Top 7 Lacrosse Drills to Improve Athlete Performance

Looking for lacrosse drills to refine your players’ skill set, muscle memory, and confidence? We have rounded up the 7 lacrosse drills guaranteed to enhance overall athlete performance.

Whether you are approaching a big game and aiming to refine your players’ technique and speed, or gearing up for tryouts and looking for drills for comprehensive player evaluation, keep these 7 lacrosse drills at your disposal!

Get your pen and paper ready to take notes. Let’s dive in!

Lacrosse Passing Drills

1. Straight weave drill

• Group players into 3.
• Set up two pylons, about 10 yards away from each other.
• On your whistle, players will exchange passes while simultaneously running in a weaving motion.
• I.e., Player 1 will pass to Player 2. As player 2 passes to player 3, player 1 will run to the front of player 3. Player 3 will then pass to player 1.
• This weaving pattern will continue until one player reach the end of the pylons.

Note: Players will have to focus on communication, hand-eye coordination, and quick passes to successfully complete this drill.

Straight Weave Drill

2. Quick stick drill

Set Up:

• Group players into 4. Three players will stand beside each other, about a few footsteps apart, while the 4^th player (aka the point player) stands 3 yards away facing the other players.
• All players will have a stick.
• Player 1 (far left) and player 2 (middle) will both start with a ball.

Execution:

• Player 1 will pass to the point player. Point player receives the ball and passes to player 3 (far right), who is without a ball.
• Player 2 passes the ball. Point player receives the ball and passes to player 1, who is without a ball.
• Player 3 passes the ball. Point player receives the ball and passes to player 2, who is without a ball.
• Repeat this drill for 2-3 minutes.

Watch the quick stick drill in action

Lacrosse defense drill

3. Zigzag drill

• Line up players in a single file line. All players will have a stick in their hands.
• Place 10-12 pylons on the field in a zigzag pattern.
• The first player in line will begin running forward, changing the direction their body faces at each pylon. I.e., If a player shifts their body to face the left side, they must align their body & stick to face the left as well.
• Once the player reaches the last cone, the next player in line will begin the drill.

Lacrosse shooting drills

4. Over the cage drill

Set Up:

• Divide players into a single file line. All players will have a lacrosse stick.
• The first player in line will start a few feet behind the first net.
• Set up two lacrosse nets about 3-feet apart, with one net directly in front of the other.
• Have one player (aka the passer) positioned between the two nets, slightly off-center at a 45-degree angle.

Execution:

• The “passer” on the side of the net will pass a ball to the first player in line.
• The receiving player will catch the ball and then shoot it over the front net, aiming to land the ball in the back net.
• The receiving player will catch & shoot 3 balls, before moving to the side of the net to become the “passer.”
• The “passer” will move to the back of the line to have their turn at being a receiving player.

Watch this drill in action

5. Running shots drill

• Place a series of pylons at different points on the field.
• Line up your players at one cone to start. All players will have a stick and ball in their hands.
• The first player in line will sprint towards the goal and attempt to make a shot with their outside hand only.
• After all players have executed this drill from the first cone, they will move to the 2^nd cone in line.

Running shots drill

Lacrosse goalie drill

6. Wall balls drill

• The goalie will stand about 10 feet away from the wall, with a ball and stick in hand.
• The goalie will throw the ball against the wall.
• As the ball will recoil from anywhere on the wall, goalies must be prepared to make the catch from any point.

Note: Encourage goalies to treat every recoiled ball as an “incoming shot.” Ensure they step forward with their lead foot, explode their top hand to catch, and maintain consistent eye contact.

Lacrosse footwork drill

W cones drill

• Set up 5 pylons in a “W” formation, about 5-7 yards apart from one another
• Line up players in a single file line
• The first player in line will sprint forwards to the first cone, swiftly change directions, and then pedal backwards to the second cone
• Players will alternate between sprinting forwards and pedalling backwards at each cone.

W Cones Drill

Wrapping Up

Regardless of whether you upcoming assessment is focused on player feedback or team drafting decisions, keep these lacrosse drills on hand. Comprehensively assess your players across core areas, such as: passing, shooting, and footwork—resulting in enhance player feedback and accurate drafting decisions!