A Lacrosse Weekend 8.21.21

Welcome to "A Lacrosse Weekend" my weekly compilation of thoughts, ideas, stories, myths, truths, about the great game of lacrosse. I hope you enjoy it!   

If you are a men's or women's lacrosse player, coach, or parent, I think you will love the weekly content, videos, and analysis!

 Chaos Offense

I love watching PLL games and i'm pumped about my favorite team The PLL Chaos winning their quarterfinal game vs Archers.  Head Coach Andy Towers has made a move to a full Canadian line up on offense with the exception of Mac O'Keefe, who plays like a Canadian and played Jr A Box Lacrosse in Orangeville, Ontario.  Simultaneously, AT has prioritized "Team first guys" which is creating the type of chemistry you need in order to come away with favorable results when the competition is at its highest and the margin for winning or losing is razor thin.   

Here's why I think AT's Canadian Line up combined with "Team first guys" is so smart:

1. Box lacrosse is a game that teaches players to be great shooters because they generally take great shots, they prioritize getting to the middle / shooting with their sticks to the middle and from within their range, usually with screens and insane deception.
2. The Box lacrosse Paradigm creates offense from the chaos (no pun intended) of passing, picking  on and off ball simultaneously, cutting, and dodging difficult approaches within an amoeba (no recognize-able set).  Defenses would much rather defend from a set, where they know who the sliders / second sliders will be, and when the dodges coming etc.
3. Canadians are somewhat interchangeable if they have the "Team First" attitude.  One would think losing Chris Cloutier would be a big problem for the Chaos offense, but Kyle Jackson plugged in and the offense didn't skip a beat as Jackson had 4-2 in the game.  Why, because the players the Chaos are playing: A) have the skill set / IQ set he wants and B) are just as fine with making the simple and correct team play that presents itself such as swinging the ball, moving it early in 2man games, picking for someone else as they are with dodging, feeding or shooting.    

Swinging the Ball During Simultaneous 2man Games

Watch this clip of the Chaos offense out of their Pairs look initiating the offense with the lefty side and a little "Rattle" look from O'Keefe, then the lefties swing it to the righties who run an immediate pass down pick down while the lefty Byrne picks for O'Keefe's Flare Cut.  This is beautiful offense!

Sudden Isolations

Sometimes the Chaos initiate with a Single Invert but notice that when the ball kicks up, the picking motions and unscripted movements create a great dodging situation when a short stick ends up on Josh Byrne.  The defense feels the have to slide and help and it leaves a backside lay up opportunity.  Unlike in the "Field Lacrosse Paradigm" where dodging is predictable and in a "Set", when mismatch type dodges occur in the Box Paradigm, the defense is in compromised positions to slide and second slide. 

Here is another example of  the Chaos taking advantage a sudden isolation from a great 1v1 match up.  The unpredictable Amoeba type of offense exposes the defense while they're trying to help but are unsure who should slide / 2nd slide.  The combination of on and off bll picking and no set formation it makes it extremely difficult on the defense to be coordinated on their slides and collapse.

 

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JM3 Sports' Coaches Training Program is the Largest Online Video Vault for the sport of Lacrosse.

You can google or search YouTube all you want and will not find hundreds and hundreds of hours of lacrosse instruction from top coaches and pros.   

As Coaches we want to bring our players and coaches the most current and most effective skills and strategies in the game.

The Coaches Training Program

covers it all!

http://www.jm3coaches.com

 

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Spain Slip

This next play is classic box lacrosse with incredible on ball and off ball picking combined with ball movement!  First Byrne picks for O'Keefe who carries topside drawing the switch, then Berg picks for O'Keefe who moves the ball brilliantly in the middle of the two man game, causing a moment of communication to figure out who's guarding whom, taking them out of the possibility of helping down on the Jackson up pick slip for Byrne, the original picker in the play, which is a Spain Look with the Slip being open!

 

Nations Looks and More!

This play is so sick!  A Nations (Two pass pick and roll) executed to perfection with O'Keefe moving the ball in the middle of the two man game, where two players were momentarily engaged with the ball allowing Smith to be open on the cut to the net.  Notice Dhane Smith moving up to pick off ball during this Nations look that took his man out of the ability to help on this play.  

