Development

Ways to Get Better This Off Season Without Breaking the Bank:

Buying expensive and specialized training equipment does not always make you a better athlete. Being apart of a high-end training facility/ gym is not always needed to see results. The United States Marine Corps have a saying, “I am the gym.” It’s that simple. Whatever sport you play, athletes in general can do so much on their own and see outstanding results with minimal training equipment. It really boils down to are you putting the work in, and is what you are doing making it harder, tougher and slightly more attentive to detail.

Let’s zoom in on the sport of lacrosse. Getting a new stick or equipment is not always the answer to becoming a better lacrosse player. The lacrosse market offers great products that focus on aspects of the game, and don’t get me wrong, some of these products can definitely be utilized, however are they all that necessary? Let’s take you through an optimal training session with as little training equipment as possible. The first thing you are going to need is a back pack or training pack. Your pack is your life preserver. It will have all your essentials needed to become a better lacrosse player. In your pack you’re going to want to include, 20 lacrosse balls, a tennis ball, 5 cones, and a jump rope. Additional items to include are, a shooting rejector, a shooting target, a small hurdle and a speed ladder. If financially you can’t afford some of these items, a shooting target can simply be made by tying a 12 inch string to a soda can, a hurdle can be made out of inexpensive PVC and a speed ladder can substituted with a rope. Now that you have your pack it is time to train.

Put your helmet, gloves and cleats on your stick, put your stick on your shoulder, hop on your bike or your skateboard or your roller blades and ride up to the field. Look at that, you have already started your training and you haven’t even arrived at the field yet. Now find a wall and start your wall ball workout. Talk to your coaches about the right individual wallball/ workout routine for you but for now let’s keep it simple. Make a song playlist on your phone or ipod, 5-7 minutes long and crush 100R, 100L, 50 catches and switches, 25 shovels each hand and 25 BTB’s. If you want to make it a little more tough, add some more specialized passes. Defensive players stand further from the wall and work on overs. Offensive players add some dynamic movement to simulate more game like situations. You can even do the wall ball routine with a tennis ball to develop softer hands or bring a backup stick and fill the shaft with sand to add a little more weight. Once you have completed the wall ball routine, lets get out to the field. Set up your rejector and your target (pick a spot on the cage, tie the can or place the target and work on hitting it over and over again) and put your lacrosse balls dead center 5 yards away from the goal. Work on shooting with lead foot up, back knee down, chest up and chin over your lead shoulder. Torque you body and let it loose, shooting for power dead center of the cage. Start your progression to your feet, crow hopping into the shot and move the balls back until you are top center, bouncing the ball or hitting the target. Move to the right and left wing, adding hitches and rollbacks, resetting your feet, working on time and room shooting. Now lest go back to top center if you are a middie or behind if you are an attackman. Break out the cones and speed ladder or rope. Go through a progression where you are getting the feet going (one foot in and out, ickey shuffle, two feet in etc.) and use the cones to simulate defenders. Work on several doges including but not limited, splits, rolls, S’s, faces and V’s. focus on shooting on the run, angling your body to the goal and staying within the pipes, DON’T FADE. Our goal is to get 100- 150 GREAT shots on cage. Don’t quit until your shots are dialed in. If you are a defenseman it’s a little tougher to train on your own but talk to your coaches. There are several drills one can do using cones, ladders as well as other items that work on your hands, feet, body positioning, agility and throwing checks.

Three quarters down, it’s time for the fourth quarter. Get up to the school yard and find a jungle gym. Our workout is as follows. 200 pushups, 100 pull ups, 100 body squats, 3X 25 of burpees, 30 leg lifts, 3X 25 crunches and 3X 100 on the jump rope. Remember, “YOU ARE THE GYM.” Hard work is not earned, its just something we must do to get better. But remember you don’t have to pull out the wallet to get better. I guarantee you can find most of the stuff outlined here laying around the house. Great job, now its time to finish strong, ride home and enjoy a meal. If you put the work in, you will see results. Be determined and start a regiment. It starts now.

