15+ Lacrosse Drills
243 drills for 15+ lacrosse players. Browse by skill focus and add them directly to your practice plan.
4 line pass and shoot
Give and go R2 R1, R2 goes in for shot and lines up behind L1. R1 lines up behind L2. Have R1 and L2 start lower down so skip pass is longer If 2 goalies then R1 goes into R2 line and R2 finishes shot and goes into R1 line. Same for L1 and L2. shooter becomes dummy defender and shooter has to face dodge or fake and step past defender before shooting. Defender then returns to back of line
2v2 Circle Ground Ball to Outlet
Setup: -Split players into two teams -Each team forms 2 lines (alternating) outside the center circle -One coach stands outside the circle The coach rolls a ground ball into the center circle Two players from each team (one from each line) are released and enter the circle to play a 2v2. The team that picks up the gb is offense; the other team is defense. Offense must: Complete one pass to their teammate, then complete a pass to the coach to score a point. The ball becomes dead if it goes out of bounds. Rotate new players in after each rep Play to a set number of points or for a set time
Rides/Clears
7v7 (or 4v4 for numbers with 2 defenders, 2 attackers and 2 middies on each team) - One team starts by passing the ball around - On the whistle, they pass to the goalie, replicating a shot on cage - The goalie is now clearing to the team that was just on defense - The team that was on offense is riding the defense - Once the ball is at the other end of the field, settle it, and do it again going the other way (both teams ride and clear)
Full Field Clearing Drill
Setup: Have 2 lines of defense on either side of the goalie, 3 middies near the center circle, and 2 lines of attack on the other side of the field near the elbows. - Ball starts with the goalie for a clear to the 2 low defenders. - The defense that doesn't get the ball is is streaking up the field towards the middle to receive it. - Once they receive it, the midfielders are cutting and asking for it - Once the midfielders receive it, the attackers are staying wide and asking for the ball - Can then get into a slow break to finish Focus on inside outside inside transition
3 By
Set up a mini hockey-style 3x3 net and play live with a tennis ball, 3v3 in a tight space. Offense focuses on quick ball movement, spacing, and finishing through traffic, while defenders emphasize communication, sticks in lanes, and protecting the middle. The small net and condensed area force fast decisions, creativity, and constant engagement from all players.
Ladders
Set up a speed ladder or use tape on the ground with 8–10 boxes, leaving enough space at the end to accelerate out. Run athletes through simple patterns at first (one foot in each box, in-in-out-out), emphasizing low hips, quick feet, and balance, then have them open their hips and sprint out at the end to reinforce transition from footwork to game movement.
Mirror footwork
Set up 2 lanes. Players look directly at each other. One player shuffles laterally, other player mirrors and stays square. Can also be done forward/backward.
Static 4v3
This drill starts with 4 offensive players and 3 defenders. The 4 offensive players are set up in a rectangle, the 2 low players are at about GLE and 3 yards off the crease, the top players are about 7 yards above the cage even with the bottom 2 players. The 3 defenders set up in a triangle in the middle of the rectangle. The purpose of this drill is for the defense to work on rotating. Specifically, reading the offense's body language and understanding when a full rotation is necessary, versus being able to hedge and go ball to ball. This is traditionally a box lacrosse drill, but it proves to be quite useful at younger levels to help develop defensive IQ. To make this more a defensive drill, the offense is NOT allowed to move. They must stay static in their spots, but its important to emphasize to the defense that they are not trying to take the ball away, but slow down the offense.
T-Drill
- setup 4 cones in a T shape - to start, sprint out to the cone in the middle and break down you feet like you are approaching an attacker - slide shuffle to one cone, left or right - sprint to the opposite cone and then sprint back for a ground ball
1v1 Retreat Drill
- have a set of cones that they have to stay inside on each side - no sticks - attacker is trying to jab and get a clear lane down the lane - defense is trying to keep the attacker in front of them - start with an approach
Multiple Cutters
Using half the 8, mark 3 zones with cones (one near the second hash, one below the elbow). Place 3 defenders, one per zone, and 4–5 attackers cutting in and out. On the opposite side, posts pass and look for feeds (not live, no defense). Attackers must exit a different zone than they entered, forcing defenders to pass off cutters. When the ball is fed inside, defenders must crash.
Split field 2 v 2
Work together in a pair mirroring each other. Field is cut in half down the middle. 2v2 until someone scores. Mirror ball carrier. Set picks and roll. Play together.