1. Ramp up slowly and warm up properly

The data on youth baseball injuries are limited, but studies of MLB players indicate that injuries are more likely to happen at the beginning of the season than at the end. One such study suggested that players were 10 times more likely to get hurt in the month of April than in September.

Why?

First, many players go too hard too soon at the start of spring training. This is especially true of young players, many of whom have not picked up a baseball in months. Baseball is a power sport that involves explosive movements. Adding too much volume to these movements at the start of practices can lead to a variety of overload injuries. Coaches need to gradually increase the number of repetitions that players perform during early-season practices.

Second, the weather is cold in most of the country at the beginning of baseball season, and lower temperatures make it harder to get the body loose and stay warm throughout a game or practice. Coaches should mandate a thorough warm-up before any team activity and spend extra time warming up when the temperature drops.

2. Monitor pitching quantity

One of the easiest ways to get injured in baseball is by pitching too much. Every year, as more kids play year round and play more games, the number of pitching-related injuries rises.

RELATED: How Baseball Players Can Prevent Hamstring Injuries

A 2012 study titled Prevention of Elbow Injuries in Youth Baseball conveys some alarming statistics and provides guidelines to avoid pitching-related arm injuries. According to the study, kids who:

• Pitched more than 100 innings per year were three times more likely to need surgery
• Threw 80-plus pitches per game were four times more likely to need surgery
• Pitched competitively for 8-plus months per year were five times more likely to need surgery
• Pitched regularly with arm fatigue were 36 times more likely to need surgery
• Pitched and played catch increased their risk of injury due to increased throwing volume

Simply put, throwing a baseball is incredibly taxing on the arm, so monitoring pitching quantity can go a long way toward preventing injury. In addition, as pitch counts rise, coaches should monitor throwing mechanics and look for signs of fatigue. Players should communicate with their coaches when their arms are tired or they begin to feel pain.

3. Maintain strength and mobility

Throwing, hitting, running and pitching are all powerful, explosive movements that require a great deal of strength and coordination. For example, throwing a baseball requires incredible contributions from the lower body to generate force; a strong, stable core to transfer force; and a mobile shoulder joint and strong scapular stabilizers to move the arm to throw the ball. If any link in the chain loses strength, mobility or stability, the whole movement is affected.

If strength, stability or mobility suffer, mechanics will change—which is a leading cause of injury. A study done at Northwestern University showed that pitchers who had more muscular strength placed less stress on their elbows when pitching. Their muscles were better able to protect their elbow joint.

Baseball is unique in that games are played often with few off days. During the season, players should strength train 2-3 times per week to maintain their strength. Workouts should be shorter than off-season workouts and should focus on the entire body. Below is a sample in-season workout:

• Deadlifts – 2-3 x 5-8
• Push-Ups – 2-3 x 10-15
• Walking Lunges – 2-3 x 10/side
• Dumbbell Rows – 2-3 x 10/side
• Planks – 2-3 x 30 seconds

Along with maintaining strength, baseball players need to work on mobility as the season wears on. They should spend time foam rolling the major muscles of their upper and lower body to keep their muscle tissue functioning optimally. In addition, they should focus on the areas of the arm that take much of the stress during the throwing motion: the posterior shoulder; the biceps; and the inside of the  elbow, below the joint. It is well known that throwers lose internal rotation of the shoulder and elbow extension over the course of the season, leading to more stress being placed on the shoulder and elbow. Doing soft tissue work on these three areas can go a long way to helping them maintain mobility and lower their injury risk.

Try this:

Posterior Shoulder

• Place a lacrosse ball on back of shoulder.
• Cross arm over chest.
• Roll muscles in the back of the shoulder for 1 minute.

Biceps

• Place a lacrosse ball on biceps.
• Roll ball over length of muscle moving up and down for 1 minute.

Inside of elbow, below joint

• Place a lacrosse ball on inside of elbow just below the elbow joint.
• Roll area for 1 minute making sure to not roll on the bone.

