Playing Fast

Offense has been on my mind a lot lately as we head toward March 9- partially because I will be spending more time with our offense than I have in past years, and in part because I don't think we were particularly good at it last season. Sure we had a few standout players that created trouble for opposing defenses, and we found ways to win last year, but overall didn't ever become the prolific, attacking, opportunistic offense I always dream we can be.

This year, I want that to change all of that. This year, I want to play fast.

I don't mean (just) 40 yard dash fast- I mean I want to attack the opponents cage every time, all the time. I don't want our guys just to "get the ball down the side and get it to X" on transition- I want the guy carrying the ball up field- short stick, long stick, goalie, fogo, whatever I want him attacking the defense with an intent to score when he crosses midline. I want the ball to move in and out of out sticks quickly- I don't want the ball to die in the stick of some player who thinks his range is at 15 yards- I want our shots to be inside of 8 yards (8 inches would be nice) by making an extra pass, or two. I don't want to play settled 6v6 offense- Let's attack the cage when they are unsettled, when they have only 5 guys in, when they don't have any idea who their 1st or 2nd slide will be.

I would be happy with 15 second possessions, as long as we are taking the shot from inside 8 yards. Heck, let's keep the O mids on the bench and just play fast break lacrosse- d-mids (I hate that term) and long poles sprinting up field flooding into the offensive zone- all 3 of them- not giving the other team a chance to sub- attacking in transition. Heck, maybe we wont have offensive and defensive mids any more- maybe just 2 way middies who can play defense AND offense- just athletes being athletes.

Sure seems like a lot more fun to me- and if we are sprinting up field all the time, we can play more guys.

So what does it take?

First- it starts with me. I have to change my attitude about the whole "O thing". Playing fast and up tempo means making mistakes...it means a few more turn overs and we (I) have to be ok with it. It's moving the give and take paradigm thing from controlled possessions with 1 single great scoring chance to taking 4 shots and scoring on 2 of them. It means being ok with a mistake as long we are 1) sprinting to create a play before the mistake 2)sprinting after it when we do (like riding the heck out of them after they get the ball on a blown fast break). We also have to practice it. I think we spend a lot of time practicing 6v6 settled offense, more time than we are actually in 6v6 in a game.

What else? We have to have great sticks skills...all of us...yeah...you too. Goalies who can pass (and get out of the cage and run a bit), long poles who can handle cross field passes, short passes, dodges, midfielders who can dodge to score coming from the defensive side. We have to shorten the amount of time the that the ball in our stick- quick, crisp passes that start from your ear and end at your nose (11 to 1 passing)- not the big wind up and follow through- and be able to handle the imperfect pass- catch the one at our knee and above our head. Write this one down- get on the wall. We have to always be a threat to dodge, shoot, or pass- basketball calls that "triple threat"- we have to be a triple threat when the ball in our stick- we have to be even more of threat when the ball isn't in our stick.

We have to be able to attack in the unsettled- face offs, transition offense, successful rides and ground balls- all opportunities to attack the cage before we get to 6v6.

What else? Gotta be in shape- you knew that was coming. We have to be able to play 3 minutes of defense, sprint up field, ride the ball back and play another 2 minutes. No subs- keep their guys on the field. How can we work even harder on it this year than we did last year? "Coach Vincent doesn't know what he is doing- half the time we just run sprints." I'll bet I can name a few other coaches from last year that wish they spent a bit more time at it.

I want to play fast...but its less about the x's and o's and more about the Jimmy's and Joe's- getting our guys ready with the tools- impeccable fundamentals, gas in the tank for all 48 minutes, and an environment that allows athletes to be athletes.

Get on the wall

Coach V

Wall Ball Routine

All great players have one thing in common- they have spent a lot of time on the wall. Wall ball is simply the best thing you can do to develop your effectiveness as a lacrosse player.


If I were to give any player trying to move up on the roster or make a team at the next level, I would tell him to spend his time on the wall following this routine. I would do this before I spent time playing indoor lacrosse in the winter, before I spent time shooting on an empty net, before anything else. It is crazy how quickly your stick skills will develop by spending time on the wall- it will make a difference for you.

• Always wear your gloves when playing on the wall.
• Practice with both hands.
• Practice with both your primary and back up stick
• The wall should be smooth, at least 10ft high, no windows nearby.
• Pick a spot out on the wall (defect/scuff mark/tape) and try to hit it each time.
• Stand about 5 yards away from the wall
• Stand in a "triple threat position" in relation to the wall, opposite foot forward, standing perpendicular to the wall. The stick loaded, ready to pass. From this position you are a threat to shoot, pass, or dodge.
• When passing, try to keep the stick head movement minimal- 11 to 1 passing- no big wind up or follow through. Think of your body as a face of the clock- the stick should start out in the 11 o'clock position, and stop around the 1 o'clock position.
• Do not push the ball- snap the ball out of the stick- pull through with your bottom hand as hard or harder than you are pushing with your top.
• Focus on keeping your hands out and up, away from your body- especially your front hand and elbow. Easy at first- as your arms tire, you will want to drop your hands- focus on out and up.
• Keep your feet moving- lacrosse is not a stand still sport, that's the other spring sport.

Follow this routine 3 to 5 times per week- should take no more than 20 minutes when you get the hang of it. Bring the IPOD, crank up the tunes and enjoy it.

Here is the routine:

"regular" passing- 1 cradle and out, 25 right/25 left
quick stick - no cradle 25 right/25 left
face dodge- throw catch bring stick across face and back, repeat 25 right/25 left
Split dodge- throw/catch right, split to left hand, throw and catch left 25 passes each hand
Fake it/Make it- throw/catch right, fake pass another direction, throw catch right 25 each hand
regular passing- 1 cradle and out 25 right/25 left
repeat 2x

keep paying attention to your form- keep arms/hands away, snap the pass dont push it! The repetition of hitting the wall will develop stick skills- practice it the right way.

