The “Two-Minute” Possession Drill
Use this classic practice drill to work on passing, catching, stick protection, 1-on-1 Defense, plus get some conditioning work done at the same time!
Is your team struggling with turnovers, spending lots of time playing defense? This is a great "keep-away" drill to practice maintaining possession in the offensive end of the field!
Keeping possession is something every beginning lacrosse team has difficulty with. This drill is great for developing stick skills for catching and throwing in game situations, while your players learn to move their feet and practice stick protection, all at the same time!
Although it is no longer part of the college game, the "Two-Minute" rule still applies to NFHS Rules (High School), as well as to U15 and U13 US Lacrosse Youth Rules. The team with the most goals must keep the ball inside their attacking Goal Area (the "Box") during the final two minutes of play.
Coaches have been using this drill for years to practice keeping possession and not giving up unnecessary turnovers late in close games. You can use this drill with your team to work on handling defensive pressure, so your team will have the ball long enough in games to start your offense and create scoring chances!
HERE'S THE DRILL:
Figure 1.) Start all your players inside the Goal Area. Set up this drill just like a game. If you don't have a lined field, set up a simple box with cones around a goal, roughly the same size as a proper field- 40 yards wide by 35 yards from the endline.
Start one player with the ball outside the box. They have 10 seconds to get the ball inside the box, just like in a game.
PRACTICE TIPS:
- Try this drill with 4-on-4 or 5-on-5 before going straight to 6-on-6. Younger and beginning players have an easier time with more space to move and make decisions, plus they get more opportunities with the ball with fewer players in each drill.
- Even though it's called the "Two-Minute" Drill, start with 30 seconds or 1 minute before expecting your players to be able to run hard for a full 2 minutes. This is a pretty good conditioning drill.
- Keep score to inject some intensity! Give your Offense one point for every minute they keep possession. Give your Defense one point for every turnover they create. Play for full-field sprints, burpees, pushups, whatever. You could even do some sprints too, Coach!
RELATED PRACTICE DRILLS:
- "Guts" 3-on-3 Keep Away Possession Game: This is another great game we use in all our camps and clinics to work on stick skills, possession, and conditioning!
- 1-on-1 Ground Ball to 3-on-2 Drill: This great drill starts with a 1-on-1 battle, then moves to a numbers-advantage scoring situation!
- 1-on-1 Defend the Cone Drill: Teach your Defenders to play good "Body Defense" to create turnovers and get the ball back for your team!
- The classic "Bucket Game": Another great drill for Body Defense, we play this game at all our camps and clinics!
- The "T-Shirt" Game for "Inside-Out" Defense: Use this classic drill for Defense to teach your players to cover the middle of the field first, then come out and cover a man.
Make sure to tell us if you start getting more scoring chances after practicing keeping the ball with this drill!
