Offense

Trailer | Stack | Motion | Back Door

If you're familiar with other plays in basketball, field hockey, soccer or men's lacrosse, see if they'll translate on the lacrosse field.

Trailer

When an attacker has possession of the ball and is running it downfield, another attack player follows right behind her -- she's the "trailer." Not only is the defense confused because the two players are so close together, but also this opens up several options:

1. Pass it off. If the first player becomes crowded with defensemen, she can shovel it to the trailer behind her. The trailer should be sure, however, to avoid running into the same traffic that the first player encountered. The first player can help her avoid this by providing pick-like protection. Or the trailer can change the pace by pulling out from the fan and giving her teammates time to set up and spread out.

2. Do a give and go. The first player can dump it off to the trailer, then sprint ahead to the goal for a pass when the defense begins to cover the trailer.

3. Quick stick variation. The first player passes to the trailer right before the goal and the trailer shoots. If the first player fades right, then the trailer shoots left and vice versa. Be aware of the defense players you may be shooting into. You may be awarded a blocking the shooting space call, but at the expense of injuring a player.

Stack

The first home keeps the ball behind the goal and calls "stack." The attack players (usually the other two homes and the center) make a tight line facing the goal at the top of the fan and when the home calls "break," each player quickly breaks away in a different direction. The second home at the front of the stack may sprint toward goal; the third home could break left, and the center, break right. In the middle of all this, a wing sprints diagonally across the goal.

The intent here is to confuse the defense and force them to bunch up. Hopefully, the defense will be tripping over themselves in the fan and the defense wing will be so busy looking at the formation, your attack wing can make a clean break for the goal. In addition, opportunities for "three seconds" or "blocking the shooting space" calls emerge.

However, this play can also result in EVERYONE bunching up, including the offense, so the first home should make sure her pass is secure. If a break away happens here, half of your team could be caught in the fan.

First Home: The defense should be playing man-to-man coverage in order for this to work. In addition, it's important that you are secure behind the goal. That is, that there is only one defender on you and you are confident that you can out-maneuver her on a moment's notice. You should also be aware of the goalie's potential to intercept the pass.

Motion

This play gets very confusing, but once you've mastered it, it smoothes out.

The attack takes four positions clockwise around the fan (A,B,C and D) while the first home holds the ball behind or to the side of the cage. One player decides to make a move for another post position. Let's say player B sprints diagonally across the goal to replace player D. Once player D sees B coming, D moves to the post position to her immediate left. So D replaces A. Then A cuts across goal to replace player C, and C cuts across goal again to take D's place. The thing to remember are that the first player cuts across goal and the person she is replacing goes to the post position to her left. The rest goes logically as each person gets replaced and makes the most effective cut. At the end of one cycle, it starts over again with one person taking the first cut.

This play takes a lot of practice to master just knowing who's going to cut first (you can designate your own system: post positions clockwise, counterclockwise, or choose specific players), and then smoothing out the rest of the play. So beware that if you use it in a game without complete confidence, your attack may be concentrating on watching the play move, rather than making a good cut. In addition, the first home should be aware of the same problems that arise in Stack.

Later, add the element of setting picks, so each cutter sets a pick for the post position they're replacing.

Back Door

An attack player (A) holds the ball behind or to the side of the goal. Another attack player (B) takes a low post position close to the cage and waits. Then a third attack player (C) sets a pick that traps the defense against the circle. Attack player B then spins around away from the pick in front of the goal, and player A drops it to her to she can score.

The pass between player A and C should be fast and accurate. As soon as player C turns, player A should already be one her way to nailing the pass into her pocket. Be careful of the goalie who might intercept the pass, as well as the defender who may accompany the pick-setter. The shot should be like a controlled quick-stick, making sure to avoid entering the crease.

Defensive Plays

Zone | Goalie

The Zone Defense

Be aware that while it is possible, switching to a zone defense is also difficult to master. As you may know from basketball, a zone defense means that the players defend an area of the field, rather than a person.
Defense players are positioned around the fan and when an attack player approaches to cut or go to goal, the players defend those who are cutting through their zone.

If your players are being out-run, a zone defense allows for a more concentrated area of defense, so that defense wings may not have to proceed quite as far on the attack side of the field; they can wait nearer their own goal, instead.

However, a zone defense also allows the other team to have greater control mid-field. That means they can pretty much call the shots on their attack. They can even wait until all their players are able to participate in the attack, rather than moving on the fly. But many high school teams rely on one or two attack players who are fast and bold and take the ball to the cage every time. In this case a zone may improve your defense, but placing your fastest player against theirs, is another solution.

Be sure that your team knows about the three-seconds rule. The defense should remain outside the arc unless they are following an attacker. It's important that the defense's sticks are always up and moving. Much of the distance between two defense posts can be covered using your sticks (just like a "hands-up" philosophy in basketball), so that interceptions are easier, players can cut off paths, and the defense can get a stick in on a cutter, even before real body checking starts.

The goalie can also serve as a cutter alarm. Since the defense now has more than one person they need to worry about, the goalie (and your other players) should notify one another when a cut is happening. Talking is VERY important. It's easy to misjudge where a person's zone ends and begins, so players should tell each other when anything is happening.

Low posts (the ones closest to the goal) should be aware of lobs over the heads of the high posts and quick-stick plays. The goalie can also step out or fight to prevent these.

It may be a good idea to split your team during practice to concentrate on attack and defense separately. It will take a while to get the zone right, so while your defense is perfecting the play, your attack can be getting the most out of practice as well, doing their own drills.

Goalie

There are three important aspects to being: stopping the ball, passing the ball and communicating with the defense.

Stopping the ball is obviously important. Some goalies concentrate on stopping the ball with their bodies, but should be moving toward using the stick as much as possible. Using the stick avoids injury, as well as balls being deflected by the padding into the goal. The goalie holds the stick loosely at the head and middle of the stick in front of her. She should, of course, be on the balls of her feet. When the shot is taken, she spins the stick to intercept it. She may even cheat a little to the left or right in front of the goal depending upon whether she's right or left handed.

Passing the ball is often overlooked, but very important. The defense should use the goalie to clear the ball when passing it on the field is difficult (i.e. a double-team, close coverage, etc.). Defenders can dump the ball into the BACK of the net for the goalie to collect and then clear. If you've ever used a goalie's stick, you'll know it feels completely different from a regular field stick, so make sure she is comfortable with using it. It may also be helpful to work on avoiding "telegraphing" the pass, i.e. staring at the target she's throwing at so that people can see where she intends to throw.

Since most of the action takes place right in front of the goalie, one of the most important jobs she has is to communicate what she sees to her defense. Are there attackers with no defenders covering them? Who's cutting? Can she detect a play developing? Is it a good time to double team? Who's open for a pass when the ball's turned over? Talking is THE key to defense.

Check to see whether goalies are allowed to make controlled checks from within the crease at the level for which you are playing. Checking is highly intimidating and effective when it's done by a goalie, and can be used especially well when attackers come around the crease to score.