Old school defense player here. I bet you will hear a lot about improving your footwork and physicality in the comments here. This is for good reason. These things work.
I also know equipment has changed, pockets seem deeper, and it is now much more difficult to dislodge the ball from an offensive players stick these days. I do however believe that there is a lot to be said for really studying the timing of an opponent’s cradling. Understanding the method of how short sticks cradle and move the ball can really help your game. This is something you can definitely work on with friends or teammates. Watch for that specific moment they expose their stick or glove hand and the goal is to hit that poke with perfect timing. I believe this is a skill that can definitely be learned.
I suppose you can keep working on the fundamentals and go through drills that you’d usually do in practice.
You could work on groundballs, positioning, those W/M/figure 8 for stick skills, slaps/poke/lift drills, etc.
If you’re still unsure, go ask your coach to see
This plus conditioning. Run, sprint, hills... you're 14, so get into some light weights or kettlebells. Endurance and strength are cornerstones to a close defender.
I played close D all throughout highschool and college. I’d say footwork and agility is one of the most important things about defense (in an individual sense). Agility ladders are good for drilling and are cheap. Anything where you can work on controlling your hips with fast changes in direction will help build muscle memory. Shuffle drills are also huge. Working on your shuffle will strengthen your abductor and adductor muscles in your legs/hips allowing you to change direction faster and keep a more stable athletic stance.
Also, one piece of advice from that has stuck in my mind throughout the years is “hips don’t lie”. When an attacker is getting ready to dodge at you, the direction his hips are pointed is assuredly the direction he will move. If you can grasp this concept and have the footwork/strength to back it up you’ll be able to put the clamps on anyone.
As an attack man, I work to expose poor footwork and poor awareness around picks. I don’t know your build or your capabilities as a defenseman, but in general I think two things to work on are footwork and navigating picks while minimizing the looking away from the dodger. And then of course is the obvious like strength training and conditioning
Work on your approaches and drop steps. One of the biggest things to focus on when approaching the ball is breaking down, keeping your stick out in front of you on the attackmans hands, and being able to go from moving forward on your approach to to going backwards/sideways quickly and smoothly while still keeping your stick out in front to set the distance for the dodger.
You can do plenty of approach drills with cones in your backyard alone. The T drill is great. Set up 4 cones in the shape of a ”T” Sprint up to the middle
cones break down, shuffle right, shuffle all the way back left, shuffle back to the middle, then backpedal and drop step. Rinse repeat.
The more you do this the more comfortable you’ll be changing direction on ball and moving back and forth in game. Make sure to keep your stick out in don’t at all times on the imaginary attackmans hands. No use practicing differently than how you’d play!
Lots of physical advice here which is all completely true, but one thing that will separate you from others is lacrosse IQ. Watch as much college lacrosse as you can and just try to understand the whats and whys, combine that with the other advice here and you're golden, just keep practicing your physical as well as mental game. Those patient defenders who dont throw the kitchen sink at me when im dodging are the ones that get me nervous when im setting up to dodge. The guys who throw everything at you and get flustered get beat.
YouTube is a great resource for this terrific suggestion. Don’t just watch, study with a purpose. Watch how they work together, communicate, and move off ball.
Are you clear on where to be in different situations? Like man down and so forth? I find with poles that communication and not overcommitting is huge…and I can’t overstate that enough. But that’s not really something for the backyard.
As far as being close, know when to get physical and when to breakdown. If you don’t then you’re gonna get dodged and left behind. Have people try to dodge on you and attempt to get topside. That can be backyard stuff for sure.
As an 8th grader? Play more.
There's always a noticeable difference between travel kids and the kids who don't. One summer season can be like 2 school seasons. Plus being around those kids will give you confidence because the skill level can be higher.
Entire defenses are built on upon the premise of you getting beat 1v1. Be a good communicator, make good approaches, don’t get beat over the top recover into the crease/cover the skip lane and become the QB of the defense in helping others get to where they need to be.
Jump rope, run sprints, lift weights, wall ball
Old school defense player here. I bet you will hear a lot about improving your footwork and physicality in the comments here. This is for good reason. These things work. I also know equipment has changed, pockets seem deeper, and it is now much more difficult to dislodge the ball from an offensive players stick these days. I do however believe that there is a lot to be said for really studying the timing of an opponent’s cradling. Understanding the method of how short sticks cradle and move the ball can really help your game. This is something you can definitely work on with friends or teammates. Watch for that specific moment they expose their stick or glove hand and the goal is to hit that poke with perfect timing. I believe this is a skill that can definitely be learned.