RELATED: 

• Prevent Baseball Injuries With This 10-Minute Warm-Up 
• 5 Bodyweight Exercises to Prevent Baseball Injuries

Safety Bar Split Squat

Squatting movements are the king of lower body exercises when it comes to getting a powerful lower body, something you need to thrive in the sport of lacrosse, commonly referred to as the fastest game on two feet. The split squat works the quads, glutes, and hamstrings while also improving balance, core strength, and coordination to help put a little more oomph on your shots. Single-leg strength movements can also help to build speed for the field. I like to use a Safety bar for this movement because it allows athletes to maintain a safer, more upright position throughout the movement. This bar also allows athletes to progress into hand-supported split squats to push loads and outputs after training for an extended period.

Landmine Rotational Press

Lacrosse players need to be strong in the rotational plane to dodge defenders and take hard shots at the goal late in a game. The landmine rotational press performed from the standing position checks this box along with improving dynamic core stability and building upper body strength. Just as lacrosse players must be explosive with their lower bodies they must also be explosive with their upper bodies and the rotational press keeps them covered on this. Once comfortable with the movement it can be progressed by taking on different stance positions including half kneeling, tall kneeling, or from the split stance position.

Curved Sprints

Curvilinear sprints are an underutilized training tool yet when you watch games you notice that they are performed in just about every possession. It’d be great if we could run straight to the goal at the opposite end of the field but there is typically a defender standing in the way. This movement should not be confused with agility or change of direction training rather it is where an athlete has to adjust their body’s lean and running mechanics to move along a curvilinear path. In lacrosse the need for curvilinear running is magnified because of the amount of playing field located behind the goal.

Pull Ups

Taking the actions of the sport into account we see that the sports actions are filled with lat dominant movements whether that’s shooting on goal or passing to a teammate and we need these muscles to be strong as they play a pivotal role in guiding the path the ball takes. To make sure the work performed in the gym transfers to the field the pull-up and its variants are essential movements any player should be performing. Once you can do 8-10 full range of motion reps with body weight begin to load the exercise with external resistance using either a dip belt or a weighted backpack/ vest. If you are having trouble performing 3-4 full range of motion reps begin by jumping up to the bar and performing only the lowering or eccentric portion of the movement. You can even do this variation with a load over time. Just don’t be surprised if you can complete full reps shortly after.

Deadbugs

When your sport requires you to carry an object while running at full speed while opponents attack you it’s going to require a high demand for trunk control and torso stability. Being strong and stable allows you to maintain good upright running technique and see the field while running straight ahead but also comes into play when cutting, turning, or running in a curvilinear pattern and getting hit and checked. Athletes with good torso control can efficiently absorb and deliver contact to opponents. The deadbug is an exercise every athlete, in or outside of lacrosse should be doing to help build strength in various trunk and pelvis positions. One side of the body must remain contracted while the opposite sides extend without losing positioning. The goal here is to work the deep musculature of the core while the limbs are in motion.

The off-season is the perfect time to take your game to the next level and preparing the body through strength, power, speed, and stability training is the best method for building a more durable and robust lacrosse student-athlete. Give the exercises outlined above a try in your program to see how they can improve your game.

Make sure to use safe, joint-friendly exercises such as a dumbbell or Swiss Bar bench press. The Swiss bar is used for several pressing and pulling exercises, including the bench press. You can also use high bar back squat, front squat, or trap bar deadlift. Perform 2x weekly for both lower and upper bodies.

If you don’t have access to a gym, use movements at home such as loaded pushups, pull-ups, body rows, and goblet squats. Or use this bodyweight workout. Make progress with what you have access to!

Modified German Volume Training

This is a training style first used by weightlifters moving up a weight class. In German Volume Training, you target one muscle group for 10 sets of 10 repetitions. However, 10 sets right off the bat can be too much to recover from!. In the modified version:

• Work within 50-60% of the main lift
• 2 mins rest between sets
• Start with 5 sets of 10, adding a set each week until you reach 10×10

Eccentric Overload Training

Eccentric overload training is a type of strength training in which we use both the lifting and lowering phases of an exercise. Still, we add load (hence the term “overload”) to the lowering phase, either with weight releasers or flywheel devices. The eccentric part of a movement (lowering the weight) is where your body has the greatest ability to produce force. Think of someone who can’t bench 300 lbs but can take it out of the rack and lower it down to their chest. We can take advantage of this force to spur greater muscle gain!

