If you can draw a double team, then you are doing your job right.

Former Syracuse great and current Boston College assistant Kayla Treanor shares those words regularly with her players.

As the typical target for double teams and faceguards in college and now with Team USA, Treanor has found that some of her best games came when she faced multiple defenders frequently.

Treanor welcomes double teams because it means she is a dodging threat. Trust in your stick work and the confidence will come, she said.

“The best way to avoid panicking is in your preparation prior to the game,” Treanor said. “Whether it is your speed or your stick skills, if you believe in one of those aspects, you can always get out of a double team.”

Defusing Doubles

Be confident, no matter how the defense plays you. Stay poised.

Keep your head up. Once you recognize you are in a double team, get rid of the ball immediately before the second defender reaches you or draw the double out further from the critical scoring area. By leaving the critical scoring area, you make a longer slide for the man-up on the backside.
 
Protect your stick. Choke up on your stick, playing one-handed or sliding your top hand down to make a longer passing play. 

Run full-speed. Make sure you are moving your feet into open spaces so it is harder for the defense to cause a turnover.