32 Box Drill

32 Box Drill

By: Jack Kaley and Rich Donovan

Originally Published in Lacrosse Essentials - Human Kinetics

Purpose
Emphasize moving to the ball (offense) and on ball and recovery techniques (defense).

Setup
Set up cones 10 to 12 yards apart to form a box. Three offensive players stand at three corners of the box, and two defensive men stand inside it.

Execution
This drill teaches most of the important offensive and defensive fundamentals in a relatively short period of time. The drill begins with an attackman (Al) at the top of the box being played by a defenseman (D1). The second defender is in the center of the box splitting the other two offensive players. Al passes to A2 and immediately cuts to the vacated corner of the box. A2 breaks to the ball, turns to the outside, and passes to A3. They continue in this direction for at least six passes. All three attackmen get a minimum of two touches. After that, they reverse the ball and continue the drill in the opposite direction for approximately six passes. The defenders concentrate on movement on and off the ball. For example, when the drill begins, D1 pressures the ball; D2 is behind him splitting the other two offensive players. On the first pass to A2, D2 must get to A2 as the ball arrives. D1 must be in the position that D2 vacated. In this drill, the offense concentrates on moving to the ball, turning to the outside, passing the ball while they are moving, and cutting the opposite way (see figure 6.19).

Coaching Points
This drill provides the opportunity to practice and review most of the defensive fundamentals you will use in a game. First and foremost is proper defensive position both on and off the ball. When the defensive player approaches the offensive player with the ball or is about to gain possession of the ball, he must be under control to prevent being dodged by the ball carrier. This is where you concentrate on proper stick position as well as footwork and body position. In this drill, you are either playing the ball or splitting the two remaining offensive players. The man playing the ball exercises the proper defensive communication. This is called the defensive vernacular. The defender playing the man with the ball calls out "ball, ball, ball." All defensive calls are one-syllable words repeated three times. The defender who is backing up the ball and splitting the two offensive players in the drill calls "back, back, back." When a pass is made to an adjacent player, the two defenders switch places immediately. The man who is playing the ball must recover by turning in the direction that the pass was made, and he becomes the backer in this drill. The other defender, who was the backer, is the player on the ball. The emphasis is on quick movement on and off the ball and on maintaining proper footwork, body position, and stick position. This drill helps refine the defensive skills necessary for individual and team defense. The defender in the off position (backup) must be in position to get to his man as he receives the ball. In doing so, he is in proper position to take advantage of errors made by the man receiving the ball, including an errant pass to the inside or the offensive player catching the ball and pulling his stick in front of his face, leading to a possible advantage on a face dodge.