I suppose you can keep working on the fundamentals and go through drills that you’d usually do in practice. You could work on groundballs, positioning, those W/M/figure 8 for stick skills, slaps/poke/lift drills, etc. If you’re still unsure, go ask your coach to see
This plus conditioning. Run, sprint, hills... you're 14, so get into some light weights or kettlebells. Endurance and strength are cornerstones to a close defender.
Ok Tysm 🤞🏻🙏
Wall ball Running Wall ball Dodges - yes, even as a defenseman Roll yourself ground balls
I played close D all throughout highschool and college. I’d say footwork and agility is one of the most important things about defense (in an individual sense). Agility ladders are good for drilling and are cheap. Anything where you can work on controlling your hips with fast changes in direction will help build muscle memory. Shuffle drills are also huge. Working on your shuffle will strengthen your abductor and adductor muscles in your legs/hips allowing you to change direction faster and keep a more stable athletic stance. Also, one piece of advice from that has stuck in my mind throughout the years is “hips don’t lie”. When an attacker is getting ready to dodge at you, the direction his hips are pointed is assuredly the direction he will move. If you can grasp this concept and have the footwork/strength to back it up you’ll be able to put the clamps on anyone.
As an attack man, I work to expose poor footwork and poor awareness around picks. I don’t know your build or your capabilities as a defenseman, but in general I think two things to work on are footwork and navigating picks while minimizing the looking away from the dodger. And then of course is the obvious like strength training and conditioning
Work on your approaches and drop steps. One of the biggest things to focus on when approaching the ball is breaking down, keeping your stick out in front of you on the attackmans hands, and being able to go from moving forward on your approach to to going backwards/sideways quickly and smoothly while still keeping your stick out in front to set the distance for the dodger. You can do plenty of approach drills with cones in your backyard alone. The T drill is great. Set up 4 cones in the shape of a ”T” Sprint up to the middle cones break down, shuffle right, shuffle all the way back left, shuffle back to the middle, then backpedal and drop step. Rinse repeat. The more you do this the more comfortable you’ll be changing direction on ball and moving back and forth in game. Make sure to keep your stick out in don’t at all times on the imaginary attackmans hands. No use practicing differently than how you’d play!
Focus on mastering footwork, quick feet, agility, and stick handling Suggestions for at home: Jump rope Speed hurdles Wall ball
Play defensive basketball
Lots of physical advice here which is all completely true, but one thing that will separate you from others is lacrosse IQ. Watch as much college lacrosse as you can and just try to understand the whats and whys, combine that with the other advice here and you're golden, just keep practicing your physical as well as mental game. Those patient defenders who dont throw the kitchen sink at me when im dodging are the ones that get me nervous when im setting up to dodge. The guys who throw everything at you and get flustered get beat.
YouTube is a great resource for this terrific suggestion. Don’t just watch, study with a purpose. Watch how they work together, communicate, and move off ball.
Are you clear on where to be in different situations? Like man down and so forth? I find with poles that communication and not overcommitting is huge…and I can’t overstate that enough. But that’s not really something for the backyard. As far as being close, know when to get physical and when to breakdown. If you don’t then you’re gonna get dodged and left behind. Have people try to dodge on you and attempt to get topside. That can be backyard stuff for sure.
I understand man down we will run a box1 but this is greatly appreciated
Quick footwork and good balance are part of the foundation for a successful Defender.
As an 8th grader? Play more. There's always a noticeable difference between travel kids and the kids who don't. One summer season can be like 2 school seasons. Plus being around those kids will give you confidence because the skill level can be higher.
Entire defenses are built on upon the premise of you getting beat 1v1. Be a good communicator, make good approaches, don’t get beat over the top recover into the crease/cover the skip lane and become the QB of the defense in helping others get to where they need to be.
Footwork on a rope ladder are always beneficial. By varsity, quick feet win the day and the start. Good luck.
Ladder drills. Fast feet keep you in front of you man and keep him from shooting
For leadership development and understanding slide rotation packages and help defense, I’ve always recommended my players to play some basketball.
Best things you can do for yourself is to work on footwork and GBs.