 
Leave a comment

Thoughts from Coach Wink

Had a Conversation with an FLG Alum Parent today:

Here is the story:

Back in 7th grade this FLG Player decided to leave the program and follow his friends from his town to another travel lacrosse program. After 3 years and not enjoying his experience at the other program he returned in his Junior Year. After helping him with his recruiting process this player committed in Early July to attend and play lacrosse at a very high level academic school. There were still 2 more summer tournaments left in the summer when he committed to college. This player notified our FLG Directors that he would not be attending the last 2 tournaments of the summer due to work conflicts. Our Program Director spoke with him at length on the commitment that he had made to his team and that this was not the way FLG Student Athletes conduct themselves. Our Director made it clear that He had made a commitment to his team and he should be there on the sideline & field to play with his team.

What was the conversation with the Parent about?

Coach I am disappointed why you did not return my son’s phone call when he contacted you to tell you he committed to his College Choice.

Commitment & Selflessness

What does this mean?

I am committed to my team.

I am committed to attending practices & games.

I am committed to being there for my teammates.

Why can’t parents understand what this means?

Why are parents only thinking about their children?

When does selfish behavior become okay?

It is NOT Okay to be Selfish!

Giving more than you receive!

Why is our society okay with people thinking about themselves before others?

When I see an act of kindness it warms my heart!

I will always remember when Carly Driscoll walked over to a new player on her FLG Team and welcomed her to her team when that player was feeling alone. This is an act of kindness that should never go unnoticed.

If we want our world to be a better place for our children STOP thinking about you and think about helping others.

Selflessness-thinking of others before yourself-Welles Crowther. What more can one do than try and help others before worrying about themselves!

I hope we can all reach out and be there for a stranger-lets make this world a better place!

Ask FLG Lacrosse what I can do to help?

Community Service-Lets Help Others!

 
Leave a comment

An Off-season Reflection – How Champions Train

With the summer lacrosse season ending, it is time to reflect on the past year. All the hard work, blood sweat and tears, the time and effort put into the game we all love. Did you get better? There’s an old saying that “champions are made when no one is watching,” however with the way competitive club lacrosse is going, training is the focus. So, we arrive at the question, are you training the right way? Is what you are doing when no one is watching the right way to do it? Are you fundamentally sound?

FLG as well as other competitive lacrosse clubs offer a variety of training packages, all of which aim to bring out the best player you can possibly be. But not only being a skilled lacrosse player, but rather specializing in your specific position and game like situations pertinent to your position. Repetition, building skills, developing IQ, it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert at something. Clearly you cannot invest 10,000 hours in your club. So, therefore you must train on your own. But training the right way is key.

Image result for kobe bryant quote

Reflecting on and evaluating your skill is a great way to become a better player. Talk to your trainers and coaches. Ask them questions and find out, what areas of your game you are already good at and what areas you can be better at. Then don’t forget to follow up with the question “How do I accomplish or make that skill better.” The focus here is that you are developing a plan. Yes, shooting 100 lacrosse balls is great but are you shooting them the right way? Will shooting 100 lacrosse balls make you a better player? The quality of your reps is key. Before you go up to the field to train, develop your plan. Start off with a quick wall ball warm up. If shooting is the focus for the day, start off with some body mechanic drills that focus on proper hand and foot placement. Then go into shooting half speed where you are really dialing into what your body is doing and where the ball is going. Speed up that process to mimic game speed and begin to add dynamic footwork to work on dodging. A speed ladder is also a great tool to supplement footwork. Adding exercises like push-ups and pull-ups to make you a little more tired is a great way to develop the mentality of playing to your best when you are tired.  Pick a spot on the field. Maybe we focus solely on the wing today and move to up top if we are a middie or down low behind the goal if we are an attackman.

The key here is that you are building skill while working hard and having fun. Take a few days and enjoy some time off. But remember while your hanging out, someone your competing against is getting better. If you have a vision or goal to take your game to the next level, you must train hard to reach that goal. Take advantage of the off season and work hard. Let’s change that old saying to “champions train when no one is watching.”

 
Leave a comment

FLG Spring Training RECAP #3

FLG Families,

It was a treat getting a chance to move indoors this past Sunday. We are doing our best to not let the elements effect our development this Spring. Sunday was a great chance to not only work on skills and positional work, it was a chance to learn and get those “mental reps!”. Eliminating the shivering from the equation, we always get more focus and attention from our athletes. Personally, I thought Sunday was a super productive day for our boys and girls in small group training, as well as, practice for our 8th grade and down teams.

Below is what we worked on, enjoy!

