8/10/2021 - Optional Practice

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Time Drill
5 Min Active Stretching
  • Start with a warm up jog of a full length of the field and back
  • Knee huggers (hamstrings): Hug each knee to the chest, moving hips forward
  • High kicks (hamstrings, hips): Kick leg up and across the body towards raised hand on opposite side. Let leg free fall (lightly) backwards.
  • Lateral slides (groin, hips, knees, ankles, lower back): *visualize a line of hurdles* move laterally while ducking under each hurdle.
  • Heel scoops (hamstrings, lower back): Extend leg out in front with heel on the ground. Reach with both hands towards the heel. Come “through the leg” with arms all the way above the head.
  • Toe touches (hamstrings, core): On one foot, reach down and across the body towards the foot on opposite side. Simultaneously reaching behind with unplanted leg.


5 min Warmup jog three times around the field
15 Min Movement (1-7 should be daily, 8-10 are linear acceleration specific)

15-20 Yards

  • 1) Marching with high knees (hands up)
  • 2) Marching with high knees (arm swing)
  • 3) High Knee Skips
  • 4) Lateral High Knee Skips
  • 5) Side Shuffle w/Overhead reach
  • 6) Carioca
  • 7) Back Pedal
  • 8) Running with high knees
  • 9) Tall-Fall Run x 3
  • 10) Push-Up - Start x 3
  • 11) Build Up Sprints (40 yards) x 3
7 Min 3 Man Passing with 2 Balls
7 Min 3 Man Weave
7 Min Double 2 Man Mirror Shooting
  • From both sides up top, put a line with balls
  • Put two guys in the crease in the alley
  • Have guy dodge down the alley, crease guy clears through and up, receives pull pass then shoots
7 Min Dodging from X
  • The Boyle Rule - Ask yourself am I faster or more athletic then the person covering me?
  • Optimal Speed - the rate at which someone or something is able to move or operate
  • change of speed
  • change of direction
  • change of angle
  • change of posture (running back/quarter back)


  • Step Back - Fade away step away shot, use your man as a screen
  • Backhand - running to the crease stick to the inside and shoot backhand
10 Min Star Recovery Drill
Star Recovery Drill
  • Interior cones mark out the “heart,” or most dangerous area of the field.
  • Practice covering inside out and back again
  • on-ball defenders have one responsibility: stop the ball carrier.
  • Off-ball defenders need to worry about protecting the inside, keeping head on a swivel with assigned attacker, and be ready to cover open players should you need to slide
  • Setup two sets of cones like in the diagram
  • Kids start at the X's and approach and recover at each cone
  • Exterior cones represent an offensive player preparing to dodge.
  • Defender slides to cones on an angle, not a direct line.
  • Stick should be up field when breaking down on the exterior cones.
  • Stick should be to the inside (in passing lanes) at interior cones.
  • Variation: Add offensive guys on the outside and one in the crease, pass the ball around, have the whole team defense approach and recover


15 Min Diamond 2 Man Game

This drill is an on the crease two man game with two defenders. The objective of the drill is to pass the ball around the goal and make a pass to an inside guy who is cutting or picking to get open.

  • This drill involves at least 8 players
  • Setup 4 players in a diamond pattern around the goal (with the top player near the top of the box)
  • Put 2 offense and 2 defenders in the crease
  • Add a goalie
  • The 4 diamond passing guys pass the ball around the goal, holding it for a few seconds
  • The inside offensive guys look to set picks, do picks and rolls, and to play the 2 man game
  • Defense is reacting to where the ball is with sticks up
  • The outside players look to feed an inside guy (they cannot shoot the ball)
  • Players on the inside should play for about 45 seconds then rotate (if a goal is scored outside players grab another ball)
  • Defense should keep sticks up, check sticks, look to intercept, talk to each other


10 Min 4 Man Ground Ball into a 3v3

This drill was invented by Paul Myers. The goal of the drill is to reward the player who wins the ground ball with the opportunity to play offense. Defensively, this drill helps players drop back to the hole quickly and to find a man to cover.

  • Put a goalie in the net
  • Have 4 lines of guys at equal distance around the box (one line in each corner)
  • Have 2 additional lines of guys, one on each side of the box, in between the 4 guys fighting for the ball
  • The coach rolls the ball out, the 4 lines battle for the ground ball. The winner of the ground ball must break out, protecting the stick and the 3 guys that lose are now on defense
  • Upon possession, 1 guy from each of the middle lines runs out, and is on offense with the winner of the ground ball and the drill transitions into a 3v3


10 Min 2 v 1 buildup - must set a pick and roll/slip to score
10 Min 5 Man Clear into 3v2

Teaches clearing the ball and transitions into 3v2

  • Need 5 players and a goalie
  • Setup 3 cones near the midfield line, 2 at the hash marks 1 in the center
  • 2 Players are at the hash mark at GLE, 3 players are on the cones up top.
  • Goalie clears to a GLE side, then pass to hash midfield side, then the middle
  • As soon as the ball is in the middle, the drill turns into 3v2
  • Midfield players play on offense vs 2 defenders
  • Variation: Have the defense clearing redirect it via a 40 yard pass across the field or back to the goalie