• Work within 65-75% of the main lift
• 2 mins rest between sets
• 8 reps are performed, with a 6-second lowering portion on each rep; x 5 sets

*eccentric overload can be done even heavier than 75% — but you will need a training partner to help you bring the weight upon each rep!

High-Intensity Drop Sets

Leave no reps in the tank! Using drop sets, you can pump nearly every last possible muscle contraction out of your body.

• Start with 70-80% of the main lift
• Perform 7 reps, then drop 10% of the load, perform another 7, then drop 10% of the load and perform as many reps as possible!
• 2-3mins rest, perform 5 sets.

Build your body up this offseason and put fear into your opponents when they see you step on the field next year!

Read More:

• Football Players: Get Faster With This Off-Season Speed Program
• 8 Great Tips to Improve Strength, Speed and Power

The list is large of the athletes who played both growing up, from the great Wayne Gretzky to the great John Travares (Buffalo Bandits, lacrosse) to his nephew, John Travares of the Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL). The similarities go far beyond them both being team sports. Let me dive a little deeper into how playing these two sports compliment each other.

Playing Area

In many cases, the playing area of box lacrosse and the playing area of ice hockey is the same spot. The National Lacrosse League and the National Hockey League are both played during the winter and, just like the National Basketball Association, have the luxury of a crew of people who do the floor changes from sport to sport in their respective arenas.

In normal circumstances, hokey is played in the winter, then the springtime comes, the ice is removed and lacrosse begins. The boards stay in, the glass stays in and the only things that change are the playing surface and the nets.

Physical Contact

The fact that physical contact is allowed in both lacrosse and hockey is one main factor in how a player progresses in each sport. In each sport, you need to embrace the physicality that’s involved in reaching that next level. Every player is different, and some may like the contact a lot more than others, but you need to understand that it is part of the game.

You are running/skating with the ball/puck and not only have to worry about the other players getting in the way of a pass or shot but also other players trying to run into you and physically knock you away from the ball/puck.

Out of Bounds

Field hockey, basketball, soccer, or football have out-of-bounds markers where you may step and avoid physical contact or stop the play. Hockey and box lacrosse have boards that are in play, which increases the physicality and allows a faster pace game. There’s nowhere to hide.

Stick Skills/Hand-Eye Coordination

Both sports involve a stick. The stick controls the puck/ball. It’s not your hands. Your hands control the stick, and the stick controls the puck/ball. This takes an immense amount of concentration and coordination.

Once you get that coordination under control is when all the still skills start. You can watch any YouTube video of stickhandling skills in the National Hockey League or National Lacrosse League. The things you will see are incredible.

To receive a pass, goaltenders stopping the puck/ball from entering the net, and taking a shot all involve a great amount of hand-eye coordination. You are not just receiving the ball/puck in your hand, which, like football or basketball, is hard enough. You are handling an object, in which you use to receive the puck/ball. Then remember, this is being done while someone is trying to physically separate you from the ball/puck.

5-on-5

These two sports not only play in the same arenas but play with the same amount of players. The format is a little different, but there are 5 players on at any given moment.

Even the penalties are the same. When a penalty is called in either sport a player goes off and “sits in the box” for usually 2 or 4 minutes (major penalties are 5 minutes and misconduct penalties worth 10 minutes are also given).

Weight Transfer

Shooting to puck and ball is the main component of both hockey and lacrosse. The aim is to shoot the puck/ball in the net and past the goaltender. There is a great deal of rotational power involved in a good, hand shot in both lacrosse and baseball, but the greatest effect comes from solid weight transfer.

Field hockey is for right-shooting players, golf is predominately right and in most sports, including baseball, a left-handed athlete is somewhat rare. When it comes to hockey and lacrosse this is not the case. Though most of the players are right-hand dominant, you see a pretty even number of left-hand shooters compared to right-handed shooters.

When talking about weight transfer, this means that weight is shifted from the back leg to the front leg when shooting. Just as a right-handed pitcher in baseball transfers weight from the right leg (back leg) to the left leg (front leg), the hockey and lacrosse shot is the same principle. You will not get your hardest/fasted shot when the weight starts on the back leg and transfers to the front leg.

