Quick feet and even quicker thinking is what separates the good lacrosse players from the great ones. That split-second decision making is what wins games. And while some might say that all you need is natural talent and intuition to be a top player, others will tell you that dedication to perfecting your craft is key.
These same people will likely also tell you that effective transition drills are pivotal in developing the skills needed for successful game play. If you’re looking to take your lacrosse game up a notch, or two, then check out these tips!
Why Transition Drills?
- This phase of the game is where most of the goals are scored, period.
- Offensive players or even offensive sets always have an extra player to pass to, and this encourages ball movement, touches, and each player stickwork improving for younger and more experienced teams alike.
- Makes practice more fun!
- Teaches defensive players to slide and drop back intuitively, and they learn by doing and repetition rather than by lectures.
- Drills move very quickly.
- Drills are designed to emulate game situations.
Over 70% of the goals scored in games occur in some type of transition. You might be thinking fast break goals when we discuss transition. However, in actuality the better the teams are in skill and experience, the less full-field fast breaks you will see.
Where you might have three or four legitimate fast breaks during the course of a competitive game, you may have 15-20 or more mini-snapshots of transition that will occur for a team. Yet coaches often remain focused on fast break drills and 6V6.
Perhaps the wiser course for a lacrosse coach to take in planning practice is to spend time on these mini-snapshots of transition. These drills can be run in either full-field, three-quarter field, or half-field scenarios, thus keeping things fast-paced and interesting for the players.
Rule #1 – Stay Ahead of the Ball
The first rule is for the players adjacent to or flanking the ball carrier. This is a huge key: Players need to learn to never let the ball beat them to the cage or get ahead of them (especially on clears). In any type of transition, we want to always go forward, not pass back, so players need to stay in front of the ball to truly be a threat.
Rule #2 – Get Covered
This second rule is for the player with the ball. This may sound a little strange to you, and I know it did for me at first. But it makes so much sense. In any transition scenario, we have an extra man for one of these mini-snapshots of a game. So if the ball carrier is not covered, (he is the open man) his number one responsibility is to drive to the cage until he is covered or, if not coverage comes, to get to the cage, shoot accurately, and score.
Rule #3 – If You Are Covered, Move the Ball!
This third rule also applies the ball carrier. When he drives and becomes covered, he needs to move the ball. Rule #3 is not as simplistic as it initially might sound. Coach Shay was pretty funny and animated when giving a further explanation of the rule. It means “Move the ball, not twirl the stick; do not try to dodge; no hitch and fake; no running through two or three defenders; no shake and bake … MOVE THE BALL!” If you do not immediately and quickly move the ball, the transition moment is lost. Can’t you just hear yourself saying that?
Now please go back and re-read these three simple rules. The article might just as easily have been written about clearing, face-off wins, fast breaks, or ground balls behind or in the ‘alley’, or even about what to do when you drive and beat your man from anywhere in the offensive zone. These three simple rules say it all.
Follow the rules … score. Do not follow the rules … then you will not score. Simple is always better.
We started these transition rules in our drills, and they are easy to coach, easy to understand … good luck!