Get on the wall.
Coach V

Playing Lacrosse in College

I just got back recently from seeing the UofMichigan/Wittenberg scrimmage- Witt lost once again to the Wolverines, but the important part of the story was that we had 6 alumni playing in that game (Matt Asperheim and Austin Swaney for the Wolverines, Will Wismer,Kelly Brown, Jim Ferris, and Elliott Avis for Wittenberg). I have had the pleasure of coaching all 6 of those young men at some point. I don't know of too many other college lacrosse games one could attend and see 6 alumni playing from any high school.



Aside from how great it is to see how these guys continue to mature and move along with their lives, it got me thinking about college lacrosse. We always seem to have a lot of guys who are interested in playing college lacrosse, but very few who ever take the step. Perhaps that is changing (we do have more now than ever before, especially if you include "club" lacrosse-although there isn't a lot of "club" in how many of these programs are run anymore).



I guess the first thing about playing college ball is that you have to LOVE to practice. Pretty simple math- college teams play less games per season than your typical high school team, they have fall ball, winter workouts, and then the spring season, teams practice between 2 and 3 hours (not to mention film, weight training, team meetings, etc) per day, and the schemes and details are far more advanced than anything a volunteer coach could ever get into in 10hours per week with 30 guys. Just the playing time calculation alone precludes allot of on field time- rosters are larger, and although the games are longer (60min vs 48min) there are 4 years of players on the roster- an incoming freshman is just learning to tie his shoes by the time the first game comes around.



All of the college practices I have seen are competitive- even small sided drills like one on ones- players are cheering for each other, getting after it, etc. I am sure in part because the type of player that gets recruited shows this level of interest and enthusiasm and understands the importance of practice, but also- for many on the roster this is only opportunity to get on the field and the only chance to prove themselves for consideration on game day.





I had a chance to hear the Ohio State lacrosse coaching staff and talk about recruiting at a clinic a few years ago. They talked about some characteristics and what they are looking for in potential players. When they are out at camps or seeing film of potential recruits, they do look for several lacrosse ability related cues that demonstrate the potential for this player- do they snap their passes (versus pushing the ball out with a big wind up)? Are they north south dodgers (go to the goal) versus east west dodgers (guys who carry sideline to sideline)? Can they shoot on the run without slowing down? Can they change direction on the field and snap off a shot? Are they physical players, running through stick and body checks instead of being deterred by them-or avoiding them? What do they do to contribute to the play when they dont have the ball in their stick (players spend most of thier time on the field without the ball in their stick 20 players on the field, 1 ball)? Finally, what is their lax i.q. (do they understand the game, see the field, make good decisions, etc)?



Other evaluation techniques I have heard other coaches use include watching what a player does immediately following a mistake- for example if a player drops a pass does he drop his head, whack his stick on the ground and jog off the field to let a defensive player make up for the mistake OR does he ride hard to get the ball back, playing defense if necessary? Who would you rather have play for you?



All college coaches are univeral with this thinking- are you playing multiple sports? It is a major red flag for coaches when players only play lax in the spring- how is a player who plays 12-15 weeks a year in high school going to do when he is expected to perform every week all school year (and stick to an intensive, self directed work out program in the summer)?



Oh and before any of that is even considered- the first hurdle is-are you qualified to go to that school- both academically and financially. You have to have the test scores and GPA to get into the school first, dont fool yourself into thinking your shot speed somehow makes up for your sub 20 ACT score, or your face off percentage is somehow is added into the "C+" you received in pre-calc on your transcript. Also- can you afford the school- there are many resources out there to help with tuition- full ride scholarships for lacrosse are very rare. Coach Starsia (Virginia) said that they have only given a free ride 3 or 4 times in thier history (some of the best lacrosse players in the world have gone to UVA on less than full scholarships).



The other thought I have about this is that it is getting tough to play lacrosse in college- although it is encouraging to see new college programs pop up (UofDetroit and Jacksonville at the D1 level, several D3 schools) the reality is that the number of high schools (and there for potential college recruits) have exploded over the last 10 years, while the number of college programs have remained comparitively stagnant. More guys competing for less jobs....sounds familiar. The point is illustrated to me in 2 ways- a few years ago I coached the best lacrosse player I have ever worked with- Ryan McAleenan- Ryan played 3 years of varsity lacrosse, won a state championship, was a 2x 1st team all state midfielder, an All American, and was the Chuck Vorce Lacrosse Player of the Year in Michigan his senior year. Ryan is a really good athlete and had a knack for this game- he is really special on the field. Ryan is completing his senior year at Penn State this spring. Ryan has been a 2nd line midfielder for the Nitnany Lions- a mid tier division 1 lacrosse school. That isn't a knock on Ryan or Penn State- it just illustrates to me how competitive the landscape is when arguably the best player in Michigan his senior year, and possibly the best player to have graduated from our program to date is fighting for a starting spot on PSU's roster. It's rare air up there to be sure- and it takes a special kind of young man like Ryan to achieve what he has done.



The increased competition has a trickle down effect to club teams as well. For example, when I was talking to UofM about Austin Swaney coming to Michigan to play for the Wolverines, Coach Paul shared with me in that recruiting class he had 3 division 1 caliber defensemen who had all listed UM as their #1 choice. UofM is operated as a virtual varsity sport in Ann Arbor- although it is a club team where athletes pay (a lot of money) to participate. That tells me how much more competitive this whole thing is becoming.



Still have that dream of playing college lacrosse? Great- get it done in the classroom, the weightroom, compete in sports all year round, getting a marketing strategy (another topic for another blog), get to camps in the summer time, do the work.



Get on the wall.

Coach V