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Receiving Hard Passes

Control fast hit passes along the ground without letting them bounce off.

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

Set up

Your partner slap passes or hits from 15 yards.

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

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

The steps

How it works

  1. Your partner slap passes or hits from 15 yards.
  2. Get low with your stick flat on the ground.
  3. Cushion the ball and keep it within a stick length.
  4. Receive 20 passes.

Coaching point

Low and soft.

Safety: Wear your mouthguard and shin guards. Wear protective eyewear (ASTM F2713) where your league requires it. Keep your stick below your waist if you are young, never above your shoulder, or follow your league's rule.

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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