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Receive and Beat the Line

Receive a pass and get past a defender who walks onto the line to stop you.

By Coach Evan Waechtler Youth coach (U11, Cache Valley, Utah) and founder of SSTracker Updated October 30, 2026

Set up

Mark an end line 10 yards behind you.

Core: Medium. Beat your own best out of 10.

Ages
14 and up
Time
15 min
Players
You and 2 partners
Space
Yard or field
Bring
Stick, ball, cones, 2 partners
Level · skill
Advanced · Receiving

The steps

How it works

  1. Mark an end line 10 yards behind you.
  2. A partner passes; a defender walks out from the line.
  3. Use your first touch to go away from them and cross the line.
  4. Count clean crossings out of 12.

Coaching point

First touch away from pressure.

Safety: Wear your mouthguard and shin guards. Wear protective eyewear (ASTM F2713) where your league requires it. Play the ball, never the stick or the body, and go at walking pace first.

Make it fun

Play it, don't drill it

Game version

Soft-hands pairs: a partner passes and you stop the ball dead inside a box of cones. The pair collects 20 soft stops.

Challenge

Pick a level: Less (slow pass), Core (medium), More (turn to a second cone after the stop). Beat your own best out of 10.

Story

You are catching a snowflake on a spoon without breaking it.

My best

Beat your own count

Beat your own best out of 10. Only your own number counts: today against last time.

Practice makes progress

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