Position guide
Good defense is footwork first, stick second. A defender who can stay in front of a dodger without checking stops more possessions than one who swings at everything. Train the feet, then add the stick.
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Drills, reps and cues come back in seconds.
These drills are starting points. The coach adjusts difficulty, volume, cues and progression to the player's age, experience and current need.
Approach a cone under control, break down, drop step and shuffle 5 yards. 10 reps each side. Cue: chop your feet on approach — never arrive at full speed.
20 yards of shuffle without crossing your feet, 6 rounds. Cue: hips low, chest up, feet never click together.
Partner or shadow changes direction every two seconds for 30 seconds, 5 rounds. Cue: react to the hips, not the stick.
30 pokes at a target at hand height while shuffling. Cue: short jab, bottom hand only, stick comes straight back to position.
20 lifts under a stationary stick shaft. Cue: lift the bottom hand, not the whole stick — timed as the dodger's hands come through.
Chase from behind, check down on the bottom hand, 15 reps. Cue: only once you're even with their hips, otherwise it's a hold.
Sprint 8 yards to a slide point, break down, then recover to your original spot. 8 reps. Cue: slide to the hands, arrive under control.
Call your slide out loud every rep — 'I'm hot', 'ball down', 'release'. Cue: silent defenses give up easy goals.
Scoop, sprint 20 yards, pass on the run to a target. 10 reps. Cue: look up before you run; the outlet is usually already open.
Give ground early and force them to the sideline or away from the cage. Chase the hands only after you have body position — checking first is how fast players get by you.
Barely. Through U11, positioning and footwork should be nearly all of it. Checks are the last thing to add, once a player can stay in front without one.
The PrivateLaxCoach AI coach turns these drills into a personalized plan for your player's age, position and goals — and you can send a video of any drill for a coach's breakdown with fixes and an action plan.
