Teaching Offensive Skills Coaching Offensive Skills Jon Weston

Teaching Offensive Skills Coaching Offensive Skills Jon Weston The Goalieman Copyright – Weston Lacrosse

Teaching Offensive Skills Coaching Offensive Players • Excellent athletes may play good lacrosse semi-automatically – Even these can be taught to be more effective • Good athletes need some instruction/ guidance – YOU make the difference for a learning player – No one can help a closed minded one • Spend time with the willing ones • New habits come hard, but repetitions work Copyright – Weston Lacrosse

Teaching Offensive Skills Break It Down – Ten Points 1 - Get Closer 2 - Look At Net, Behind look at crease guy 3 - Don’t Give Your Hands Away 4 - Dodge with your Hips/Feet/Shoulder 5 - Shoot w/Hands BACK 6 - Change Planes 7 - Deception 8 - On The Move 9 - Efficient Cutter 10 -Great Ground Baller Copyright – Weston Lacrosse

Teaching Offensive Skills 1 - Get Closer • Less time for goalie to react • Less time to shoot close to the goal – Shot will be slower – Shoot past goalie – Small fakes work, especially in close Copyright – Weston Lacrosse

Teaching Offensive Skills 2 - Look At Net • Right Hand – Look Top Left • Left Hand – Look Top Right • Goalie will Disappear • Holes will Appear • Defender and Other Offensive Players Appear • Defender will back off to defend feed, dodge, shot, pass • Behind – Look to Crease Man – Same Affect Copyright – Weston Lacrosse

Teaching Offensive Skills 3 - Don’t Give Your Hands Away • Ball, Hands, Body, Defender, Goal • Keep your hands back away from D-man • Dare them to go over top – Learn to tuck and drive Copyright – Weston Lacrosse

Teaching Offensive Skills 4 – Dodge • Objective: Get by and get away from D – Explode for 3 hard steps after you go by • Dodge with your Feet – Example – Split Dodge – From Center Middie point chest, toes, and hips at the sideline to start with the stick and hands back (away from the goal) – At the end hips, chest, toes and hips point at the other sideline after the split – Step down field toward the goal as you pivot and then drive toward the goal • Protect with you back Copyright – Weston Lacrosse

Teaching Offensive Skills • • 4 - Dodge with your Hips/Feet/Shoulder Split Dodge – Lazy D Man Face Dodge – Stabbing D Man Bull Dodge – Through the Head Roll Dodge – Good D, Roll Away – Snap HEAD AROUND or Double is Coming • Fake Split & Go – Against Drop Steppers • Butt Dodge – Watch for Double – Don’t use this much • Co. D and Co. D Fake – Behind Goal – Finalizer is a sophisticated move – Learn the basics first • Learn to carry with left and split to right – Then learn to carry with right and split to left Copyright – Weston Lacrosse

Teaching Offensive Skills 5 - Shoot w/Hands BACK • (Point), Rock, Drive, Lift, Pull Down – Gary Gait – Use the Lever Action – Top hand is the pivot, bottom is power • Separate the action from your hips • American Grip • Canadian Grip – Hides Ball Copyright – Weston Lacrosse

Teaching Offensive Skills • • • 6 - Change Planes High to high needs speed High to low needs accuracy Low to low too easy to track Low to hi hard to track Right to left across goalie’s body harder to move – combine with split dodge – left to right • Left to right the same Copyright – Weston Lacrosse

Teaching Offensive Skills • • 7 - Deception Hide the Ball Behind your Helmet Dip Shoulder and Shoot High Raise Shoulder and Shoot Low Drop Hands and Shoot High ¼ Turn Fake and Feed Side arm shot shows the ball to the goalie too long – avoid this unless in close (reaching around the keeper) Copyright – Weston Lacrosse

Teaching Offensive Skills 8 - On The Move • 10 Ball Drill – – Alternate left hand right hand Scoop at 12 yards - Hand close to plastic Drive (step to goal –hands close to butt end) Shoot from 6 (Overhand) • Do everything on the move – Scoop and shoot – Left hand then right hand • Learn the Pitcher’s Followthru – Stargia / Dixon Copyright – Weston Lacrosse

Teaching Offensive Skills • • • 9 - Efficient Cutter Cut right at the feeder Catch the ball – make sure you get the ball Look at Net – Find the spot to shoot at Shoot to Net – shoot at net not the keeper It is a rhythm: – Catch…. , Look…. , Shoot…. – Not catch, shoot, look • SCREAM – “ONE MORE” – If the D slides to you because you talk then someone else is even more open Copyright – Weston Lacrosse

Teaching Offensive Skills • • 10 -Great Ground Baller Hustle, 1 st one there gets US the ball HAND JUST BELOW PLASTIC Your BUTT between you and other player PULL toward chest and step out Step toward (turn to) your butt end side Keep running Practice, practice Then learn the one hand snag pick-up Copyright – Weston Lacrosse

Teaching Offensive Skills 11 – Bonus - Backhand • Three was to receive the ball – Stick side high – protect – Off-stick side high – rotate to receive – Over the shoulder • • • Teach: Catching Over the Shoulder Opens up the back door cut Makes catching inside on the run easy Makes defender play you Catch backhand pass forehand Copyright – Weston Lacrosse

Teaching Offensive Skills • • • Drills Circle split to pass (with a crease guy) Circle roll to pass Circle open hip to pass Circle w/D roll to pass Lazy Left/Right line (Split) Aggressive D Left/Right Lines (Roll) Drive to shoot Right/Left lines (Shoot net) Feed Drills Left/Right Backhand catch, forehand throw immediate Give and go lines middie to attack Give and go lines through X cross crease Copyright – Weston Lacrosse

Teaching Offensive Skills Things That Beat Goalies • Accuracy to the Corners • Deception – Hide the Ball – Change Planes – Body Language (Lean low, shoot high) • Freeze the keeper – Fakes, motion • Distractions – Motion – Shooters on the move – Split Dodge • Move the Keeper – Passes – Sweeps Copyright – Weston Lacrosse

Teaching Offensive Skills Basic Throwing • Power Throwing – Top Hand Push – Takes lots of strength and practice – Bottom hand comes across the body – Chest/toes usually face the target • Touch Throwing – Like an Attackman – – – Top hand at ear level or above Chest/toes face perpendicular to target Bottom Hand Lift and Pull Straight Down Bottom hand stays on same side as top hand Long touch passes easy, protects ball on ride Very powerful technique Gary Gait Copyright – Weston Lacrosse