Girls Small Group Training

Station 1

Dodging from High Wing

  • -First sequence→ attack coaches top foot to same side split dodge to to shot
  • -Second Sequence→ Push middle and roll down alley
  • -Third sequence → dodge underneath and shoot off roll back

Station 2

  • Ladders into approaches and retreats
  • Move through ladder or full sprint
  • Approach the ball, proper fundamentals, stick back, match-feet, communicate, read pass, retreat

Station 3

Coach Chris footwork

  • Variation of footwork drills to free your hands for a pass, re-dodge, shot!

Girls Practice

Ladders to Ground Balls

  • Vary foot pattern, explode into and thru gb
  • Ladders into ABCD (explode out of ladder into the Approach, decelerate and lower your body to Breakdown, establish low legal Contact on the hip of the ball carrier, position yourself so as to take something away and Direct her where you want her to go.

Dodge, Retreat

  • (in triple threat position), Re-Dodge to Shot (I saw Robyn do this in the fall)

Figure 8 One v. One’s

  • Defender and O player start back to back
  • On whistle both players run around cone in front of them
  • O player receives the ball or starts with it
  • Initiate a 1v1 to goal
  • Defense working on approaches
  • Offense works on reading approach and dodging to goal

Dodging the Alley

  • Focus on dodgin north south
  • Getting into your defender and creating separation
  • Girls dodged down an alley with a defender on them the whole way

4 Corner Shooting

  • Work on moving to the ball
  • Catching and squaring up to the cage
  • Using left and right hand on the crease
  • Looking at the goalie and shooting to a good spot
  • Players on the crease have to move and cut in and out to receive a pass for a shot

Fusion Game: 3v2 Side By Drill 

  • Set-up two cages facing out
  • Cut the field in half
  • 3v2 on both sides. Blue team offense on one side, White team offense on the other side
  • Defense clears the ball to opposite side of the field when they get it
  • When ball goes out of bounds or goal is scored, roll new ball into play
  • Drills works on moving without the ball, playing in tight spaced, and finishing with an extra player.
  • Ball movement is key in this drill
  • Defensively we are sliding recovering constantly

Fusion Game: 3v3 Give and Go Drill 

  • Play 3v3 half-court above the goal
  • Offense set should be in a triangle, with point player top center
  • Players must execute 1 give and go look before they can go to cage
  • One they get good at it, put rule into play that they must execute 2 give and go looks before they go to cage
  • Drills works on moving without the ball, playing in tight spaced, and finishing with an extra player.
  • Ball movement is key in this drill
  • Defensively we are sliding recovering constantly

Boys Practice

6 Line Passing

  • Full field stick work drills
  • Working on catching over shoulder
    • Breaking out
    • Using both hands
    • Communication
    • Goalie outlet passes
    • Coming to the ball

4 Line-drills

  • Working on cradling 2 hands
  • Cradling 1 handed
  • Split dodges
  • V Dodges
  • Roll Dodges
  • Studder steps
  • Fake shot face dodges

4v3 Fast Breaks

  • Working on reading the defense
  • Scoring on fast breaks
  • Moving to the all
  • Reading the slides
  • Decision making
  • Shooting to score
  • All the spots on the fast break

Teaching Midwest & Atlanta – 6v6 Set

  • 2 variations to our 2-1-3 motion offense
  • Midwest is a midfielder initiating from the high wing
  • Atlanta is an attackman initiating from the high wing

Small Group Training Drills

Defense Drills

  • Duckwalk Checking
  • Dodge→ Bounce→ Redodge
  • Push→ check, push → lift, push→ wrap

Attack Drills

Dodging from High Wing

  • -First sequence→ attack coaches top foot to same side split dodge to to shot
  • -Second Sequence→ Push middle and roll down alley
  • -Third sequence → dodge underneath and shoot off roll back

Midfield Drills

Dodging & Shooting

  • Marquette Shooting Drill
  • Emphasize looking back to slip and giving hitch fake to freeze defenders
  • Pass to razor pick → Dodge to middle shot
  • Pass to razor pick → Dodge to middle hit slip
 
Leave a comment

FLG Girls Spring Training – Week 1 RECAP

Youth Girls

Theme of the Day – Defense

V-Shuffle in the Alley – Players shuffle (no hopping, no dragging feet, no crossing feet, no sideways running) on a diagonal, back and forth inside about a 7 yard wide alley that is about 20 yards long.  The focus is on good defensive positioning, form and footwork.  We are looking for our players to shuffle with their backs flat and butts down, with a good plant, drop step and change of direction.  When done with sticks, the players should have their top hand back, so as not to have their stick “across the body” and/or “in the sphere” (both fouls).

