Paul Milano

A lacrosse team can ride an impenetrable defense deep into the playoffs. Having a tough defense can really bring a team far, so we are going to discus how to get this, hard to beat defense. Through footwork, checks, communication, clears and sliding, you can make your defense unstoppable.

Footwork is one of the most important aspects to playing good solid defense. You always want to keep your knees bent, be on the balls of your feet, and stay low. Also never cross your feet when you're guarding your man, but always stay between your man and the goal. Don't let your man run were he wants, use your body position to force him to go where you want. Cut off his angles and keep your stick in the passing lanes to knock down passes. When your man doesn't have the ball split your focus between the man and the ball, keep your head on a swivel. Don't stand there and look at just your man or just the ball. You need to see if your man is cutting and be able to guard him when he gets the ball you also need to be able to slide when one of your fellow D-men get beat. Footwork is the key part to a great defender so practice, practice, practice and don't ever give up good position for a check. Solid footwork can make you a great defender.



Knowing when and where to throw checks can elevate your game to a new level. Checks are all about timing and placement. You need to learn where, when, and how to throw checks. Checks need to be delivered fast, hard and persist. Don't be predictable. Change your checks up: the order, the speed, when you do them, and which ones you use. This will really get on the attacker’s nerves because he can never predict you, so he is always open for attack. When an opponent gets to close, push him out; you have 6 feet use it! I'm going to go over the checks so you know how and when you can throw different checks, and catch your opponent off guard.



Poke- This check is the most basic and is a must for any defender. Loosen the grip with your top hand and push with your bottom hand; causing the scoop of your head to make contact with his shaft, head (lacrosse head that is), hands, or ribs. This check needs to be done hard and fast.




Lift- This check is also a basic check and is a very good check to master. To perform this check you need to pretty much put his bottom hand in your head and lift it up.




Slap- This is the last of the basic checks. To perform this check you want to hit your opponent's stick as though you were slapping it. Your stick should look like your slapping your opponents.



Over the head check- This is done when the opponent’s back is towards you. With your bottom hand you want to reach it over his head as though you were punching the sky. Then you want to come down on his stick and dislodge the ball.



Kayak- Done while running side by side with an opponent. Slide both hands to the throat of the head, and hit your opponent with the end of the shaft.



Ice pick- Done from behind the opponent. Slide one hand (your dominant) to the top of the throat, and have your weak hand about 8 inches below your top hand. Proceed to hit the attacker’s stick with the shaft of your stick; the motion will be almost like throwing. Pull your bottom hand back and push the top forward causing your stick to gain more speed and a better chance of dislodging the ball.




Rusty Gate- Done from various positions. When an opponent beats you, you swing your stick behind your back, hitting the opponent. This is a low percentage check; it will only work if done quick and effective, and may be called for a slash.




Wrap check- Usually done when side by side with the opponent. When he has his stick in his side farthest from you, you wrap your stick around his body and hit his stick like a slap check.




Chop- This check is basically self-explanatory. You chop down on his stick with yours.



Ding Dong- When the opponent has his back to you, fake an over the head check, then once he rolls chop down on his stick.







After having a big bag of checks that you can throw at the perfect time you will be that much harder to beat.



Communication makes or breaks a defense. It may not seem important but it is one of the biggest factors of having an unstoppable defense. Your goalie must call out the position of the ball so everyone knows where the ball is at all times. Who ever is guarding the man with the ball needs to let everyone know by saying "I have ball" or something of the sort. The two men next to him need to yell out that they got the man guarding the ball slide if he gets beat (usually done with something like "I'm hot”). If the man that is guarding the ball gets beat and someone slides, he needs to let the rest of the defense know so they can slide too. When a man is cutting, the defenseman playing him should yell something like "cutter" so the rest of the defense knows. If you and your teammate need to switch the people you are guarding yell something such as "switch" so your teammate knows where to go. Communication lets your teammates know what's going on as well as, letting yourself know what you have to do.



If a defense doesn't know how to clear the ball and give the offense a chance, the team will never have the opportunity to win. Remember while clearing you always have an extra man then they do. Always look for the open man. Never launch the ball unless you have to or the10 seconds is almost up. It helps to keep track of the time in your head. If no one is open then don't be afraid to take the ball up your self. Never pass the ball in front of the goal because if the catch is missed the opponent has the middle of the field to himself to take the ball in and score, and we don’t want that, so get good at clearing and give your offence a chance.


If a defense never slides then it will always get beat. Sliding is a complicated aspect of the game, and everyone does it different so I am just going to go over it very briefly. There is two main ways to slide, adjacent and crease. Both ways have their pros and cons. An adjacent slide is when the defensive man that is one person away from the attack man with the ball slides. When the man guarding the ball gets beat, the person next to the ball slides to the man that just got beat. The whole defense should slide a man; therefore, leaving the man farthest from the ball open. There is also a slide package called crease sliding. To do this, the defenseman from the crease slides to the attack man that just got free. There are many pros and cons to both of these methods. Here is a chart of them:
Crease:
Pros
-There is no question as to who is the slide man
-Center of the hole has the least distance from any part of the field; it is easier to slide from the crease because of the short distance from the crease to any given point inside the restraining box
-Slide man knows exactly when and where to slide (i.e., if A1 dodges and B1 keeps him on the left side and does not get swept, B2 can slide and immediately take the right side without thinking)
Cons
-Without backup, the attacker on the crease (the most dangerous guy on the field) is left wide open
-Depends on a second slide to offset above. If the second slide is not on the ball, the crease guy will be left open.
-Assumes that a defenseman will not get beat topside or swept.

Adjacent
Pros
-If a man gets beat, the slide man immediately knows which way to slide to (i.e., if A1 beats B1 and drives towards the cage from the left side,
B2 on the right side knows to take the right side of A1 while B1 works to take the left side)
-Unpredictable, as the slide always comes from a different man
-Good for a zone defense; allows to play take-away rather than positional without sacrificing position
-Allows an immediate double on rather dangerous players
Cons
-An adjacent slide when the defenseman is beat always leads to a 2-on-1.
Smart attack men will recognize this and take advantage of it
-To offset above, a 2nd slide must be available. This slide man must know what's going on to cover effectively.
-If the second slide comes from a critical point (i.e., crease), a *third* slide is necessary to cover. This means half the defense must truly know what is going on, and half the defense must be ready to react to both slides and skip passes.
-If a man does not get beat, the slide usually doesn't come


Sliding should never be over looked. Sliding takes a lot of practice and only the best of teams have a perfect slide package. As you can see, it is needed to have that unstoppable defense.


Defense wins championships; there is no other way to put it. If you have a strong defense your team will be less likely to lose. Through strong fundamentals and good teamwork any defense can succeed. The most important thing to do is practice.

By: Paul Milano(bigDman)

JPII#10

the ding dong is the best

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Defense wins championships