FLG Box Training Participants,
Moving into our final week of box lacrosse training, I couldn’t be happier with the development that I’m seeing within the box lacrosse rinks. From our youngest group to our High School division, the improvement is tremendous.
This past Saturday, our focus was still on development. Despite league play being in full swing, it’s important that our players not lose focus on what’s most important, getter better, getting touches, and getting smarter.
Our youngest groups spent a large portion of the box training on learning how to shoot with time and space vs. shooting in tight. We taught our players the difference between those two types of shots, when to use one shot vs. the other, and developing at both shot types through reps, reps, and more reps.
Time and Space Shooting – this shot type is used when you have time to get your hands set, eyes on cage, and body weight moving 100% towards the goal. This shot requires players to get their hands up and away from the body, hips torqued using a crow hop, and getting the front foot to step towards the target. A time and space shot requires players to snap there top hand on the follow through to ensure power and velocity as the ball releases from the stick.
Between the Shoulders Shooting aka BTS Shooting – this shot type is used when you are in tight proximity to the crease and are surrounded by one or multiple defenders. This shot requires players to get their hands close to the body, choke up on the shaft, and get the head of the stick between the shoulders. This allows players to increase control, finesse, and protection as they shoot on cage. We taught players a few moves around the crease to increase shot angle and shot percentage. The crease roll is a great example of that. It teaches players to get defenders on their back as they gain positioning for a BTS shot.
3v2 Continuous – this game is set-up with a 3v2 at either end of the floor. Players work out of 3v2 to score as many goals as they can in 1 minute. Defenders who steal the ball or earn ground balls are instructed to clear the ball to their 3 offensive players on the opposite end of the floor. Make the game even harder by installing a 10 second shot clock. As soon as a team gains possession of the ball, they must execute a shot on goal within 10 seconds.
Quads – this is FLG’s favorite box training game. We love it because its a composition of all the things we’ve taught in the box rinks. Quads requires players to: work in pairs, execute passes and picks, pick off ball, include pick variations, play in tight spaces, clear, defend the middle, look for give and goes, play with both hands, finish with time and space, finish in tight, work in groups of 4, and more. Overall, this game is a fun, creative, and competitive opportunity for players to show how much they’ve learned over the last 6 sessions in the box.
Finally, each session finished with a scrimmage for points. Next week will be our final box training session for the year. Expect game play to be for more than points. Expect game play to be for the coveted FLG Box Lacrosse Training Winter Cap. This year, they are pretty fresh. My question, who has what it takes to become Box Lacrosse Champ?!
Best,
Corey, Program Director, FLG Lacrosse
