Free drill library · Lacrosse

At-home lacrosse drills for 14 year olds and older: defense

This is a free sample week of at-home lacrosse training for 14 year olds and older, for a defense: 3 of the 7 plans SSTracker has for this group, each 13 to 15 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 14 year olds and older

Session 1

Slide and recover 13 minutes

  1. Shoulder checks while backpedaling · 4 min
    See ball and your player
  2. Slide to a cone on a call · 5 min
    Take the angle, arrive under control
  3. Recover to your spot · 4 min
    Turn, sprint, set

Session 2

Defense: Split Dodge Hand Switch 15 minutes

  1. Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 3 min
    Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
  2. Split Dodge Hand Switch · 5 min
    Stick tight to your helmet on the switch.
  3. Push-Up and Band Row Pairs · 5 min
    Push tall, pull shoulders back. Safety: Check the band for nicks first, anchor it firmly and keep it away from your face. Only with an adult nearby.
  4. Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
    Breathe slowly and hold each stretch about 20 seconds, never to pain.

Session 3

Defense: Ground Ball to Outlet 15 minutes

  1. Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 3 min
    Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
  2. Ground Ball to Outlet · 5 min
    Scoop, ear, pass. Safety: No body contact: go for the ball, never the player. Helmet and gloves on when a partner rolls the ball.
  3. Flying Twenty Run · 5 min
    Tall hips, quick feet, relaxed face. Safety: Warm up first. Take a full walk-back rest between runs; fast running when tired is how pulls happen. Stop if anything hurts.
  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

Split Dodge Hand Switch

Ages 14 and up · 12 min

Change hands at full speed while protecting the stick from a defender.

  1. Run at a cone and plant hard one yard before it.
  2. Switch hands across your face mask and explode the other way.
  3. Finish with a pass to a wall or target.
  4. Do 12 each direction.

Coach's cue: Stick tight to your helmet on the switch.

Bring: lacrosse stick, ball, 3 cones

Push-Up and Band Row Pairs

Ages 13 and up · 12 min

Pair a push with a pull: floor push-ups then band rows, so the front and back of the shoulders grow together.

  1. Do 8 to 10 clean floor push-ups.
  2. Anchor a band at chest height and step back.
  3. Row the band to your ribs, squeezing your shoulder blades.
  4. Do 3 rounds of both, resting 60 seconds.

Coach's cue: Push tall, pull shoulders back.

Bring: resistance band, sturdy anchor

Safety: Check the band for nicks first, anchor it firmly and keep it away from your face. Only with an adult nearby.

Ground Ball to Outlet

Ages 14 and up · 12 min

Scoop at speed and make the first pass right away to a teammate breaking out.

  1. A partner rolls a ball out ahead of you.
  2. Scoop at speed and pull the stick to your ear.
  3. Find a second partner breaking wide and hit them with a pass within 2 steps.
  4. Do 12 reps and rotate.

Coach's cue: Scoop, ear, pass.

Bring: lacrosse stick, ball, 2 partners

Safety: No body contact: go for the ball, never the player. Helmet and gloves on when a partner rolls the ball.

Flying Twenty Run

Ages 13 and up · 15 min

Build up over 20 yards, then hold your top speed through a 20-yard timed zone. Measures and trains top-end sprint speed.

  1. Mark a 20-yard build-up zone and a 20-yard timed zone.
  2. Build smoothly; reach top speed as you enter the timed zone.
  3. Hold relaxed top speed to the end, then slow down over 20 yards.
  4. Rest 2 to 3 minutes; do 3 to 4 reps. Compare only with your own times.

Coach's cue: Tall hips, quick feet, relaxed face.

Bring: cones, stopwatch

Safety: Warm up first. Take a full walk-back rest between runs; fast running when tired is how pulls happen. Stop if anything hurts.

Safety for ages 14 and up

  • Plans for this age group use beginner, developing and advanced 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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