9-12 Lacrosse Drills
192 drills for 9-12 lacrosse players. Browse by skill focus and add them directly to your practice plan.
5-10-5 shuttle
5-10-5 shuttle
GB Gauntlet
2 girls on either side of the ball, one girl with a football pad - One at a time run through the ground ball. The two girls on either side of the ball can try to check the ball if its there. - Once the girl picks up the ball, she has to handle the bump from the girl with the football pad and run through the cone. - Go until you have a certain number of clean fast ground balls
125's
start lined up on GLE, sprint to 50 yard line, turn and sprint back to GLE, sprint back through 25 yard line. Walk back to GLE, 1 min break, repeat as desired
Pentagon Approach
5 cones set up in the shape of a pentagon, about 5 yards apart. 2 players start inside back to back. 1 offensive player runs around 1 of the 3 pre determined cones, while 1 Defender runs around 1 of the 2 other predetermined cones and has to approach the ball. Works on various approach angles and taking away middle of field.
3v2 to a 4v3
- Split into 2 teams, 1 team has three lines low to start, the other team has 2 lines high to start (switch half way) - Ball starts with the 3 girls low and 2 girls are coming in from the top to play defense - Once the ball is scored or turned over, the 2 girls that were playing defense become offense, and 2 more girls are adding in to join on offense from the top - The 3 girls that started low on attack are now on defense to play a 4v3 - Reset with new girls starting the 3v2 low (or you can have the 2 girls that came in from top for the 4v3, start low)
5v4 Fast Break with Trailing Middie
- Can have 7v6 as well with trail. - Setup with 3 middies on attack and 2 middies on defense coming in from the 50 with 2 attack and 2 defenders low (or 4 attack and 4 defenders low) - Add the 3rd defensive middie once the ball passes the 30. - Defense needs to slow down the ball and then get organized until they can get into a settled offense. - Offense needs to push the fast break before defense can get settled. - Switch out the low girls every 3-4 reps.
Out of Dodge Drill
Start six offensive players in a 1-4-1 formation and six defenders matched up, with a goalie in the cage. On the coach’s whistle, offense begins passing around the perimeter. The coach calls out the jersey number of the defender covering the ball. That defender sprints to the sideline and back before returning to the play. As the defender vacates his spot, the ball carrier attacks the goal, forcing the rest of the defense to slide and adjust to limit scoring opportunities. After a goal or turnover, the drill resets and another defender is called out. Players rotate positions after several repetitions. Emphasize clear communication, proper footwork, and awareness of both the ball and adjacent slides. Defense must move cohesively, anticipate offensive cuts, and maintain strong positioning.
5v4 Drill
Set up half the field with five offensive players and four defenders. The coach holds a ball and can either roll it out as a ground ball or pass it directly into the group to start the action. On the whistle, the offense attacks the goal with one extra player, moving the ball quickly and looking for gaps. The defense slides, communicates, and tries to prevent a shot while managing their numbers disadvantage. The play continues until there’s a goal, save, clear, or the coach blows the whistle. Focus on crisp passes, smart positioning, and timing your slides perfectly. Encourage the offense to use the extra player advantage without overcommitting, and remind defenders to anticipate passes and recover quickly. To mix it up, flip the numbers so the defense has five and the offense has four, or add rules like a minimum number of passes before shooting, or requiring defenders to clear the ball outside the attack zone. You can even start from a ground ball to simulate a chaotic restart.
Gladiator
Bucket goes in the middle of the crease. One player starts with the ball ~10 yards away from the bucket. One player starts on the crease. The player with the ball is trying to put the ball in the bucket while the other player is looking to prevent it. This should be competitive and physical.
Half field 3v3 continuous
- break into 2 teams - there will be 3 lines of each team lined up at the 30 - the light team starts on attack and the dark team starts on defense in a 3v3 - if the light team scores or turns the ball over, the dark team clears to the 3 lines of dark on the 30, 3 light players re-defend. - Once cleared, the 3 dark defense goes out, the 3 new dark players are on offense and the light players that were just on offense are now on defense.
Footwork Drill
This drill builds reaction time, defensive footwork, and anticipation. Athletes start with foot fires, then on a whistle twist hips left or right while keeping shoulders square. Add cone calls: if the color is behind, they slide; if in front, they sprint, break down, touch, and return. Final stage combines hip twists with cone recognition, forcing quick direction changes and recovery—mimicking real defensive movement.
Ground Ball Relay
Break into groups of 3. To start, one girl will roll a ground ball out to the other two. Whoever gets the ground ball is running through the cone, whoever doesnt get the ball, is playing defense on the girl, and trying to turn her. Switch the girl who is throwing the ground ball out. After a few, switch one girl from each group so they are going against different people.