The 1 v. 1 Bucket Drill (no sticks) has a defender trying to keep the offensive player from getting past her.  The offensive player is trying to “dodge” the defender and drop the ball into the bucket.  This is a physical drill that emphasizes, “low, legal contact”.  Move your feet, stay in front, apply pressure and keep her from getting to the bucket.

Hawk High and Hawk Low stresses the ABCD’s of Defense (Approach, Breakdown, Contact and Direct).  As the coach throws a ball to the offensive player, a defender has to react by closing the distance, then breakdown into a good defensive position while establishing “low, legal contact” and “directing” the offensive player away from the middle, “down the side”.

FLG 2024 Girls not phased by the cold weather at FLG’s 1st Spring Training Practice! Selfy by Coach Robyn P.

Middle School Girls

Triangle Passing in a Box – This drill forces three players to move the ball around the perimeter of a 10 yard by 10 yard box.  They must be passing and receiving the ball with their stick to the outside.  They have to move to the open cone every time the ball moves (making the triangle).  They have to be thinking the whole time, moving their feet all while executing throwing and catching.

Goalkeeper Clearing – The Goalie fields a shot which triggers an outlet to a low defender, who catches the ball moving forward and then passes forward to a teammate who then sends the ball to a third clearing player, who is making a forward diagonal cut.  This drill simulates the types of passes that need to be executed in girls lacrosse, as they move into the higher levels of play (High School and beyond).

1 v. 1 Box – Here the Offensive player is trying to get from one side of the box to the other, while the defender is working on “overplaying” and forcing her to one side.  Defensive form and footwork is stressed.  The defender has to employ all of the ABCD’s in order to be successful in this drill, which is a microcosm of the matchups that are often generated in settled 7 v. 7 situations.

3 v. 2’s with the ball coming from behind.  This a variation on the more common 3 v. 2 where the ball begins up top.  It creates a different look for the goalie and the two defenders and puts the three attackers in a less familiar position, at least to begin with.  The offense must move the ball quickly and accurately while the defense must communicate and work together to defend while at the disadvantage – going from “on ball” to off ball or “I got two”.  If the defense makes them throw more than one or two passes, they have done a good job.

Small Group Training – Youth/MS

In SGT we are looking to pack as many reps as possible into 60 minutes.  This week we began with Partner Passing on the move, focusing on the proper mechanics for the variety of types of passes that may be required to execute in game play.

The 1 v. 1 Pivot Drill is designed to teach players to protect their stick while under defensive pressure.  The offensive player must keep one foot (pivot foot) in place while the defender works to try to get to her stick.  The Attacker must change her body position while keeping her stick protected from the defender.

Cone Dodges to a Shot – Players have to navigate a series of cones, while maintaining stick protection before ultimately ending with a shot on the run.  The player has to focus on footwork while having their head up in order to acquire the target, in order to be a more accurate shooter.

Long Pass, Short Pass, Ground Ball Shuttle – Here the players are getting multiple reps of 3 distinct skills.  The lines are 20 to 30 yards apart (depending on age and ability).  The drill begins with a long pass (which requires torso rotation and a crow hop to generate the necessary power) to the first player in the opposite line.  The ball is returned to the original passer (who has closed the distance by running toward), who then throws a shorter pass (on the move, also requiring the torso turn) to the same player.  Finally, a Ground Ball is rolled out for the player to scoop and return it with a third pass.

High School Girls

With High School Tryouts either already under way or beginning the next day, we wanted to create as many ‘game speed” reps with no real contact, as possible.  We wanted to help them be ready for their tryouts without making them sore.  We opened with 2 Ball Line Drills, which doubles the number of touches, that players get in regular line drills.  We then split the girls into two groups and went into “Stations”.

Offense – The Girls did a variety of Dodging and Shooting Drills.  Cutting and catching a same side feed, before shooting on the run.  Then it was an opposite side feed.  The focus was on changing direction on the cuts, and the proper mechanics of catching and shooting on the run.

