Dodging and Close Crease Shooting Drill
We saw one of the top teams in college lacrosse using this rapid-fire shooting drill in their pregame warm-ups last season. Do this drill with your players any day at practice to work on dodging, passing, and finishing in tight on the Crease!
We love this drill because it gets your players scoring those crucial lay-ups, and it's great work for your goalies to see tons of shots in a short amount of time. When we watched the college guys do it, the Goalies had already warmed up with literally hundreds of shots before the game even started.
If you want your players to be able to:
- Dodge past their Defenders with their heads and eyes up, ready to move the ball;
- Handle cross-crease passes through traffic when their Defenders leave them open;
- Throw shot fakes to move the goalie and finish the big plays with the ball in the net;
...then this drill is for you!
We thought this drill was so genius when we saw it--the Dodgers were dodging, the Shooters were shooting, and the Goalies were saving. They were all practicing exactly what they would be doing in the game just a few short minutes later.
Here's THE DRILL:
Start a line of Dodgers at the top center of the box, with Shooters on both wings at Goal Line Extended (GLE). Place all the balls with the line of players up top.
Place a line of cones 1 or 2 yards in front of the Crease in front of the goal. Or you could just lay your stick there, Coach. Your players have to shoot from in front of the line, ie right on the Crease, close to the goal so they learn to handle the ball in tight spaces.
Figure 1.) Blue 1 will make a "move" at the cone "Defender" and Dodge to the goal. This is a great time for your players to work on their Face Dodge, Split Dodge, Roll Dodge, Toe Drag, etc.
Focus on "change of speed and direction" with your players to get past their Defenders. In a game, a Slide will be coming, so they need to have their eyes up, ready to move the ball.
PRACTICE TIPS:
- Square up to face the goal. Get a good shot right in front. If your players get pushed in the back here, the Defender will get the penalty and you will get the Man-Up. (Right Ref?!)
- One cradle and out! Don't let your players hang on to the ball for too long, whether they are Dodging or Shooting. Move the ball quickly!
- Find the Ball! Make sure the shooters are watching the ball all the way into their sticks. Make sure your Goalies are finding the ball when it comes out of the shooter's stick.
RELATED PRACTICE DRILLS:
- Square Dodging and Passing Drill: This college pregame warm-up drill gives your player plenty of reps to work on their "moves".
- 2-on-2 Dodge and Slide Drill: Use this drill to practice Individual Dodging and Defense, plus teach your players how to work together to get to the goal!
- 1-on-1 "Revenge" Clearing and Dodging Drill: One of our favorite Dodging Drills, "Revenge" gives each player the chance to carry the ball against 1-on-1 pressure, and Defend another player carrying the ball.
This is so much more than just a Shooting Drill. Definitely tell us if it helps your team put in some nice goals!