HVLAX – Girls Tips

Concept

Stick Skills –

  • Everything both hands
  • Hand placement on stick – top hand just above the middle of the stick bottom hand slightly above the butt of the stick
  • Ear to shoulder cradle
  • Top hand arm out (elbow out)
  • Levels – comfort moving stick

To support stick skill development create a daily routine to warm up sticks and make adjustments

Example:

  • Top hand one handed - 10 right 10 left focus on elbow out and adjust
  • Bottom hand one handed - 10 right 10 left focus on bottom hand being closer to body like a hinge
  • Add ball and put two hands on stick 10 cradles right 10 left
  • Run short length of field twice – left then right
  • Intro levels of cradling – stick speed, movement, pulling (taking stick and crossing front of body) and switching hands
  • Run short length of field practicing switching hands and pulling (just top part of pull dodge)

Concept

Catching and Throwing –

  • Partner pass as second part of warm up right and left - This is where you can make adjustments
  • Giving with the ball when catching
  • Stepping and throwing with a follow through
  • Keeping eye on the ball
  • To make adjustments for higher girls have them switch hands – catch right throw left and so on . . .
  • Higher level adjustments would also include one handed partner passes and catching and throwing while doing foot fires
  • Star drill or 5 point drill
  • Create a configuration and a passing pattern and have them pass
  • Line drills – but keep lines short so girls get more touches and don’t have time to talk!

A fun thing to do with older girls is have them start out partner passing, blow the whistle and they have to get into their line drills (tell them ahead who is in what line) on their own (forcing them to communicate). Then blow the whistle again and they have to find their partner pass with opposite hand they started. You can do this as many times switching hands and with ground balls

  • 4 corner with 3 girls – practice outside hand catching
  • Set up 4 cones, put 3 girls on 3 separate cones they have to pass and then run to open cone
  • Higher level of play add 2 defenders in the middle
  • Practice catching and throwing with outside hand

Concept

Dodging –

Pump fakes, stutter steps, pull dodges, foot speed

  • Work on movements separately and then put together

Example –

  1. Take sticks out of hands line up a row of cones and show them a stutter step. Every time they approach a cone they have to stutter step then explode forward
  2. Show them a pump fake and have them do it a few times while doing foot fires
  3. Put it all together and run them through cones

GROUND BALLS GROUND BALLS GROUND BALLS

Give them all a ball and for 2-3 minutes have them run, give themselves a ground ball, sprint through

  • Ground ball roll out 1v1 or 2 v 2 winner becomes offense other team plays def. and play to cage
  • Boxing out drill – have one girls be designated box out girl BUT SHE CAN NOT TOUCH THE Ball only box out and move her stick on the ground over the ball (NOT TOUCH IT) Other player has to box out and get low and get the ball

Concept

Defense –

  • Teach girls a good athletic stance
  • Bend in knees
  • On the balls of the feet
  • Light on their feet
  • Feet hips width apart
  • AWARENESS
  • See ball see girl
  • Teach being big and loud
  • Teach the appropriate lock on force
  • Send the ball back to where it came from if you missed that opportunity force out!
  • Sliding

Def. Drills

  • 3 v 2, 4 v 3, 5 v 4 – ALWAYS go slow and blow whistle after EVERY PASS and fix positioning – Girl furthest away least threat.
  • Move to full speed still stopping to make corrections
  • Let them play it out then create a 4 v 4 or 5v5 situation

Plays-

  • Run drills that emulate your plays and game patterns
  • Pass and cut through or pass and double cut
  • Pass and screen away
  • Stack – cutters 1 &2 run and cut back set screen
  • Stack part two – overload and sweep with cutter peeking back

Transitions

Older girls (Slow break)

Off ball movement

Awareness

We look forward to holding clinics and having you at practices to support you in any way we can. Please call me with any questions 917.496.6499 or email