One of the keys to running a box lacrosse style offenses is NOT to look for your own pick and roll, but rather move the ball early in the 2man game to a 3rd player.  Looking for your own 2man game can work but often leads to turn overs and stalls the flow of the offense.

Not looking for your own Pick & Roll has several benefits:

1. The picker will still be open on the nations look
2. The defense has to guard the nations look and the give and go which disables their ability to help in the next situation (see how much space Dhane Smith has to dodge here, while the defense guards O'Keefe's 2pointer and the Nations cut.
3. Early passes in 2man games create difficult approaches to the next play because the defender of the eventual receiver is reading the situation as his man is two passes away. 
4. If O'Keefe had carried through the 2man game, the picker / nations cutter would have been less open and Smith's man would have been able to apply ball pressure with a simple on time approach. 

Box on The Field in Women's Lacrosse 

Some would say that in order to run this Box Lacrosse style offense you would have to have pro level players / box players to have success, but this past spring we ran a Box Lacrosse offense for our ThunderRidge HS girls team using the principles of picking on and off ball combined with ball movement. 

Here is a video of all the offensive possessions of our quarterfinal game at Cherry Creek HS.  Notice one of our players was being face guarded, and it didn't slow down the motions, and picking, because the players knew how to read the defense.

If you watch closely you will see the ball swinging, multiple Nations Looks, girls reading the defense on picks: are they switching or are they staying?  If they're staying, are they going under or over the picks?  

 

 

The Backyard Curriculum [LEARN MORE]

www.BackyardCurriculum.com

A lot of kids are working hard, but few are actually getting better at the game itself.  

Read this article by Raymond Verhejein, a world renowned soccer coach: Isolated Technique Training Slows Down Development.

Most of the world is banging out #Reps on the bounce back, #Reps shooting balls on empty nets, #Reps dodging cones. #Reps in the speed ladder while cradling at the same time.  While there is value in sharpening skills, these #Reps won't actually make you better at playing the game.

In quarantine with my three kids, I created The Backyard Curriculum which is my greatest creation for player development.  My kids and JM3 Athletes need to ACTUALLY get better at the game of lacrosse which means: We have to dodge people;  Shoot on humans; Play defense versus live dodges;  Manipulate defenders in 2man games on and off ball, etc.

I would say the best way to characterize  The  Backyard Curriculum is it teaches a "Feel" for the game.

• "Feel" for dodging: getting a step, cutting your defender off, hesitations, re-dodges, post ups, 
• "Feel" for finishing: freezing a goalie, reaching far, twister near, a myriad of fakes
• "Feel" for faking: Multiple hitches, drags and pumps, backhand and BTB fakes
• "Feel" for 2man game: Hang up 2man, inviting your defender over, cat & mouse if they go under
• "Feel" for manipulating your man: backing defender off, inviting pressure, baiting, getting D's stick up in the air
• "Feel" for looking a pass off while receiving it when you're seemingly covered or recognizing the D isn't looking at the ball and feeding the seemingly covered player
• "Feel" for Multiple Hitches and setting up approaching defenders 

All the best players became the best players in the backyard! Get started today!

www.BackyardCurriculum.com

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Deerfield Academy Running the Principles Based Offense

Last March I had the opportunity to work with the Deerfield Academy team because their coaches weren't allowed to participate in Spring Break due to Covid restrictions.  With the blessing of Head Coach Chip Davis, I installed what I call the Principles Based Offense which fits into a Box Paradigm offense.  With picking on and off ball and ball movement as the foundation, this offense unlocked players' creativity and ability to read the defense.

How To Install a Box Lacrosse Paradigm Style Offense 

If you want to learn how to install and coach these offenses for men's and women's lacrosse, I will be producing a tremendous amount of content of the skills, drills, reads, concepts that will inserted into both the Men's and Women's  JM3 Coaches Training Programs.  

Learning to teach this offense will allow you to maximize the potential for all of your players:  Your best players will have space and freedom to dodge without a set slide package while your off ball players will be able to avoid doing the things they're not good at like trying to draw slides on command.  Instead, they will be able to take advantage of creating off ball double teams and attacking approaches with an un-set defense and move the ball.

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Have a great weekend!