Free drill library · Lacrosse

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

This is a free sample week of at-home lacrosse training for 11 to 13 year olds, for a goalie: 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

Arc and step 13 minutes

  1. Arc steps post to post · 4 min
    Small steps, stay square
  2. Soft tosses, step to the ball · 5 min
    Tennis balls only at home
  3. Outlet pass to a target · 4 min
    Look up, then throw

Session 2

Goalie Arc Steps 14 minutes

  1. Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
    Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
  2. Goalie Arc Steps · 5 min
    Ball, you, middle of the goal. Safety: Goalies wear a helmet, throat guard, chest protector and gloves. Start with soft balls and slow shots.
  3. Faceoff and Draw Basics · 5 min
    React to the whistle, send it to space. Safety: Practise with a coach. Keep your stick away from your partner's body and face.
  4. Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
    Breathe slowly and hold each stretch about 20 seconds, never to pain.

Session 3

Goalie: Point-and-Go Reaction 14 minutes

  1. Warm-up: easy jog, skips and arm circles · 2 min
    Start slow and build up. Loosen up; nothing should hurt.
  2. Point-and-Go Reaction · 5 min
    See it, then go. Safety: Use a clear, non-slip space and change direction only as fast as you can control. Stop if a knee or ankle hurts.
  3. Ladder Footwork Patterns · 5 min
    Right first, then fast.
  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

Goalie Arc Steps

Ages 11 and up · 10 min

For goalies: step around your arc so you stay between the ball and the middle of the goal.

  1. Put cones in a half circle 3 feet in front of the goal.
  2. A partner walks the ball from one side to the other.
  3. Step along the arc to stay lined up with the ball.
  4. Do 6 trips.

Coach's cue: Ball, you, middle of the goal.

Bring: goalie stick, goal, 5 cones, partner

Safety: Goalies wear a helmet, throat guard, chest protector and gloves. Start with soft balls and slow shots.

Faceoff and Draw Basics

Ages 11 and up · 10 min

Learn the restart for your game: boys practise the faceoff stance and clamp, girls practise the draw.

  1. Boys: crouch with both hands on the stick, back of the head to the ball, and clamp on the whistle.
  2. Girls: stand with your partner, sticks back to back at hip height, and lift up and away on the whistle.
  3. Send the ball to open space, not to the other player.
  4. Do 15 reps.

Coach's cue: React to the whistle, send it to space.

Bring: lacrosse stick, ball, partner, coach

Safety: Practise with a coach. Keep your stick away from your partner's body and face.

Point-and-Go Reaction

Ages 10 to 14 · 10 min

A partner points left, right, forward or back and you move that way 3 yards and back. Trains reacting to what you see.

  1. Stand in a ready stance facing your partner.
  2. Your partner points in a direction with no warning.
  3. Move 3 yards that way and return to the middle.
  4. Do sets of 6 points; swap roles.

Coach's cue: See it, then go.

Bring: partner, cones

Safety: Use a clear, non-slip space and change direction only as fast as you can control. Stop if a knee or ankle hurts.

Ladder Footwork Patterns

Ages 10 to 14 · 10 min

Quick foot patterns through a ladder on the ground: two in, in-out, side steps.

  1. Lay a ladder or draw one with chalk.
  2. Run through with two feet in each square.
  3. Then try in-in-out-out sideways.
  4. Do 3 trips of each pattern; get it right before getting fast.

Coach's cue: Right first, then fast.

Bring: agility ladder or chalk ladder

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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