Work-to-Rest

The final and arguably the biggest factor is the work-to-rest ratio. This is very important to a strength and conditioning coach, as this is where energy systems come into play. Soccer is much different than hockey and lacrosse, which are both much different from basketball.

There are three main energy systems, and the key for performance coaches and players looking for proper conditioning is to determine how much time is spent in each energy system and how much rest is given.

Now, hockey and lacrosse have more of a work-to-rest(a)-to-rest(b) format. Your shift length differs slightly from hockey to lacrosse, but it’s important to understand that even when you are on the ice/floor you are not working at full capacity the whole time. Think of it like work-short rest-work-short rest-work-short rest-work-long rest rest-long rest, etc.

Your anaerobic system, of which there are two types is the system at work during your shift. The aerobic system sess action during your recovery time on the bench. With hockey and lacrosse having very close work-to-rest ratios, it’s only natural to play both.

Change of Direction:

Lacrosse players need a solid physical foundation before engaging in high-intensity drills, no matter if they are a day one novice or a seasoned veteran. Change of direction can be thought of as a category of movement skills that account for all movements and movement sequences occurring in sports under non-reactive and reactive conditions, however, it all begins with developing neuromuscular eccentric deceleration qualities so that one can move efficiently and effectively through all planes of motion. Emphasis should be placed on technical efficiency which involves mastering the ability to quickly decelerate and reaccelerate for optimal stretch-shortening cycle activity. One of the best ways to envision this principle is by the image presented below, courtesy of the author and coach Cal Dietz’s Triphasic Training.

As you can see, the sharper ‘V’ shape an athlete can acquire during a transitional change of direction, the better. The decline side of our V shape represents the eccentric muscle contractions or decelerating capabilities, while the incline represents our concentric muscle contractions or accelerating capabilities. An often overlooked but critical piece to this equation is the center where the V meets or our isometric muscle contractions. Although it is often fractions of a second, it is crucial to maximizing change of direction and power.

Athletes don’t just acquire these skills overnight, nor do many ever get the chance to learn them properly. Everyone will start with a different skill set, but as coaches, we must ensure that athletes possess foundational mobility and stability through the ankles and hips as well as adequate postural control. Engaging in high-intensity sporting activities without these prerequisites can lead to injuries.

An excellent place to start and simultaneously assess foundational qualities is by having them do unilateral barefoot dynamic movements (i.e. walking knee hugs, leg cradles). For the athlete, they get a chance to challenge their proprioceptive abilities and separate themselves from the footwear we perform in nearly every athletic endeavor in. It’s essential to watch the tibial rotation occurring in all the movements because although the ankle moves through a tri-planar motion, the knee does not, hence why it is one of the most injured joints. Taking note of the body’s ability to eccentrically control the pronation-supination ‘tug of war’ ensures that they can do all the right things in the wrong places.

After some unilateral work, it’s time to look at fundamental movement patterns such as the squat and lunge. An elevating heel or collapsing chest could be tell-tale signs that one may not possess adequate mobility or postural control which must be addressed before moving on. Once these boxes have been checked it becomes time to start adding small doses of impact to the athlete’s training by way of snap downs and other low-level plyometrics. The progression further continues with vertical jumps and multi planar jumps emphasizing sound landings, later followed by shuffle and accelerative drills progressed with the coach’s eye relative to their athletes’ abilities. Lacrosse players must be able to evade a defender, chase down an opponent, scramble to scoop up a loose ball, get open for passes, and constantly reposition themselves to be in the most advantageous position possible.

A simple way to categorize the demands of all these movements is as follows:

While it may seem like a lacrosse player can move in infinite directions, each move they make is simply either linear forward, linear backward, lateral, rotational, or a combination of two or more. The table below categorizes all the movements we can train the athlete by the direction they are moving:

Shuffles, cuts, and crossovers are involved in nearly every movement a lacrosse player makes; therefore, they should be of central focus. Some progressions and ways to develop each skill include:

Speed:

The term “speed” is often made overcomplicated by typical strength coach jargon, but it is nothing more than how quickly one can get from point A to point B. Within speed, there are a few other components involved that can be further dissected and trained. Specifically, there is acceleration (acceleration = ΔVelocity (m/s)/ΔTime(s)) and maximum velocity (Velocity = Distance(m)/Time(s)). The difference between the two can be further understood by the chart below:

