SKILL DEVELOPMENT BY GRADE LEVEL

At this age, catching and throwing is a very hard task to accomplish. Focus on the fundamentals you can control. Spend time on stick work drills but make it a point to have the boys work on wall ball outside of practice. Have wall ball tests to make sure the boys can accomplish certain things in a certain amount of time. This should be done at all ages.

Emphasize ground balls, cradling technique, and dodging. On defense understand the principles of how to guard someone; giving ground and approaches. Team defense will be hard to teach.

GROUND BALL TECHNIQUE

  • Both Butts Low
  • Importance of Quick Cradle on Ground Ball
  • Head and body down, bring it to your ear, make a phone call

CATCHING AND THROWING

  • Importance of proper fundamental throwing – compare to baseball pitcher, opposite foot forward, hands away from your body, put keys in pocket
  • Overemphasize rotating when throwing! Turn your torso
  • Soft hands! No death grip. All fingers!
  • Quick Stick right and left – (start early with both hands!!!!!)
  • 10 yard throws – Both hands
  • Canadian left and right
  • Over the shoulder

CATCHING

  • Very soft hands, top hand never on plastic, catch with fingertips. Pressure should be light enough to knock stick back to passing position

ROLLING AWAY FROM PRESSURE

  • Importance of moving away from pressure and punching hands out away from defender

DODGING

  • Importance of dodging full speed on all dodges
  • First step at defender
  • Changing speed and direction
  • Dodge 5-10ft away depending on person guarding you to create space
  • Dodges to master (Importance of footwork in dodging:
    • Bull dodge – Compare to an in and out dribble in basketball – player explodes off of opposite foot to explode back to their stick side
    • Split Dodge – Compare to crossover in basketball – player explodes off of same foot the stick is in to change direction – hands are changed late to make sure player shields stick with body

CRADLING

  • Proper technique
  • Functional to getting the ball out of your stick faster – vertical by your ear

SHOOTING

  • Proper Shooting Technique (Overhand)
  • Shooting on Goal
  • Shooting on the Run

DEFENSE

  • Giving ground
  • Proper approaches – banana approach
  • Poke check
  • “pop” and what the importance is
  • Controlling offensive player – you control where he goes
  • Help defense – knowing how to clog up lanes of other dodgers, “showing”
  • Zone help

OFFENSE

  • Clearing through – When someone is dodging, know to get out of the way if you’re adjacent

  • Coming to the ball!!! Easiest pass is two players running toward each other, no flat feet!!!! 

  • Creating Space
  • Coming from X

At this age, catching and throwing is a very hard task to accomplish. Focus on the fundamentals you can control. Spend time on stick work drills but make it a point to have the boys work on wall ball outside of practice. Have wall ball tests to make sure the boys can accomplish certain things in a certain amount of time. This should be done at all ages.

Emphasize ground balls, cradling technique, and dodging. On defense understand the principles of how to guard someone; giving ground and approaches. Team defense will be hard to teach.

GROUND BALL TECHNIQUE

  • Both Butts Low

  • Importance of Quick Cradle on Ground Ball

  • Head and body down, bring it to your ear, make a phone call

CATCHING AND THROWING

  • Importance of proper fundamental throwing – compare to baseball pitcher, opposite foot forward, hands away from your body, put keys in pocket
  • Overemphasize rotating when throwing! Turn your torso
  • Soft hands! No death grip. All fingers!
  • Quick Stick right and left – (start early with both hands!!!!!)
  • 10 yard throws – Both hands
  • Canadian left and right
  • Over the shoulder

CATCHING

  • Very soft hands, top hand never on plastic, catch with fingertips. Pressure should be light enough to knock stick back to passing position

ROLLING AWAY FROM PRESSURE

  • Importance of moving away from pressure and punching hands out away from defender

DODGING

  • Creating Time and Space
  • Re-Dodging
  • Importance of dodging full speed on all dodges
  • First step at defender
  • Changing speed and direction
  • Dodge 5-10ft away depending on person guarding you to create space
  • Dodges to master (Importance of footwork in dodging:
    • Bull dodge – Compare to an in and out dribble in basketball – player explodes off of opposite foot to explode back to their stick side
    • Split Dodge – Compare to crossover in basketball – player explodes off of same foot the stick is in to change direction – hands are changed late to make sure player shields stick with body

CRADLING

  • Proper technique
  • Functional to getting the ball out of your stick faster – vertical by your ear

SHOOTING

  • Proper Shooting Technique (Overhand)
  • Shooting on Goal
  • Shooting on the Run

DEFENSE

  • Giving ground
  • Proper approaches – banana approach
  • Poke check
  • “pop” and what the importance is
  • Controlling offensive player – you control where he goes
  • Help defense – knowing how to clog up lanes of other dodgers, “showing”
  • Zone help

OFFENSE

  • Coming From X

  • Clearing through – When someone is dodging, know to get out of the way if you’re adjacent

  • Coming to the ball!!! Easiest pass is two players running toward each other, no flat feet!!!! CANNOT STRESS THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS

  • Full understanding of 3v2

  • Partial understanding of 4v3

Catching and throwing should be coming more natural to the players. Working the ball around on the offense shouldn’t be a struggle. Realistic shooting drills should be instilled to work on small parts of your offense. Wall ball tests should still be given. Clearing principles, defensive slide principles, offensive sets should be installed. Players should be able to go both hands. Getting more advanced with dodging and finishing techniques. Good time to start incorporating 2 man game and understanding how to use each other. Overhand shooting is pounded home. Next age we can start changing planes.

