TEACHING "GOOD" LACROSSE TO THE THE YOUTH PLAYER

by Coach Joe Seivold  

Durham Academy (NC) Coach Joe Seivold Contributing Columnist for YLUSA.com. A former star at Gilman, Seivold was a four-time All-American at UNC and played on the 1986 World Champion Team USA. Seivold is also co-director of the Dixie Top 150 Lacrosse Camps. Coach Seivold Coaches at LaxPower's #1 Team in the South, Durham Academy. He has a son who plays for DA's JV team and another son who starts for UNC.

Coaches working with the 8-12 year old player are doing the greatest service
to our great game: growing its next generation of players. Doing so
correctly is a great responsibility, and one that I know youth coaches take
seriously. Instilling values of teamwork, sacrifice, and sportsmanship will
benefit players well after their playing days are over.
Let's focus on teamwork. This is the essence of high quality lacrosse. The
ability for an offensive unit to work together by moving the ball will
dictate its success as the team grows older. Unfortunately, at the youth
level, bigger, faster players can get away with dodging through double
teams, penetrating all the way to the crease, and dunking the ball. This,
however, is not "good" lacrosse. Coaches must find creative ways to break
kids of this bad habit, despite the fact that it may result in goals and
even wins at the youth level. To do otherwise, in the long run, cheats the
kid and the program.

TEACHING TEAMWORK
Practices should consist of drills and scrimmages which promote ball
movement. The following drills will help:
1) 5 v 2 (soccer style): 5 players play keep away from 2 chasing defenders,
in the restraining box area. To make it competitive, give one point to the
"offense" for every 4 passes successfully completed in a row; give the
"defense" a point for creating a turnover before the 4 passes are completed.
2) 4 v 2 to cage: Put 6 players in the crease area, plus a goalie. 4 are on
offense, 2 on defense. Roll the ball somewhere within the restraining box;
players leave the crease on the roll and fight for the grounder. If the
offense gets it, they should "go to goal", but can only score off an assist.
If the defense gets it, the offense "falls down" and the defense tries to
clear it past the restraining box "naked", but can only do so by completing
two passes between the 2 defenders and the goalie.
3) 1 v. 1s to cage with a crease: Have players dodge to goal, from out top
and behind. Have a second offensive player on crease. Offensive player
should drive to cage and then feed the player on the crease after he has
"shaken" the defender. Can't feed until he shakes him.
The best way to learn the game is to play the game. The following modified
scrimmage should help:
Set up a full field. 2 attack, two defense, three middies and a goalie per
team at a time. Faceoff and play lacrosse, with one major caveat: players
cannot go to goal until their team has completed two (or three, or five,
depending on skill/age level) passes in the offensive half of the field. If
the defense gains possession, the count starts over. This will promote ball
movement and moving without the ball, and will discourage the "coast to
coast" no-pass offense we see so often at the youth level.
By utilizing the above drills and scrimmage situations, players will learn
to move the ball, and before you know it, they'll be playing 'good"
lacrosse!