Defense – First it was the V-Shuffle in the Alley.  With the older girls there is more focus on speed and “economy of movement”. We also work in the variation, by alternating between a shuffle and a sprint into a breakdown, with each change of direction.  We then moved to a variety of ladder drills.  First into Ground Balls then into angled breakdowns, to simulate the ABCD’s.  I am pretty sure I heard one HS Junior say “yes, I love ladders!”

 

 

 

 
Leave a comment

FLG Spring Training – Session I Recap

FLG Families,

It was exciting to take the fields this past Sunday. The Spring is time for our FLG Select Teams to ramp up our team training, develop team chemistry, review team concepts from the Fall, learn team concepts to prepare for the Summer Tournaments, and continue developing as individual lacrosse players.

As a Program Director, it’s important our families understand why we do what we do at practice. Below is a detailed description of what we worked on this past weekend. As you can see, a lot of time and attention goes into our practice planning. It’s important that you understand everything we do is for a reason. Our reasoning is centered around developing smarter lacrosse players, learning what to do in situations, and understanding team concepts.

At practice, our teams worked on a variety of things. Below are some of the drills we worked on, with a description of the drill and an explanation of why we worked on the drill. Are you a PAL Coach? If yes, feel free to reach out if you see a drill you like. If not, hopefully this recap gives you a better understanding for what we are trying to teach and accomplish at FLG’s Spring Training.

Practice Drills

3 to 6 Person Break-outs: This drill gets our players used to breaking out towards the side-lines. These break-out patterns resemble our clear and gets our players in the habit of throwing lead passes to the side-lines, not the middle of the field. Clearing up the side is a safer, more effective option for our teams so we an successfully clear the ball.

Motion Offense Review: skeleton offense, meaning you have your offense run thru situations without a defense, is a great way to get down different patterns/motions and create organization on the offensive end of the field. Motion Offense teaches players spacing, timing, reads, and ways to create great opportunities to score goals in settled situations.

Ride / Clear Scrimmage: This is a full-field scrimmage drill that doesn’t include face-offs. Instead, it’s controlled by the coaches on the field, whose job is to set-up riding and clearing situations. Athletes play out of these situations to show they know where to go and what to do with the ball during a ride or clear.

Harvard Clearing Drill: This is a 3v3 clearing drill that results in transition offense and defense. 3 short sticks compete against 3 defenders to see who can clear the ball quicker and without dropping the rock. When the offensive players clear the ball up the field, they immediately come back down to their defensive end and try to score a goal. Defensemen do the same, they must clear the ball up the field and immediately get back in the hole and defense once they do so. The defense in handicapped in this drill in that they can only put 2 players (maximum) in the hole to defend. The purpose of this drill is to clear the ball quickly, accurately, and under pressure. Also, it works on transition offense and defense (especially if you botch a clear and have to get back in the hole to defend).

1v1 Buckets – This drill starts with the offensive and defensive players head-to-head and on their backs. The offensive player has a ball in their hand. On the coaches whistles, players get up and go 1v1 against one another. The object for the offense is dunk the ball in the bucket, for the defense, the object is to defend the bucket (which is located in the middle of the hole). The purpose of this drill is to learn how to approach, break-down, drop step, use hands to defend, and understand where to defend. Offensively, it’s about setting up your defender, dragging, attacking, and getting underneath to a dangerous position on the field.

Small Group Training Drills – All Positions

Defensive Drills

ND Three Man HandleCheck out a video of it here!

Umbrella Approach By Number – This drill has 3 cones, which represent dodging locations, set-up behind goal line extended. Coach calls out a number and the defensemen have to approach that numbered cone, break down, and then quickly recover back to their starting position. This drill is great to work on body positioning, knowing where the ball is and where your man is, approaching with a good angle, breaking down, and keeping your stick out when you break down.

1v1 Approach Drill  – Similar to approach by number, 3 dodging locations are set-up. Defender start with a ball, throw to who they want to defend, and then they play out of a 1v1 situation. Offense has 5 seconds to score.

