Player Training
Our overall philosophy for training players is multi-faceted. We have broken it down into three basic categories. The three categories put together make up our “Skill-to-concept” philosophy.
Skills: Making sure that the basic fundamental skills that are the foundation of any players skill set are solid and correct is the basis for all of our player training. Making sure that throwing, catching, cradling, shooting, faking, finishing and picking up ground balls are at the appropriate level for the age of the player is the focus here. Our drills are all very skill focused and also very high repetition. We have many different drills that use the same skills, keeping everything fresh and exciting for the players. We also make sure that each skill is used in different situations in the different drills, thereby exponentially increasing their repertoire of skills. It is also very important to be open minded and forward thinking as far as cutting edge skills. The integration of box lacrosse into the field game along with the advances in equipment technology have opened up new options for players. This does not contradict our above statement that fundamentals are important, this simply expands the list of skills that we consider to be “fundamental”.
Progression: We teach every skill in a well-planned progression. It is very important that the basics of a skill set be sound before adding more options to the skill. If a players tries to move too quickly past one skill and is not ready for the next, then the overall progress will be hindered. Pushing the players comfort zone is a great thing within reason. We have a designed progression of drills for each age level that allows each player to build their skill set in the most efficient and productive manner. The amount of time we have spent designing every aspect of a drill affords us the opportunity to quickly evaluate and correct the players. With up-tempo and high repetition drills, we have the proven ability to be able to move players through these progressions faster than any other program out there.
Concept: The final step is to use each skill immediately in a small sided, odd-man game like situation so that the player understands why they have learned the skill, thereby learning a “Concept”. This “Skill-to-Concept” philosophy is integral in everything that we teach. We put players through a progression whereby they use a skill that we teach them and put them in a situation where they have two options, thereby allowing them to understand the basics of how to manage that situation. Once they get comfortable with that, we add another level of decision making, thereby allowing them to slowly build their field vision and ultimately increasing their Lacrosse IQ.