Move the Ball

If you have ever been lucky enough to see the first nation players in action, one thing becomes evidently clear. Their game is about moving the ball, not making individual plays. Legend says the pass is a prayer and it is better to give one than to hold one.

I see kids hogging the ball at all levels, not seeing the field and carrying way too much. Here's a few tips to break those habits.

1. Teach "move it off the ground". When we win the GB, teach players to banana cut to space and move the ball as quickly as possible. If you are off ball, find space, be an outlet, call for the ball and move it again whenever possible.
2. Scoop-pass-pass. Create a culture of quick ball movement. This starts in practice. When you train youth players, teach them "SPP". When we get a GB we move it twice. When a player is taught this is the way the game is played, it becomes second nature.
3. The three second rule. One of my favorite methods to teach up tempo lacrosse is to put in the three second rule. When a player catches a ball in drills or scrimmages, count out loud "one thousand, two thousand, three thousand". If the ball is not moved blow the whistle. It teaches not only move the ball, but get open off ball to help your teammate. Younger or less skilled players can get up to four or five seconds. 
4. The best drill to teach youth ball movement is the four cone, three player drill. Set up four cones in a box, 8-10 yards apart. If you have 20 players make 5 boxes. Three players set up on a cone, leaving one cone open. The drill starts with a player adjacent to the open cone having a ball. The rule is simple, you have to move to a open cone to receive a pass. Every time a player moves to a cone it creates another open cone. Run the drill continuously for 8 minutes then switch direction and hands. Make sure they are always catching with their hands to the outside.