 8 meter arc. You can do multiple drills with this part of your practice, such as working on setting screens and picks. Make sure you talk with your players to teach them importance of keeping proper spacing. If players are too close together a simple stick check will dislodge the ball from offense of players stick. This is a good time to work on the proper spacing during isolation plays and you can also work on 2v1 and 3v2 sets. As with the boys game you can use markers on the field to give a visual of what you’re talking about when it comes to spacing.
Team module 30 minutes:
In this module, you will work with your offense and defense teams practicing plays And sets. You should know what your team needs to work on at this point. You can either work offense for the entire 30 minutes or defense for the entire 30 minutes. Or you can split them.
Stick tricks module 15 minutes:
Learning stick tricks will increase the quality of every area of your teams play. If you’ve ever seen a woman’s lacrosse game especially at the high school level. You have seen the ball hit the ground multiple times. Practicing stick tricks will improve your team passing, catching, and shooting skills. You’ll quickly notice your player’s confidence begin to rise, and with that you will notice you have more players on the field interacting in the game instead of watching the good passers and stick handlers work. You will also have the by-product of players practicing at home which is a bonus any coach.
If you are interested in a more in depth coaching plan with forms and drills included I will be providing that at a small cost. This will help offset the time spent developing the drills, forms, and instruction.
