VCUT to Get Open on Offense

There are multiple ways of getting open on offense and creating your own shot. There are picks and rolls, multiple types of dodges, and then there is the VCUT. You can either use this type of cut to get shooting space or get open for a pass. You will be the red player in position 1 and the defender is the black player in position one. You will make the cut to your left and draw the defender with you. You will make a quick stop and reverse you direction out to the side creating the "V" and you will end up in the position marked by the red 2. The defender will be recovering from their initial reaction to you dodging left and then stopping. Most likely the defender will have turned their hips in reaction to your move and will have to stop, turn around, and start again while you have only had to stop and start. This will give you 3-4 feet of separation to shoot or receive a pass. This is more than enough time to do either of these. Practice this often and it will become a staple of you offensive movement.

Ground Ball Pickup

Ground ball pickup seems to be an art that is difficult to master and maybe even more difficult to practice. The main contributor to a poor ground ball pickup if to much effort on the players part. Excitement and anticipation seem to get the best of even the elite lacrosse players. As a coach one of the comments most spoken are "move your hand up on the stick and get your butt down". Those are the most common mistakes made by players at all levels.

The reason for the "get your butt down" comment is so the player will have their stick at the right angle to pick the ball up effectively. Having you butt up in the air will cause a player to run their stick head into the ground and when they try to pick up the ball they will flip it out in front of them. Keeping their butts low also lowers their back hand and levels the stick out so the ball slides into the stick head without bouncing away.

Once you have properly picked up the ball by keeping the butt down the stick level with the ground there is one more thing that needs to be done. Once the ball is in the stick the players needs to quickly cradle the ball up and away from the other player attempting to all gain possession of the ground ball. Most of the time we see players getting possession of the ball and running straight ahead to get away from everyone. This seems to make sense with the exception that the other player is looking to spoil it all by checking the ball out of the stick. The secret to getting the ball up and into your body so you can protect it is to move your hand up close to the head of the stick. This allows you to naturally bring the ball up as you stand up. You can readjust your grip once you have possession.

Ground ball drill that works on both the pickup and the move to get clear of the players around you: place a lacrosse ball approximately 3 feet from a wall. Place yourself approximately 5 feet further away from the ball. Practice running up to the ball with your hand higher on the stick, pick the ball up and cut to your right or left. Having the ball close to the wall ensures you will move either direction since you can go straight ahead. Have fun and practice, practice, and practice.