youth lacrosse shooting practice drill

2-3-1 Alley Dodge with a Crease Pop

Create tons of scoring chances from top center with this simple play option. You can add it to your Motion Offense to confuse the Slides from the Defense if your players already understand the basic Alley Dodge.

We saw Team USA using this play in their basic offensive set at the beginning of the Champions Challenge last weekend in Florida against defending NCAA National Champions Denver. We've also seen many college teams using this option over the last few years.

This simple play can create tons of goals if your team is already running the classic 2-3-1 Motion Offense using the basic Alley Dodge that high school and college coaches have been teaching players all over the country for decades.

Use this option to create lots of good shot opportunities from up top, right in front of the goal.

Plus, if your opponents don't have a very well-organized Defensive Slide Package, you can run this same play repeatedly to score multiple goals per game!


HERE'S THE PLAY:

Start your players in a basic 2-3-1 Formation. Two middies up top at the corners of the box, with one on the Crease. Two Attackmen should start at each wing, with one behind the goal at "X"

We normally run this play down the right side Alley (when looking at the Goal) so that the initial Dodge and shot on-the-run are right handed, since most players are right handed.

2 3 1 alley dodge crease pop lacrosse motion offense play

Figure 1.) Start this play any time the ball gets to Blue 1. Blue 1 will use a left-to-right split dodge to go down the right Alley. His first move should be hard towards the middle of the field, so that his second move will take him down the Allely to the goal.

Blue 4 will "Clear Through" to the Crease to create space for Blue 1 to Dodge. If Defender Red 4 doesn't follow him, Blue 4 should be open in front of the goal! This "Clear Through" is a basic principle of the classic Motion Offense.

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PRACTICE & GAME TIPS:

  • Use this Crease Pop as a Man-Up Play also! Pop a Midfielder off the Crease for a good shot from top center against the basic 4-Man "Box and One [in the middle]" Man-Down Defense.
  • How do you know when is a "Good Time" to start this play? We like to run this play once we've moved the ball from one side of the field to the other, left-to-right or right-to-left. Draw the Defense to one side of the field, then attack the back side where there is space to dodge.
  • Run this same play down the Left Side of the field! Let your right-handed players run this same play down the other side of the field. A right-handed shot from the left-side gives your players a better shot with a better shooting angle with their sticks inside, in front of the goal.
  • Related: New Trends in Today's Lacrosse- Going Back to "Righties" and "Lefties"

RELATED PLAYS & DRILLS:


Make sure to let us know if you get some good goals in games using this great Crease Pop Play!