During acceleration, the athlete moves through 3 distinct body positions:

– Position 1: Start Position:

o Back hip 94⁰, Back knee 133⁰

– Position 2: Ankle Cross

o Positive shin angle or “forward lean” where the angle of the shin and torso are parallel relative to the ground.

o Dorsiflexion in the forward driving knee is also critical

– Position 3: Toe of Contact

o Piston-like action with the legs

o Fast foot strike directly under or slightly behind the center of mass

The primary emphasis of acceleration is to get efficient triple extension/flexion through the ankle, hip, and knee joints with a high amount of force being produced in the optimal direction while syncing arm/leg movement through a piston-like leg action. A lacrosse athlete will accelerate dozens if not hundreds of times throughout a game therefore, it is critical to develop. Obviously, the body position during the competition will vary, and the athlete will also be carrying a stick in their hands; however, some ways to train acceleration especially are as follows:

The display of absolute speed is less common or less frequent in many sports; however, it does occur and still must be trained because it acts as the ceiling with which an athlete has for overall athletic potential. The two primary goals to focus on when developing technical speed are to contact the ground with the foot as close to the center of mass as possible with minimal ground contact time and minimize breaking/vertical forces. The critical positions of sprinting are as follows:

· Critical Position 1: Take Off.

o Stance hip extension = -10 degrees

o Stance knee extension= 150 degrees

o Recovery knee flexion = 80 degrees

o Recovery hip flexion = 80 degrees

o Back arm = 155 degrees

o Front arm = 70-80 degrees

· Critical Position 2: Flight Transition

o Rear hip extension = <-15 degrees

o Rear Knee extension = <140 degrees

o Front Knee Flexion = 90 degrees

o Front Hip Flexion = 80 degrees

· Critical Position 3: Figure 4

o Stance hip extension = <20 degrees

o Stance knee extension = < 160 degrees

o Recovery Knee Flexion = 40 degrees

o Recovery hip flexion = 45 degrees

During sprinting, there is a higher cadence/frequency of strides and faster stride turnover than acceleration. As previously discussed with acceleration, the mechanics of sprinting during an actual lacrosse game will vary because they are going to be encountering opponents, carrying a stick, and very unlikely to be going in a straight line for an extended period. They can simulate all these moves in practice; however, the way we can develop sprinting ability outside of practice can be done with drills such as the following:

Summary:

Lacrosse is a sport that requires various unpredictable movements that vary in both speed and direction. It is critical for a coach to develop the athlete’s foundational accelerative, absolute speed, and change of direction ability so that they are equipped with the necessary tools to be successful in competition. There are many ways to go about training for these qualities; however, the basic principles of each component will always remain the same. The key to successfully training any lacrosse player for maximal results is to meet them where they are at and give them the most effective drills and training possible unique to their situation. This is where art meets science, and a coach can help an athlete go from good to great.

As the sport continues to become popular, more and more youth athletes are gravitating to the team sport. Lacrosse players use the head of the lacrosse stick to carry, pass, catch and shoot a small rubber lacrosse ball into the opponent’s goals. As a coach of young, developing lacrosse athletes, you have the opportunity to set a strong foundation to build their skills and promote their advancement into high school or collegiate level play.

Five Tips For Youth Lacrosse Coaches

Build the athlete first. The lacrosse player comes second.

When coaching any youth athlete, you are inheriting an individual who may be naturally gifted, who may need some polishing or someone you may need to build from the ground up. Remember, your athletes are young men and women who are still physically developing and may have years, if not decades, of athletic play ahead of them. They may become a lifelong lacrosse player, or they may bounce between several sports and recreational pursuits. As a coach of a young athlete, you must establish a foundation to help improve skill, build strength, and reduce injury. You set up a foundation that could lead to a long, athletic career or early retirement due to a severe injury. Instruct them on proper form with calisthenic basics to build strength: squats, lunges, pushups, core work and so on. Work on building good mechanics with running. And slowly progress them with agility and plyometric drills. Cue the young athletes on proper landing, footwork skills, and reducing knee valgus or weight shifting.

Focus on the foundations.

