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At-home lacrosse drills for 11 to 13 year olds: defense

This is a free sample week of at-home lacrosse training for 11 to 13 year olds, for a defense: 3 of the 7 plans SSTracker has for this group, each 13 to 14 minutes, with every step and minute. Nothing here is written for this page alone; it is what the app gives a family.

Everything here can be done in a room, garage or yard. Drills that need a team are left out; a parent can be the partner in a pair drill.

A free sample week of lacrosse for 11 to 13 year olds

Session 1

Footwork before stick 13 minutes

  1. Approach and break down · 4 min
    Short choppy steps as you arrive
  2. Drop step and recover · 5 min
    Turn the hips, stay in front
  3. Stick-to-gloves mirror · 4 min
    Stick follows the hands, feet first

Session 2

Defense: Cradle and Dodge 14 minutes

  1. Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
    Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
  2. Cradle and Dodge · 5 min
    Hands relaxed, stick away from pressure.
  3. Pick-a-Landmark Speed Play · 5 min
    Pick a tree, go, then recover. Safety: Bring water, go at a pace where you can still talk, and stop if you feel dizzy, sick or have chest pain.
  4. Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
    Breathe slowly and hold each stretch about 20 seconds, never to pain.

Session 3

Defense: Rope Footwork Tricks 14 minutes

  1. Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
    Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
  2. Rope Footwork Tricks · 5 min
    Wrists turn the rope. Safety: Land softly on grass or a mat, knees over toes, never caving in. Keep the number of jumps low. Stop if knees, shins or ankles hurt.
  3. Broad Jump and Hold · 5 min
    Swing, jump, stick. Safety: Land softly on grass or a mat, knees over toes, never caving in. Keep the number of jumps low. Stop if knees, shins or ankles hurt.
  4. Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
    Breathe slowly and hold each stretch about 20 seconds, never to pain.

Want the rest of the plan?

This sample is 3 of the 7 lacrosse plans SSTracker has for this group. In SSTracker every step is on the screen, your child logs the work, and you see it. No club needed: the family plan is $7.50 a month per player, or $12 a month for the whole household, and the first 14 days are free.

Get the full plan free for 14 days Coach or club director? Set up your team free Print a free week for another sport or age

The drills in this week

Cradle and Dodge

Ages 11 and up · 10 min

Protect the ball while you move around defenders.

  1. Set 4 cones in a line.
  2. Cradle with your stick across your body as you move.
  3. Dodge around each cone with a quick change of direction.
  4. Do 6 trips.

Coach's cue: Hands relaxed, stick away from pressure.

Bring: stick, lacrosse ball, cones

Pick-a-Landmark Speed Play

Ages 10 to 14 · 15 min

Mix easy jogging with short faster bits whenever you choose, like to the next tree. Fitness through play.

  1. Jog easily for 3 minutes.
  2. Pick a landmark and run a bit faster to it.
  3. Jog easily until you feel ready again.
  4. Repeat for 12 to 15 minutes.

Coach's cue: Pick a tree, go, then recover.

Bring: park or field

Safety: Bring water, go at a pace where you can still talk, and stop if you feel dizzy, sick or have chest pain.

Rope Footwork Tricks

Ages 10 to 14 · 10 min

Learn new skipping-rope footwork: side-to-side, boxer step, one foot, high knees.

  1. Warm up with basic two-foot skips for 30 seconds.
  2. Learn one new trick at a time.
  3. Do 20 clean skips of each trick.
  4. Rest between tricks.

Coach's cue: Wrists turn the rope.

Bring: skipping rope

Safety: Land softly on grass or a mat, knees over toes, never caving in. Keep the number of jumps low. Stop if knees, shins or ankles hurt.

Broad Jump and Hold

Ages 10 to 14 · 10 min

Jump forward as far as you can with control and hold the landing. Distance only counts if you stick it.

  1. Stand with toes at a line.
  2. Swing your arms back, then forward as you jump out.
  3. Land on both feet and hold for 2 seconds without stepping.
  4. Do 3 sets of 3 with full rest; note your best stuck jump.

Coach's cue: Swing, jump, stick.

Bring: soft ground, tape measure (optional)

Safety: Land softly on grass or a mat, knees over toes, never caving in. Keep the number of jumps low. Stop if knees, shins or ankles hurt.

Safety for ages 11 to 13

  • Plans for this age group use beginner and developing drills only. Advanced drills open from age 13 in the app.
  • Home plans use only drills for a room, garage or yard. Stop if anything hurts.

Before you start: lacrosse

  • Boys: helmet, mouthguard, gloves, arm pads and shoulder pads (ND200).
  • Girls: certified eyewear (goggles) and a mouthguard. Goalies wear an ND200 chest protector.
  • Boys: no body checking at 10U; follow your league's rules at 12U. Girls' lacrosse has no body checking at any age.
  • Stick checks only to the stick, down and away; never at the head or neck.
  • Shooting: an empty goal or a goalie in full gear, and keep the shooting lane clear.
  • Scoop ground balls with knees bent, back flat and eyes up.
For every sport and age (7)
  • Head knock or concussion signs (headache, dizziness, confusion, feeling "off"): when in doubt, sit them out. See a doctor, and no return the same day.
  • Back to sport only with a doctor's written OK, after a step-by-step return. Every U.S. state has a youth concussion law.
  • Heat: drink water before, during and after. Take shade breaks, ease into hot weather over about two weeks, and stop if dizzy, sick or headachy.
  • Lightning: if you hear thunder or see lightning, go inside a building or a closed car. Wait 30 minutes after the last thunder (the 30-30 rule).
  • Pain is a stop sign, not something to push through. Stop and tell a grown-up; pain that lasts or comes back each session needs a doctor.
  • Water and rest are part of training: 1-2 rest days a week, plenty of sleep, a meal or snack before and after, and other sports welcome.
  • Know where the nearest AED (heart defibrillator) is, and who calls for help in an emergency.

The research behind these plans

Which drills are shown at which age, and the safety notes, follow the 21 sources below: national governing bodies, medical associations and studies on youth sport (last reviewed October 2026). Where no study gives an exact number, the plans use cautious defaults, and we change them as the research does.

Lacrosse: governing bodies, safety and development (1)
Youth athletic development and safety (20)

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