Defense Tips from Toronto Rock Defenseman Dan Ladouceur Jamuary 15, 2002

from PLPA.com

Dan Ladouceur of the Toronto Rock, shares his expertise on the defence.
Hello lacrosse fans, my name is Dan Ladouceur and I play for the Toronto Rock. Here are a few tips to consider when thinking defence.
As previously mentioned on Pro Tips, knowing your opponent and their tendencies is a key element to mounting any form of effective defense. Some important areas you may want to consider are channeling a player, playing open or closed off ball and being in a slide position.
Channeling a player is done, for the most part, with your foot and body positioning. For example, if you have a player who you know likes to go underneath the bottom defender and dive across the crease area, then that defender needs to shut off the bottom lane. This is accomplished by simply overplaying the low side of the ball carrier and squaring off his feet and upper body to the ball carrier. This puts your body in the lane that the ball carrier wants to penetrate, forcing his first movements to be toward the top of the zone and subsequently into the defenders teammates. Proper positioning for shouting off a low lane may appear to give the ball carrier a step on the defender, however this is not always the case.If the ball carrier reads to defenders closed body position and thinks he can beat him in a foot race, either around the top of the zone or through the middle, he must also concern himself with the four other defenders taking up positions throughout the defensive zone. These players will be available to "slide" into position for a big hit or to strip the ball. The same sort of body positioning is appropriate for a player that you know has a great outside shot and that likes to shoot on the run. Obviously you don't want to let that player run unmarked across the top of your zone, so you channel him down to the board sides, taking away his movement across the top and decreasing his effective angle on the net. Again, utilizing your foot and body position, you would want to close the lane that runs across the top of your defensive zone, forcing him down the sides of your zone and into your teammates for help.
When we talk about being in a slide position or being a slide guy, there are a couple of things to consider regarding your responsibilities. First of all, if at all possible, you want to avoid sliding from the crease position. Sliding from the crease position leaves a man unmarked in a very high scoring percentage area. If the ball carrier you are sliding to is able to get a pass of to the crease man you just left, they have created a quick stick opportunity and your goalie will not be pleased with your decision. Secondly, the slide needs to be done very quickly so as not to telegraph your intentions. IF the ball carrier is able to anticipate your action, this may allow him to dump the ball to an open player once you start your movement, leaving another defender in a two on one situation. The ideal slide position is from the high position on the off ball side. This makes it difficult to make a pass to the open man, and leaves the valuable crease area protected.
Last area to cover is how you want to set your body up while playing of ball in the defensive zone. You can either set up open or closed on the man you are guarding. Open simply means that you are in a position that allows you to see the rest of the floor and to move into positions of help if need be. You want to keep you check in front of you as much as you can so you watch the ball, but you cannot lose focus on the guy your marking as he may take that opportunity to slip behind you to cut to the middle. Playing closed means that you are playing a basic one on one game with an offensive player. Wherever that player goes, you want to stick with him. This generally means fighting through picks and screens and always being within a stick length of your check. Playing closed is very difficult and requires your teammates help as far as denying any player from setting effective picks.
Again, knowledge of you opponent is key when deciding what tactics to employ in your defence. Knowing you opponents strengths allows you to choose where to channel the player, whether to play him open or closed as well as where the most effective slide would come from.
Hope you can use some of these ideas, Good luck.
Dan Ladouceur