Likely you are coaching a team with young men and women who may have little to nothing about lacrosse. Maybe they have a parent who played or loves the sport. Or maybe this was a sport the parent felt may be a safe option for introducing their young athlete into team sports. The bottom line is you have to start with scratch and work on foundational skill movements versus big picture game strategy. This is the time to work on technical skills such as passing, scooping, catching, and dodging. Make your young lacrosse athlete comfortable with the basic skills before you expect them to thrive on the field. And even then, it may take some time for them to progress from skill work, to drills, to scrimmaging, to successful playing on the field. Set up your athlete for success beyond the youth league.

As a coach, you’re always on.

You are the coach. You are a figure of authority, guidance, and support. You may even be the key woman or man in this young person’s life. You should always present yourself with discipline and control. This means following up on what you say. Practice what you preach and follow through on commitments. Also, show up and look at the part. Dress appropriately regardless of whether it is practice or game day. Consider wearing appropriate athletic shoes, khakis and a belt, a team shirt, or polo. Look professional and like a figure of authority and respect. Do not act or come across like a bigger version of the pre-junior high kids on your team. You are not there to be a friend. You are there to coach and provide guidance. Show respect to all players. And require respect from your players to you and themselves. You may not have control over what is taking place in their personal lives, but here you can set some ground rules which will carry over well beyond recreational sport.

Establish mental toughness.

Your athletes are young and new to the sport. This is a prime time to teach young athletes that it is OK to make a mistake. It is how they react to the key mistake. Mistakes happen. Learn from the mistake and quickly move on. Teach your young athletes not to dwell on a mistake, but how can they recover, adjust and learn. This is also a good way for teammates to learn from the mistakes of others, but how to rally and help the team as a whole rebound. No player is perfect. Establish a sense of pride with the players and the team. Have them approach every practice – and every game – with the mentality to compete hard. Show up to practices and games on time be dresse and prepared. Give it your all no matter if it’s the 100th time a drill has been done, or you’re facing the best team in the league. Get your game face on and fake it until you make it.

Ask for help.

You are coaching maybe because you played in high school or college. Or maybe you’ve always had a love of the sport of lacrosse. Or maybe you were thrust into the coaching role because your child has an interest, but there were no viable options around. Regardless of your background, you can always learn and improve as a lacrosse coach. Network with other coaches in youth leagues and reach out to junior high, high school, or college coaches. Any true coach with a love of their sport is willing to help build up the skills of anyone in the sport.

Being a coach of lacrosse, or any sport, is not easy. It takes a commitment of time and energy. And when you are working with young athletes, your focus is to establish foundations for any athletic adventure or life lesson. This is an opportunity to serve as a mentor, show discipline and respect, set good foundational skills and athleticism, and serve as a positive adult role. Young men and women will remember those adults who set them on the right path in life – those teachers, coaches, or community members who shaped, guided, but also set boundaries. Utilize those in your local lacrosse community, or visit World Lacrosse or USA Lacrosse for additional resources.

There are two different styles of gameplay in lacrosse: box and field. Box lacrosse only has six players on each team and is played indoors, whereas field lacrosse has ten players on each team. The rules, equipment, and tactics are somewhat different between box and field lacrosse; however, the positions are still relatively the same. Each team has defenders, midfielders, attackers, and one goalkeeper. For simplicity, this article discusses the positions of athletes based on their position in both box and field lacrosse rather than each discipline separately. Below is a breakdown of each position and its responsibilities.

The Lacrosse Positions Explained

Defenders

The defenders are responsible for protecting the area close to the goal and assisting the goalie as the last line of defense against the opposing team. Defenders use a longer lacrosse stick to deflect and block opposing shots and passes. Their primary responsibility is to cut the attackers off from the opposing team so that they do not get clean shots on goal. They also transition the ball to midfielders and flip the field as quickly as possible.

Midfielders

The midfielders are essentially a ‘hybrid’ position in that they can play both offense and defense over the entire lacrosse field. They are primarily responsible for transitioning the ball from defense to offense quickly, which can create a huge advantage. They must also carefully monitor everybody’s position on the field so that they do not get called for an offsides penalty. Midfielders must be great communicators with both sides of the ball at all times.

