New youth lacrosse coaches have as much room for growth as their players. While athletes practice wall ball and other drills, parents can increase their understanding of the lacrosse moves that shape the game by reading and watching game film.
4 Lacrosse Moves You Will See in Every Game
To the uninitiated, a lacrosse game can seem like controlled chaos. New coaches sometimes struggle to distinguish a give-and-go from a back door.
But, they will be able to teach the basics of dodging to their players and a whole lot more.
Dodge
In lacrosse, an offensive player uses a dodge to get past a defender. He twists and turns his body and his stick in order to elude defenders. More specifically, there are several universal dodges that every youth lacrosse coach teaches. While players learn these dodges at a young age, Major League Lacrosse players still use these lacrosse moves or variations of them today.
- Split Dodge
- Roll Dodge
- Face Dodge
- Bull Dodge
- Stutter Step
- Swim Move
Give-and-Go
In essence, lacrosse is not very different from other team sports like basketball or hockey. They share similarities in ball movement and even some fundamental plays like the give-and-go.
As a lacrosse offense pushes the ball downfield, many small maneuvers, including the give-and-go, will occur amidst the action.
The give-and-go is a common play where one player passes to another then streaks past their defender towards the goal. The second player then quickly passes back to the first who has broken free of the opposition.
Pick and Roll
Another tried-and-true sports play, the pick and roll, is a common way to advance the ball in lacrosse. This two-man game is effective just about anywhere on the field.
In a pick and roll, a player without the ball stands still to set a screen for his teammate who is handling the ball. Once his teammate runs by him, that player spins away from the defense to accept a pass.
Back Door
A back door is another sports play you may know from basketball, which is also frequently used in lacrosse.
In this maneuver, a player works to beat his defender by pretending to make a move towards the passer, but then quickly reverses course to catch a pass downfield.
These lacrosse moves are just the beginning of a first-time coach’s introduction to the world of lacrosse. By learning the sport’s unique terminology, new coaches can be a step ahead on day one.