Attack Drills 

Diamond Break-out Drill – Start in a tight diamond, the adjacent players must be ready in that they are next to break-out and receive a pass. Work the ball around clock-wise or counter clock focusing on different catching and passing varaitions. This drill works on throwing lead passes, catching while breaking away from a defender, catching and throwing with both hands, catching over the shoulder, throwing shovel passes, and throwing pull passes (passes across your body)

Kamikazee Dodging – Set-up like a line drill. Everyone has a ball. On the coaches whistle, players must run full speed at each other and make the same move last minute. This drill is great to work on understanding when to make your move against a defenseman. This past Sunday we worked on split dodges, studder steps, hockey stops, and fake-shot face-dodges.

1v1 Approach Drill  – 3 dodging locations are set-up. Defender start with a ball, throw to who they want to defend, and then they play out of a 1v1 situation. Offense has 5 seconds to score. Working on reading the defenders approach, making 1 or two hard moves, attacking the cage to score, protecting our stick, and finishing around the crease.

Midfield Drills 

Kamikazee Dodging – Set-up like a line drill. Everyone has a ball. On the coaches whistle, players must run full speed at each other and make the same move last minute. This drill is great to work on understanding when to make your move against a defenseman. This past Sunday we worked on split dodges, studder steps, hockey stops, and fake-shot face-dodges.

Kick the Can Shooting – Drill focuses on shooting to the far pipe, shooting off the the outside foot, shooting on the run, and finishing with your hips on cage

Three-man skeleton offense – Ball starts on wing and is thrown top center. Player dodges as both wings cut under and follow the motion offense pattern. (Make dodgers go in different directions). Player dodging will throw back using either pull pass or turning to the outside. Ball will then be relayed to the player on the back side who will relay it back to the middle restarting pattern. Great drill to simulate 6v6 team offense, just using your middies.

Goalies

Blind Eye Positioning – Have the goalies close their eyes and start top center. From that position, rapidly call out positions in the net they would have to step to without looking. Great drill to work on knowing where you are in cage, understand positioning and seeing ball, visualizing being in the right spot and making a save.

Explosive Bucket – Have the goalies drop their sticks. Stand close to one pipe and put a bucket placed near the opposite pipe. Toss the ball over the bucket and the goalies take an explosive step towards the opposite pipe. Catch the rock and drop it in the bucket. Slide back to the opposite pipe and go again.

Approach Drill – Goalies then got involved in the 1v1 approach drill with the attack/defense and 3-man shooting drills with the middies. Great time to get reps in live situations.

 
Leave a comment

FLG Box Training Session 7 RECAP

FLG Box Training Participants,

Moving into our final week of box lacrosse training, I couldn’t be happier with the development that I’m seeing within the box lacrosse rinks. From our youngest group to our High School division, the improvement is tremendous.

This past Saturday, our focus was still on development. Despite league play being in full swing, it’s important that our players not lose focus on what’s most important, getter better, getting touches, and getting smarter.

Our youngest groups spent a large portion of the box training on learning how to shoot with time and space vs. shooting in tight. We taught our players the difference between those two types of shots, when to use one shot vs. the other, and developing at both shot types through reps, reps, and more reps.

Time and Space Shooting – this shot type is used when you have time to get your hands set, eyes on cage, and body weight moving 100% towards the goal. This shot requires players to get their hands up and away from the body, hips torqued using a crow hop, and getting the front foot to step towards the target. A time and space shot requires players to snap there top hand on the follow through to ensure power and velocity as the ball releases from the stick.

Between the Shoulders Shooting aka BTS Shooting – this shot type is used when you are in tight proximity to the crease and are surrounded by one or multiple defenders. This shot requires players to get their hands close to the body, choke up on the shaft, and get the head of the stick between the shoulders. This allows players to increase control, finesse, and protection as they shoot on cage. We taught players a few moves around the crease to increase shot angle and shot percentage. The crease roll is a great example of that. It teaches players to get defenders on their back as they gain positioning for a BTS shot. 

3v2 Continuous – this game is set-up with a 3v2 at either end of the floor. Players work out of 3v2 to score as many goals as they can in 1 minute. Defenders who steal the ball or earn ground balls are instructed to clear the ball to their 3 offensive players on the opposite end of the floor. Make the game even harder by installing a 10 second shot clock. As soon as a team gains possession of the ball, they must execute a shot on goal within 10 seconds.