Attackers

The attackers are the players who do the goal scoring and stay on the offensive side of the field. They receive the ball from the midfielders in transition and must use an array of stick skills to maneuver around the defenders to pass to their teammates to get clean shots on goal. Sometimes it can take several passes and fake attempts to get a single shot on goal; therefore, attackers must have great communication with their fellow teammates and exceptional stick handling skills.

Goalkeeper

The goalkeeper or ‘goalie’ is the literal last line of defense in preventing goals from being scored by the opposing team. They are perhaps one of the most important positions on the field and must cover the entire area around the goal known as the crease. At times they may go beyond the crease, but they must be extremely careful as anything that gets behind them will have a completely open opportunity at scoring. Goalies tend to have excellent hand-eye coordination and, despite wearing significant padding, must withstand several painful shots on goal in a game.

Summary

Not all positions in lacrosse are created equal. Some positions require the athlete to cover significant distance throughout the game while others are more static by nature and defensive. Communication between all positions is key for an effective game plan to be executed and each position plays a critical role in the success of the team. Coaches must understand the unique differences between each player’s position so that the most effective training measures possible to be implemented.

Read More:

• 4 Ways to Increase Lacrosse Shot Rotational Power
• 5 Keys to Lacrosse Speed Training

Lacrosse also has two different styles, field, and box. The primary difference is that box lacrosse is played indoors while field lacrosse is played outdoors. In addition, box lacrosse is played with only six players per side and can often be more physical due to the boards being present, much like ice hockey. Globally speaking, lacrosse is somewhere in the neighborhood of ~60% Anaerobic/ATP, ~20% Anaerobic/Lactate, and ~20% Aerobic. Essentially, lacrosse is dominated by a repetitive series of fast, explosive movements interspersed with low-intensity movement or rest periods. This varies depending on the pace of the game and the position of the player, as noted below:

Attackmen:

The ‘attack’ or forwards are the players who play primarily on the offensive side of the field and are directly responsible for scoring the ball.

Midfielders:

These are the ‘hybrid’ players required to run perhaps the most out of everybody and play on both the offensive and defensive sides of the field.

Defenseman:

These players are directly responsible for defending the attackmen from getting shots on the goalie and can be noted from their 6 foot long sticks. Rarely do they ever enter the offensive side of the field?

Goalie:

A goalie is the last line of defense to defend against shots that can travel 100+ mph—wearing significantly more padding and gear to defend against these shots. An important distinction between box and field lacrosse is that the field lacrosse goal is much larger than the box lacrosse goal.

Conditioning For Lacrosse:

Many movement and running are involved in lacrosse, sometimes upwards of 3-5 miles per game (depending on position). With that in mind, many coaches gravitate towards heavy doses of long, slow aerobic training to ‘build up their athlete’s conditioning. While there is a time and place for this, there is a better way to approach training. It’s important to note that not all of this running in a game is done at one time, in fact, as previously mentioned, the sport of lacrosse itself appears to be only ~20% aerobic by nature. What is more important rather is to build off their speed/anaerobic endurance so that they continue repeating bouts of explosive runs throughout the game without fatiguing to the point of inadequate performance. How is this done, you may ask? One way is to implement Sprint Interval Training (SIT), popularized by legendary track coach Charlie Francis.

To spare you a boring physiology lesson, the basic premise of this type of training is to perform bouts of high-intensity effort (i.e., 15-20sec) followed by lower intensity bouts of action (i.e., 45sec-1min). We call this the work to rest ratio (W: R), and the numbers do not have to be fixed in any particular fashion. How they are manipulated depends on the outcome a coach is seeking and the current level of fitness the athlete(s) have. Check out the example below:

Sprint Interval Training

• Jog/Walk 45sec
• Sprint 15sec
• Jog/Walk 45sec
• Sprint 15sec
• Jog/Walk 45sec
• Sprint 15sec
• Jog/Walk 45sec
• Sprint 15sec
• Jog/Walk 45sec
• Sit and Foam Roll 3-5min
• Repeat 2-3x

As you can see, this is a fundamental way to implement SIT. Still, with effort, creativity, and sound periodization methods, it can make a world of difference for the athletes over logging endless hours of long slow cardio. One important last note, this is still important for goalies as well. They need adequate levels of conditioning too.

