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At-home lacrosse drills for 7 to 10 year olds: defense

This is a free sample week of at-home lacrosse training for 7 to 10 year olds, for a defense: 3 of the 7 plans SSTracker has for this group, each 12 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 7 to 10 year olds

Session 1

Defense: Poke Check Accuracy 12 minutes

  1. Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
    Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
  2. Poke Check Accuracy · 4 min
    Poke and recover; feet stay under you.
  3. Soft Ball Push Toss · 4 min
    Legs, then arms, push! Safety: Throw only into clear space or a solid wall, with nobody in the way. Use a soft or light ball.
  4. Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
    Breathe slowly and hold each stretch about 20 seconds, never to pain.

Session 2

Defense: Ground Ball Scoops 12 minutes

  1. Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
    Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
  2. Ground Ball Scoops · 4 min
    Run through the ball. Get low, scoop, protect. Safety: No body contact: go for the ball, never the player. Helmet and gloves on when a partner rolls the ball.
  3. Wake-Up Starts · 4 min
    Pop up and push the ground away. Safety: Run on flat, clear, non-slip ground with plenty of room to slow down. 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.

Session 3

Defense: Approach and Breakdown 12 minutes

  1. Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
    Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
  2. Approach and Breakdown · 4 min
    Fast in, break down, stay low. Safety: Land softly with knees over toes on a non-slip floor. Stop if your knees or ankles hurt.
  3. Ground Ball Scoops · 4 min
    Run through the ball. Get low, scoop, protect. Safety: No body contact: go for the ball, never the player. Helmet and gloves on when a partner rolls the ball.
  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

Poke Check Accuracy

Ages 7 and up · 8 min

Practice a quick, straight poke at a target without lunging.

  1. Stand a stick-length from a cone at hand height.
  2. Slide the stick through your top hand to poke the target.
  3. Recover to your stance after each poke.
  4. Do 30 pokes.

Coach's cue: Poke and recover; feet stay under you.

Bring: lacrosse stick, cone or target

Soft Ball Push Toss

Ages 6 to 10 · 8 min

Push a big soft ball from your chest to a partner or wall as hard as you can. Teaches using legs and arms together.

  1. Hold the ball at your chest with both hands.
  2. Bend your knees a little, then push up and out.
  3. Push the ball to a partner or a wall.
  4. Do 15 pushes.

Coach's cue: Legs, then arms, push!

Bring: large soft ball or beach ball, partner or wall

Safety: Throw only into clear space or a solid wall, with nobody in the way. Use a soft or light ball.

Ground Ball Scoops

Ages 7 and up · 10 min

Win loose balls with a low body and a smooth scoop.

  1. Roll the ball a few yards in front of you.
  2. Run through it with your knees bent, back flat and eyes up.
  3. Scoop with the head of your stick and get your hands up.
  4. Do 15 reps.

Coach's cue: Run through the ball. Get low, scoop, protect.

Bring: stick, lacrosse ball

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

Wake-Up Starts

Ages 6 to 10 · 8 min

Start a short run from lying, sitting or kneeling, the way an animal jumps up when it wakes. Race only your own clock.

  1. Set two markers about 10 big steps apart.
  2. Lie on your tummy, sit or kneel behind the first marker.
  3. On "go" get up as fast as you can and run past the second marker.
  4. Walk back slowly; do 6 to 8 starts, trying a new start position each time.

Coach's cue: Pop up and push the ground away.

Bring: two cones or markers

Safety: Run on flat, clear, non-slip ground with plenty of room to slow down. Stop if anything hurts.

Approach and Breakdown

Ages 7 and up · 8 min

Take three steps toward an imaginary attacker, then break down into short, choppy steps and a low stance.

  1. Start 3 steps from a wall.
  2. Step toward it with quick steps.
  3. Break down: short, choppy steps, hips low, hands out.
  4. Freeze in your stance; walk back and do 10.

Coach's cue: Fast in, break down, stay low.

Bring: none

Safety: Land softly with knees over toes on a non-slip floor. Stop if your knees or ankles hurt.

Safety for ages 7 to 10

  • Plans for this age group use beginner 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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