OFFENSE
  • Know the 2-3-1 offense or “13”
  • Know the importance of dodge pass pass redodge
  • Dodging at full speed, going from 50/60% to 100%
  • Importance of timing of movement on offenses
  • Proper Spacing on sets!!!
  • Clearing through to find space
  • Full understanding of 3v2, 4v3, and 5v4
  • Knowing how to carry to overload defenses and zones
  • Principle of every dodger having two outlets
OFFENSE SKILLS TO KNOW
  • Hitch, Split Dodge, Question Mark, Step in shoot to face dodge, Step in shoot to face dodge to roll back inside
  • Question Marks
  • Inside Rolls
  • Two man game – disguising your pick, being patient. Get your pick set first then bring your dodge into it. Importance of setting picks close to the crease
  • Picks, Slip cuts, reverse picks, picks on GLE (North/south picks)
  • Dip and Dunk Finish
  • Placing shots on cage – Low and away
DEFENSE
  • Taking away top side
  • Know how to guard the 2-3-1 or “13” – calling out 1,2,3 slides
  • Grasp of 3-3 zone
  • Forming the ball-you-man triangle
  • Big eye man, little eye ball – Don’t ball watch!
  • Importance of being in the Hub – snapping in, snapping out
  • Know how to guard the two man game – Hedging picks and communication
DEFENSE CONTINUED
  • Understanding how to guard the 3v2, 4v3, and 5v4
  • Better Grasp of “showing” on Defense – Clogging up the dodging lanes and sluffin in
  • Always being above your man when the ball is on the offensive side of the field
  • Always get in the hole first when the ball is coming down in transition – stay away from playing defense between the restraining lines if numbers are not in your favor
  • Communication!!! Over emphasize communicating in all drills. Get them comfortable with talking at an early age.
SKILLS TO KNOW DEFENSE
  • Poke Check
  • Proper approach times and giving ground
  • When to pop and why to pop – proper pop technique
  • Importance of trailing on Defense
CLEARING
  • Understanding where to break out to and why
  • Knowing roles and making sure players are on sides if you sub your 3rd pole off
  • Importance of coming back to the ball
RIDING
  • Man and zone rides
  • Attackman shift to force the extra pass

Players should know main principles of the game. Spatial recognition, timing of cuts and movement on offense. Should know how to find space and move with each other. All offensive sets should be understood and should be used as a base for an offense. Uneven drills should lock home how to use space, how to clear through, and how to react with one another. Dodge – pass – pass re-dodge is fully grasped. All slide packages from adjacent to crease slides should be known by the time they enter HS. Zone principles should be understood. Man up Man down principles should be grasped very well. Being more patient on defense and really comprehending angles. Getting the ball out of your stick quicker at this age level is a must. Do wall ball but really work on the time it takes to get the ball out of their stick!

OFFENSE

  • Understanding Terp’s offensive philosophys.
  • Squaring up to your man on your dodge
  • Attacking the top foot well
  • DON’T BALL WATCH! It happens on offense too. Easily seen because players to read and react to what the defense gives them

    Ability to pull defense and replace – balancing up field – better understanding of space and time

  • Power dodging – using your body to create separation
  • Separation Dodge – using your speed and change of direction to create separation
  • Ability to get separation while defense is engaging – stepping in stepping out to get hands free
  • Understanding the importance of dodge pass pass redodge
  • Understanding the 2 man game and off ball spacing and movement of 2 man game
  • Flat Break and L break for fast break
  • Slow break and variations

OFFENSIVE SKILLS

  • Finalizers & other multi move dodges
  • Finishing over the top on GLE – using Dpole as a screen
  • Hard Roll Backs on dodge to finish with inside hand
  • Using bottom hand on stick and inside jab to create separation
  • Pulling the offense and defense by back peddling
  • Use of picks at GLE (North – South Picks)
  • Mastering inside finishing. Pipe to pipe and high to low
  • Change of plane shooting. high to low, low to high, pipe to pipe
  • Hitches, Rockers, Face Dodge to finish
  • Options at the 5X5 and how to react to your defense

DEFENSE

  • Importance of keeping offense player down the alley’s (explain how this ties into slide packages) and squaring up on GLE – angles angles angles!!!
  • Taking away topside
  • Keeping stick up field when applicable
  • Knowing all slide packages of every offensive set. 1-4-1, 1-3-2, 2-2-2, 2-1-3 or crown, and open
  • Importance of being slide ready and athletic at all times – over emphasizing the ball U man triangle
  • Fully conceptualizing team defense – When in doubt sink in! Knowing your role exactly wherever the ball is on the field
  • Communication!!!! Over Emphasize communication in practice with every drill

SKILLS TO KNOW

  • Exact angles of approach from all locations on the field

  • understanding how to function and recover on bad approaches

  • Full understanding of timing of approaches, giving ground

  • Pop Wrap Check

  • Quick cradle on ground balls

  • Splitting your stick into thirds for handling

  • Face dodge to free up space on clearing

  • Step in step out to create separation to clear