Quads – this is FLG’s favorite box training game. We love it because its a composition of all the things we’ve taught in the box rinks. Quads requires players to: work in pairs, execute passes and picks, pick off ball, include pick variations, play in tight spaces, clear, defend the middle, look for give and goes, play with both hands, finish with time and space, finish in tight, work in groups of 4, and more. Overall, this game is a fun, creative, and competitive opportunity for players to show how much they’ve learned over the last 6 sessions in the box.

Finally, each session finished with a scrimmage for points. Next week will be our final box training session for the year. Expect game play to be for more than points. Expect game play to be for the coveted FLG Box Lacrosse Training Winter Cap. This year, they are pretty fresh. My question, who has what it takes to become Box Lacrosse Champ?!

Best,

Corey, Program Director, FLG Lacrosse

 
Leave a comment

FLG Scoring Academy RECAP

Scoring Academy Participants,

It was great getting back on the fields with our Scoring Academy participants last night. I do apologize for missing our session last week, something I don’t normally do! I had a baby girl last week and was busy welcoming her to the world. Soon teaching baby Everley the ins and out of the game!

Anyways, last night was a session focused on reps, reps, and more reps. Being our participants are more advanced and have a deeper understanding for the fundamentals of shooting the right way, we can now focus on get more reps, and do more shooting drills.

After our wall ball warm-up, which reinforced proper shooting mechanics and emphasized correct upper/lower body movement, we took to the cages for a series of shooting drills. These drills not only working on shooting on the run. They worked on footwork, setting up your defender, shooting out of a dodge, scoring in tight, re-dodging your defender, and shooting to score.

For examples of the shooting drills please be sure to check out FLG Lacrosse on Instagram @FLGLAX Our latest post from the Scoring Academy will feature Kerrie Heuser working on the Dodge, Bounce, Re-dodge drill. You will also see our two Studletes of the night, Caroline and Mikey, who did an exception job executing concepts taught consistently at full speed.

See everybody next week!

-Corey

 
Leave a comment

FLG Recruiting Night

FLG Families,

First and foremost, I would like to thank everyone who attended our 2017 FLG Recruiting Night. What a wonderful occasion! The night consisted of laughs, cheers, applause, Panera Bread, drinks, and some valuable insight on the lacrosse recruiting process. It was so rewarding to witness transparency, authenticity, and maturity amongst our male and female alums. They did an unbelievable job vocalizing their path to finding the right fit at the next level.

All our Alumni had a different path. Some roads windier than others. At the end of the day, these journey’s were shared in a way that has better educated our current FLG studletes and families. To learn from other peoples stories is invaluable advice that should be used in a positive way. We want every boy and girl in our program to find the right fit at the collegiate level, have the best four years ahead of them and set themselves up for a career beyond the lacrosse field.

Special thanks to our alumni panel (listed below) and to all the families who attended.  For those of you who couldn’t make it last night, below are some questions that were answered by our Alumni panel. We look forward to meeting with our are 19’s & 20’s towards the end of this year and next. Happy Holidays, be safe, and always remember: we love this game, love what we do, and love getting a chance to meet so amazing people through our FLG Program.

Best,

The FLG Family


FLG Alumni Panel & Questions Asked

Tom Whelan – Wesleyan University

*Tommy tore his ACL going into his Junior year of High School

-What advice would you give to athletes who experience a major injury during the recruiting process?

-How does your experience at a NESCAC school differ from other DIII programs?

Chandler Kirby – Cornell University

-What is biggest challenge you see freshmen facing as they adjust to college both academically and athletically?

-Do you think you were proactive enough during the recruiting process? If not, why not? If so, what did you do?

Christian Kuhn – Air Force

-What factors made a service academy appealing to you?

-What are the positives and negatives of being so far from home?

Eric Gennari – Union College

*Eric went from Providence to Nassau Community College to Union College

-Can you describe your journey through transferring schools?

-What is one piece of advice you would give young studletes going through the recruiting process?

Tyler Warner- Yale University

-Can you describe the commitment level during the fall and spring seasons?

*Tyler is a pre-med student at Yale who has been a 4-year starter in one of the best lacrosse programs in the country

-In what ways has the college lacrosse experience exceeded your expectations? What are some of the hidden obstacles you didn’t expect going in?

Jared Warner- University of Pennsylvania

*Jared committed in his senior year of High School and stopped playing his sophomore year of college.

-When did you commit to UPenn, talk about your recruiting process?