Strength & Power Training

Conditioning is only one piece of the puzzle for a complete lacrosse player. These athletes need to be strong, powerful, agile, and mobile to both perform well and evade injury. While I could practically write an entire book on strength and power training for the lacrosse athlete, I will give some of the big rocks to focus on here instead.

We want to build a robust athlete that has great rotational power, an excellent rate of force development (RFD), a strong core, a strong posterior chain, and strong symmetrical single-leg strength. That may sound like a lot, but fortunately, a well-written program with properly performed movements can get the job done without being overly demanding. Below are some of my favorite movements for the lacrosse athlete, with a brief tagline of what they help do.

Hang Power Clean:

There’s a lot of debate about this one with coaches today, but in my humble opinion and experience, I find it to be a great way to teach athletes triple extension and increase their overall RFD.

Landmine Rotational Press:

I previously mentioned rotational power being important for lacrosse, and this is one of my go-to movements for helping to address that. The focus should be on movement the bar quickly and efficiently, not a heavy, slow movement.

Single Leg Landmine Glute Bridge:

This is a bit of a two-for-one movement, strengthening both the posterior chain and single-leg strength in one. I also like this because you can add weight to the movement. However, I am just performing it with the bar in this video.

Trap Bar Deadlift:

The trap bar deadlift is a no-brainer for nearly all my athletes and clients. It’s a compound movement that targets so many body parts and can build some serious strength.

Bird Dog Ab Rollout:

Your core stabilizes, rotates, and resists rotation more than what people think of in the classic sit-up flexion position. I’ve talked a lot about loaded carries, paloff presses, dead bugs, etc., but honestly, I chose this one to give you all something new to try. It combines two of my favorite ‘core’ and stability exercises into one, the ab rollout and the bird dog! I’m not sure what the actual name is or a movement, but I made it up in my head. Enjoy.

While the movements in isolation certainly will not make a lacrosse player great, they are certain pieces to the puzzle that fits into a well-rounded program with excellent coaching.

Summary:

Every sport poses its unique demands on the athletes and coaches. Lacrosse is no different. Effective strength and conditioning methods must be implemented to help foster the most well-rounded athlete possible.

In part 1 of this 2 part series, we’ve covered both effective means to condition lacrosse players and basic movements for strength and power. In part 2, we will cover two more critical pieces, speed/change of direction and mobility training. Thanks for reading, and stay tuned.

To shoot harder, you need to be able to rotate in your thoracic spine. Below are a quick test to check your rotation and some exercises you can add to your warm-up routine to loosen up your upper back before games.

Seated Thoracic Spine Rotation Test

• Sit upright with a ball or roller between your legs.
• Place a light bar or dowel rod across the front of your shoulders.
• Squeeze the ball and rotate your upper back as far as you can.

In a study, a group of healthy young adults averaged about 55 degrees of rotation. The average age of the subjects was 23.  In my opinion, for rotational sport athletes, I recommend a 55 to 65 degrees of rotation.

These movements can be added to your on-field pre-game routine. Perform them before your dynamic warm-up.  They can also be done before a training session in your weight room.

Bretzel

• Lie on your side with your head on a glove/ball.
• Place your top leg on top of your bottom hand.
• With your top hand, grasp your bottom leg, pulling your leg in line with your body (if you can).
• Look the opposite way with your head and eyes, rotating through your upper back.
• Hold for 6-8 breaths; with each breath, try for more rotation.

Side-Lying Windmill

• Lie on your side with your top leg bent 90 degrees.
• Rotate your top arm and upper back around, following your hand with your eyes.
• Repeat for 6-8 reps.

Quadruped Extension Rotation

• Place your arm behind your head, and rotate up, following your elbow with your eyes.
• When you reach a position of tension, hold for 2-3 breaths and relax.
• Repeat for 6-8 reps per side

Bretzel 2.0

• Rotate your upper back by walking your hands as far as you can.
• Hold end range for 6-8 breaths.
• You can also perform 6-8 Push-Ups in the extended position.
• Hold for 6-8 breaths with your forearms on the ground.

RELATED: 

• 3 Ways to Warm Up the Upper Body
• The 13-Exercise Duke Lacrosse Dynamic Warm-Up
• Increase Your Lacrosse Speed With Multi-Directional Exercises