Are you ready for line drills, one on ones, and conditioning tests? Ready to discover who is really giving their 100% and not just talking a good game? Lacrosse season is upon us and it’s time to coach your team to victory. Here are some tips and tricks that the best college lacrosse coaches use to bring out the very best performances from their players.
Brown coach Lars Tiffany has a lot of experience coaching a superb team. He advises coaches to keep their drills and practice games small and to split up the field into smaller sections, such as dividing the field into quadrants. Keeping the players active almost to the point of confusion will keep them on their toes. An easy way to accomplish this is by adding extra balls to your practice drills.
Hall of Fame coach Jack Emmer brought an amazing variety of game-changing tactics and ideas to the sport. He truly thought outside of the box and pushed aggressiveness to new heights, all while staying within the accepted boundaries of the game. He is famous for the armadillo, which was outlawed from the game days after it was first used. He had a phrase, “winning the whistle,” to encourage focus after a restart, which, in essence, is what his coaching style is all about.
Mike Muetzel has a great drill to improve sliding, communication, and recovery. Called the “Nugget Drill,” have five players inside the box while one teammate plays defense and another splits two ball handlers. Have the players reverse roles after every pass, all while attempting to get a nugget.
The best college lacrosse coaches encourage aggressiveness while pushing their players to think smart and fast. Getting your team to be hyper-vigilant about what is happening around them and being tactically smart is key to having a team that consistently wins.