Face-Off Drills

Originally Published in: Men's Lacrosse

Provided by: Human Kinetics

FACE-OFF DRILLS

Face-offs are a personal battle. Facing off is a specialist skill that requires a lot of discipline and training. The following drills teach the fundamentals of the basic stick moves. As with any contest that requires close body contact, repetition is the key.

CHOP DRILL

Purpose

To learn hand and stick quickness.

Setup

The player gets in his stance; a coach or teammate is positioned nearby.

Execution

The player practices bringing the stick head back and forth over the resting ball. The teammate or coach can say "Go" and then "Stop" or can use a whistle.

Coaching Points

This drill helps players improve their hand quickness and make the "topping" motion more natural and second nature.

CLAMP DRILL

Purpose

To learn how to clamp the ball.

Setup

The player gets in his faceoff stance.

Execution

The player practices clamping over the resting ball. The player can use either a power clamp or a quick clamp stick maneuver.

Coaching Points

• The purpose of the drill is to introduce the clamping motion.

• At first, the player doesn't move his feet. Then he can add a step with his right foot and follow with a left-foot step to reset his balance over the ball.

CLAMP AND DRAW DRILL

Purpose

To learn how to draw the ball between your legs.

Setup

The player gets in his faceoff stance.

Execution

The player clamps the ball with his stick, steps with his right foot, and draws the ball between his legs. The player can use either a power clamp or a quick clamp stick maneuver.

Coaching Points

• This drill teaches players how to draw the ball out between their legs, which is a common technique with many stick moves.

• The player can add a pivot on the right foot and scoop the ball.

BACK-TO-BACK

Purpose

To learn how to box out.

Setup

Two players get back to back over a resting ball; a coach or teammate is positioned nearby.

Execution

The teammate or coach says "Go" or blows a whistle. Both players jockey for position over the ball, but they don't use their sticks. On the second command or whistle, both players attempt to scoop the ball.

Coaching Points

In this drill, the goal is to move the opponent off the ball and box him out for posession.

FOOTWORK DRILL

Purpose

To develop foot agility.

Setup

The player places his stick handle on the ground; a coach or teammate is positioned nearby.

Execution

On a command or whistle, the player jumps back and forth over the handle of his stick, jumps back and forth over the head of his stick, and jumps back and forth along the length of his stick.

Coaching Points

This drill helps players develop foot agility, which is vital in the face-off technique.