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!

Podcast This Week

Mike Murphy, Head Coach UPenn

In this podcast, I talk to Coach Murphy about how excited he is for the return of Penn Lacrosse after not competing since early 2020.  They had one of the best teams in the nation and were coming off a heartbreaking 2019 quarterfinal loss to eventual champion Yale. Penn was a top 10 team in 2020 before the pandemic set in, and he's poised to get the Quakers back up to the top of the rankings in 2022.

Despite the fact Penn couldn't compete in 2021, Murph was excited that his team made huge improvements in many areas of team and individual skills AND had fun.   The Penn staff creating a highly...

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!

Phi-Lacrosse-ophy Podcast

Pete Milliman, Head Coach Johns Hopkins

In the first podcast of season 4, I talk to Johns Hopkins Head Coach Pete Milliman about his lacrosse journey from growing up in Rochester, NY to becoming the head coach at Johns Hopkins last year. Milliman also discusses his offensive philosophies, what Hopkins likes to do on the defensive side of the ball, as well as what he looks for in recruits!

One of the most interesting parts of the conversation was before the podcast officially started when we were talking about Jeff Teat.  Coach Milliman described him as like a "Bounce back" that made the offense go by simply moving the ball to someone else as much or...

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...

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!

Thank You Mikey Thompson!

For the last few months I have taken a sabbatical from writing this blog and I want to thank Christopher Newport Head Coach Mikey Thompson for filling in every Saturday and keeping the great content flowing!  Mikey brings an incredible perspective and thoughtfulness to JM3 Sports and his expertise in and passion for sports psychology and mindfulness has had a massive impact JM3 Athletes, and readers of this blog!  

Chase Fraser Insane Hard Pump / Face Dodge

Last night I was watching the Chaos - Archers game and I saw one of the most insane plays!  Chase Fraser caught a pass from Wes Berg with an approaching defender...

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!

DRILL | 4 Corner GBO

This drill is as simple as it gets! Ground Ball Offense (GBO) is one of the most fundamental parts of the game and this drill is a great way to rep moving the ball twice off the ground. Pick it up, move it, and move it again!

It is not only critical that the player scooping the GB moves it right away, but we need the two outlets to hustle into his vision and communicate. This allows us to facilitate the ball to the backside just as we do in 6 v 6 offense after drawing a slide.

Mindset Skill of the Week | Two Dogs 

"Inside of me there are two dogs. One is mean and evil and the other is good and they fight each other all of the time. When asked which...

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!

DRILL | 1 v 1 + Picker

This drill is one of the best ways I have found to teach 2 Man concepts! Both the dodger and picker learn how to read the defender and attack accordingly. Here are the basic reads we are looking for: 

If the defender goes UNDER the pick:

• Shoot if you are within range
• Hesitate in the pocket (the space provided by the defender by going under the pick) and have the picker reset the pick closer to the net. 
• DO NOT put your head down and run full speed only to be met by the defender on the other side. 

If the defender goes OVER the pick:

• Invite him over the top using your double threat posture. 
• Turn the corner around the pick just...

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!

Lars Tiffany | Fundamental Friday's

Check out this clip from Lars Tiffany's JM3 Coaches Training Program webinar on Developing Transition. It is refreshing to hear the Head Coach of the back-to-back champs talk about keeping it simple! "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." Leonardo da Vinci

Mindset Skill of the Week | Character 

Your character is completely unique to you and it defines how you carry yourself on a daily basis. If you have a better awareness of what your character strengths and weaknesses are, you are more likely to live in alignment with what's most important to you. 

What is the lasting impression you leave on someone after an interaction? This is...

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!

Burnout

Players, parents, and coaches are in a tough spot at this point of the summer. Summer tournaments are beginning to wind down and the level of play has generally dropped due to fatigue and mental burnout. Some kids are playing in back-to-back-to-back tournaments, showcases, prospect days, etc. Knowing how to prioritize your time and energy is huge!

One of the most important things to remember is that more is not always more. If the coach that you are really hoping to impress is watching you on your 12th straight day of lacrosse, that could have a negative effect on your recruiting. Coaches can't unsee what they have seen!

At the highest levels- athletes and coaches view ...

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!

Mindset Skill of the Week | The Flow Channel

This graphic below on flow is so interesting! Flow is defined as a state of mind in which a person becomes fully immersed in an activity. It is one of the most elusive states of mind there is. In sports, we call it "being in the zone." 

The graph shows that flow is found when the level of our skills is matched with a challenge right at the edge of our capabilities. A challenge too easy leads to boredom and a seemingly impossible challenge just leads to anxiety. 

It is interesting to think of how this relates to youth sports, development, and even free play. Parents always want their kids to "play with and against the best", but...

Happy Fourth of July weekend and 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!

Big Little Picks

Below is a great clip pulled from the JM3 Coaches Training Program on Big Little Picks and why they are so difficult to defend. Big Littles are a staple for offensive coordinators at the highest level for several reasons:

• You are pulling another defender out of the middle which creates more space off-ball.
• Match ups
• Pick Communication is very difficult
• Inverts are so close to the goal. One mistake and it's in the back of the net. 
• Opens up the inside game.

Check out the video on Why Big Littles Work! 

Defending Goal Line (GLE) Picks

We just went over some of the reasons why Big Little Picks can be so effective. One...