4th Grade Lacrosse Links

Bounce back and Wall Ball drills:

  1. Avoid doing routine drills that don’t build skill. For instance, standing flat footed and throwing 50 right then 50 left does not challenge a skilled player.
  2. Skill 1: Turn Bounceback on its side to shoot hard and catch off the bounce.  This is more of a shooting drill to work on snapping the wrists and getting velocity on the ball.  You can do this on the wall too.
  3. Skill 2: At Wall – throw right, catch left. Then throw left, catch right.
  4. Box Lacrosse Wall Ball -use the boards as your bounce back.

Skill Building Games:

  • Dodgeball with Tennis Balls, Video 2 from (2-24-20)
    • Format: Two teams, tennis balls, 10 yard deep boundary.  Keep it contained and use lots of balls.  Guys that are out retrieve balls and feed players.
    • Rules: Get hit in the body, you are out. Headshots or blocking with stick does not count. Catch the ball, thrower is out & get a teammate back in
    • Benefits: Throw hard, catch hard passes, manipulate defenders with pumps, hitches, fakes.
  • Half Court Build up
    • Format: Start with 1v1 and goalie
    • Rules: If offense scores, defense adds a player. If defense clears the ball to coach, offense adds a player. Build up to 4v4.
    • Benefits: Varying play between all even and uneven.  Offense: Even – set picks; Uneven- find the open guy.  Defense: Even- man to man and communicate picks; Uneven – zone, slide and recover.
  • Keep ’em Out
    • Format: 4 offense, 2 defense.  Circle (crease), no goal needed.
    • Rules: Offense tries to run the ball into the circle for a point. Defense tries to keep them out.  If defense gets the ball, they clear to coach for a point.
    • Benefits: On ball defender apply pressure on ball carrier without over pursuing, off ball defender learns to slide to help as ball carrier gets close to circle.  Offense moves ball to open player to keep defense rotating.
  • Rugby
    • Format: 4v4, 20 yards wide, 60 yards long, no goal needed.
    • Rules: Each team tries to score a touchdown by running the ball into the end zone.  Passes can only be backwards – no forward passes! If ball carrier goes out of bounds, turn over.
    • Benefits: Defense learns to use sideline to trap ball carrier. Offense learns to roll away from pressure and find the open guy.
  • West Genny with Football (a fun variation that still teaches the skill) 
    • Format: 3v2 back and forth.  Two goals, one on each end of 60 yard field.
    • Rules: Offense has 3 players and defense has two.  Offense tries to score on a fast break.  The offensive player that ends the play (score, pass out of bounds, etc) is out. Then the two remaining offense go back on defense.  Defense switches to offense and adds a player to have three on a fast break the other way.  Keep going back and forth.
    • Benefits: Work uneven fast break to find the open player. Defense has to adjust to the ball.

3×3 Games with Picks and goalie:

  1. Rules: Must set picks, no hard outside shots
  2. Play with tennis balls, goalie, and small net
  3. Learn to manipulate the defenders with picks
  4. Don’t just run hard off the pick – you invite the switch too easily
  5. Sample pre-season games: 2/19/20; 2/23/20
  6. 2v2 & 3v3 with no equipment (a fun way to play!)
  7. 3v3 with just helmets and coach! (another fun way to play)
  8. Pre-season highlights and instruction

Bus Stop Ball: Outside Shooting, 2nd Grade Finishing, 4th Grade Finishing

  1. Fun shooting games with the kids while waiting for the bus
  2. Work on fakes and deceiving the goalie
  3. Read section on YOUTH LACROSSE in the blog from Jamie Munro

Box Lacrosse at the YMCA:

  1. Fall Highlight reel – 4th-7th grade mixing it up
  2. Tips on playing