5 OFFSEASON LACROSSE CONDITIONING DRILLS

5 Offseason Lacrosse Conditioning Drills

The skills you learn and maintain throughout the offseason will prove to be invaluable tools once you’re back on the field. You always want to be game ready as an athlete and practice really does make perfect; it’s all about repetition. Below are five offseason conditioning drills that you can use to improve your lacrosse play and stay prepared for the season ahead.

1. FOUR CORNER DRILL IN LACROSSE

The Four Corner Drill will focus on quick pivots and smooth transitional bursts of speed during sudden changes of direction. Set up four cones 5-10 yards apart in a square pattern and choose a corner to begin. Start at the first corner, sprint to the cone diagonal, cut around the outside, sprint down, cut around the outside again, sprint to the last cone diagonally across then sprint to finish down where you started. This conditioning drill is incredibly versatile because of the number of variations that can be performed. Consider starting on your stomach or back for scramble starts to increase difficulty once you’ve mastered the basic techniques.

2. L-DRILL IN LACROSSE

The L-Drill is another agility-focused workout that helps develop your fast-twitch muscles into a powerful tool against your opponent. Set up three cones with at least 5 yards of space in between and begin at any end cone. There are many ways to alter this drill based on skill level, but generally you will begin at cone 1, sprint to touch cone 2, turn back and sprint to cone 1, then sprint around the outside of cone 2 and head to cone 3. Once you’ve touched cone 3 head back to cone 2 and pivot hard to reach and finish at 1. This is an L-shaped suicide drill that simulates avoiding opposing players on the field while maintaining a consistent speed and movement.

3. T-DRILL IN LACROSSE

Don’t get rid of those cones just yet! The T-Drill hones in on all of the skills as the previous two cone drills but with emphasis on balance and body control. All you need is four cones placed in the arrangement of the letter T. The distance between cones depends on the type of drill you want; short agility or top-speed. Begin at the cone on the bottom of the T, sprint to the top-middle cone, cut left and touch the cone, pivot around the left cone and sprint across to the far right cone, pivot once more around the right cone until you get to the middle and run down back to start. The T-Drill can be performed in many different ways including more repetitive suicide drill-like movements. A common addition to sharpen body control and endurance is backpedaling immediately after your arrival at the second cone back to start. This extension of the L-Drill will train you in maintaining a happy medium of speed, balance and body control through a longer, and more rigorous, agility test.

4. SPEED LADDER DRILL

Using the Speed Ladder Drill during off-season conditioning is crucial in maintaining solid footwork. The goal is to teach the muscles to maintain consistent performance traits such as: speed, coordination and endurance. Players can use this drill to improve their footwork in forward, backward and later movements. Of course, as always, crank up the difficulty in your foot patterns as you begin to master the drill.

5. 6×60-YARD SHUFFLE

The 6×60-Yard Shuffle is essentially the classic suicide conditioning drill. Why stray from the classics when they still prove to show results? The objective here is to increase speed but reduce the time it takes you to complete the activity. A player will sprint: 5 yards and back, 10 yards and back, then finally 15 yards and back to finish. This high-intensity sprinting drill encourages you to fight through physical and mental fatigue to become a better-conditioned athlete.

OFFSEASON LACROSSE TIPS FROM THE THOMPSON BROTHERS

Staying in playing shape throughout the offseason is a priority for any lacrosse player. Thompson Brothers Lacrosse will show you everything you need to know to be the best, and most well prepared, player on the field. We offer training camps and top of the line equipment through our TBL shop so you can stay mentally and physically prepared for the upcoming season. Contact us today or visit our Instagramblog, and Youtube pages to learn more on how to be the best athlete you can be!