-What made you want to go back to playing lacrosse after taking some time off?

Giana Kapoosuzian – Bryant University

-When did the recruiting process begin for you?

-What events or showcases did you feel gave you the best exposure?

Kristen Decicco – Le Moyne College

-What made Lemoyne the right decision for you?

-Can you describe how your experience at Lemoyne compares with that of a DI or DIII student-athlete?

Paige Lewis/Megan Keener – Adelphi University

-What are some of the positives and negatives of attending school close to home?

If there was one thing you could change about your college experience, what would it be?

Emily Sandford – Manhattan College

What are some of the advantages of being so close to a major city?

If you could give young studletes one piece of advice, what would it be?

Rory Sadoff – UMass-Amherst

*Rory coaches in the FLG Program

What made you decide you wanted to stop playing your last season at UMass?

-Did you second guess yourself or have any regrets about your decision?

Diana Schmitt – Meryhurst University

*Diana coaches in the FLG Program

-Diana, recruited by one coach, freshmen year another, new coach late summer going into sophomore year, what was it like as a student athlete going through so many changes?

Sam DiSalvo – Stony Brook University

*Sam coaches in the FLG Program. Sam is a senior captain for one of the best lacrosse programs in the country.

-What have you found to be the positives and negatives in regards to being coached by a male?

-What advice would you give prospective student-athletes about to go on their unofficial/official visits?

For each member of the panel:

If you had one piece of advice for a studlete going through the recruiting process today, what would it by?

 

FLG Staff who helped make last night happen:

Facilitator: Corey Winkoff

Contributors: Robyn Pastuch, Eric Dunne, Bob Schmitt, Devin Votta, Rory Sadoff

President & CEO: Mike Winkoff

 
Leave a comment

FLG Box Training Session II RECAP

FLG Box Lax Participants & Parents,

Week 2 of our Box Lacrosse Training program was all about development. We spent most of each session focusing on the fundmantels of playing the box game. Some of these fundamentals included: scoring in tight, picking away from the ball, getting an advantage in a 1v1 scenario in tight, competing for ground balls in tight spaces, as well as picking and slipping the dodger.

We decided to push back our league play one more session so we could focus on teaching our players the basics of playing within the rinks. Over the holiday break, FLG Lacrosse will be hosting a draft at the FLG HQ (345 Main Street, Huntington’s Village) and will be posting it to our Instagram page. The top players will be drafted and the remaining athletes will be evenly broken up into teams for the remainder of box training.  In the meantime, read into what we taught this past weekend at Box Lacrosse.

Hungry Hippos – A competitive ground ball game that focuses on scooping ground balls with urgency in tight spaces. As the balls dwindle down, players have to contest ground balls against opposing players to earn more food for their hippo.

Canadian 1v1s – Defender should start making contact and shade half a step towards the middle, offensive player starts in a ready position with their stick to the inside using body to protect, dodger can not switch hands when attacking the goal, dodger can attack goal to the high side or underneath, dodger must get shot off before crossing the Rhino line (imaginary line cutting the floor in half)

2v1 Pass-down Pick-downs – Top right passes down, immediately picks down, soon to be dodger drags her girl toward GLE and the cage, picker sets FEET with 75% weight on inside leg 25% outside leg, dodger tries to run defender into pick, attack the cage for a hard shot to the far pipe.

3v2  Pass-down Pick-aways – Offense sets up in a triangle, defense sets up covering the top players closest to the crease. Point of the triangle passes down to a side and must pick away from that side. Feeder needs to read who is open off-ball. Play to a shot and then players switch positions.

Salisbury Box Shooting – Players move in figure 8 motion switching hands while working on finishing in tight. Athletes can score using a quick stick, hitch & go, step down, shovel shot, BTB, or around the world.

3v3 Decision Maker – Playing 3v3 in a small area field, players must score using different rules. Rules include scoring with your stick to the inside, scoring using an off-ball or on-ball pick, and scoring using a shallow cut. These rules teach players to incorporate specific skills and techniques while competing in a game like setting.

We are really excited to move into Session III after the New Year. Be sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook to see our draft and see videos of the drills we’ve been doing in the box rinks. We hope everyone has a nice Holiday break and Happy New Year!

Best!

FLG Team

 
Leave a comment
icon-angle icon-bars icon-times