Bonnie Rosen's 5 Pillars of Team Defense

This article is excerpted from the USA Lacrosse Coach Development Program Platinum Certification series. Enroll today at usalacrosse.com/coach-certification.

Lacrosse is a game in which it is easier to possess the ball than to take away possession because of the ability to carry the ball in the stick without limitations on how many steps you can take, where you can go and the limitations in the amount of contact allowed.

It often requires two or more defenders to prevent one attacker from getting off an effective shot. The ability to pass the ball quickly over distances makes it easy to gain space advantages for 1V1 dodging and 1V1 cutting.

Without team defense, this space and time makes it likely the attack will have an effective shooting opportunity. Develop players who can think and make decisions.

VISION

Everything players do on the field relates to what they see (or don't see) and the decision to move (or not to move). Teaching players how to use their vision (skill) and where to look (IQ) will allow them to make good decisions relative to the game, their own physical abilities, their teammates' abilities and the opponent’s abilities. What to teach:

• Peripheral vision versus central vision.
• Head positioning, head movement and eye movement.
• Tracking multiple things: ball, marked attacker, teammates, opponents and area of the field.
• Focus cues.