October lacrosse is all about fun. At this time of year we are still 4-5 months away from the season and the number one goal is getting kids out to the field with the stick in their hand. I’m too much of a stickler for fundamentals to get away from the basics, but look to add competition and fun into those. I also like to steer away from negative consequences at this time, because my number one goal in October is to get a stick in as many hands and as many times as possible.
FUNdamental October practice ideas
Ground balls are always part of my FUNdamentals and one of my favorite fall GB drills is musical chairs but with GB’s. Have a circle with a bunch of balls, but have one less ball than there are players. Have the players circle around to your favorite song at that time and when the music stops everyone needs to get a GB. I love this because it teaches/encourages a few key messages.
- First time ground balls.
- staying low, shielding stick and ball from defenders
- Anticipation
- players are constantly circling and recalculating their next move that has the greatest probability for success
- Head up
- the worst thing that happens is two players pick up a GB and run into each other, losing their balls to two other players. Always be aware of whats in front of you and carefully choose your escape path
A lot of these skills the players exhibit without knowing but a recap and education of those skills can help the players develop.
Other fun activities are:
- Quick stick competitions
- Radar gun shot speed competitions
- Three bar competitions (first to hit all three pipes to win)
- Longest pass completions (one handed and two handed)
- Watermelon challenge (place a watermelon on a stand or hang in goal and players have to shoot hard and accurately to destroy the watermelon)
- and many more.
Lastly, I like to have a number of relay races added into the end of practice. You spent time today on GB’s, passing, shooting, whatever. Now morph that skill into a relay race. It gives the players a chance to work in a team, while focusing on their individual skills. It puts pressure on the players to do it right. Artificial pressure is fantastic for every practice wherever you can add it, because we all know pressure situations are constant on gameday. There of course is the other hidden benefit of conditioning through these as well. Maybe add a couple footwork ladders into the relay race to get better at that. There is no end to the creativity you can have with these. Just make them competitive and repetitive for fundamentals and your players will reap the benefits. And they just think they are having fun. Shhhh coaches secret.
What are your favorite fun drills?
Leave a comment below!