A successful youth lacrosse practice should be fast-paced, organized, and built around repetition with purpose. Players improve the most when they spend less time standing in lines and more time handling the ball, competing, and making decisions.
This 90-minute practice template provides a balanced approach that develops stick skills, conditioning, lacrosse IQ, teamwork, and confidence.
1. Welcome & Team Focus (5 Minutes)
Start practice with a quick team meeting. Review the goals for the day, establish expectations, and highlight one or two areas of emphasis. Keeping players focused from the first whistle creates better energy throughout practice.
2. Dynamic Warm-Up & Conditioning (15 Minutes)
Prepare athletes for practice with dynamic movement rather than static stretching. Incorporate agility work, acceleration drills, change-of-direction exercises, and conditioning that mimics game movement.
Examples include:
- High knees
- Carioca
- Lunges
- Shuttle runs
- Bear crawls
- Short sprints
3. Skill Development (20 Minutes)
This is the foundation of every practice. Prioritize fundamentals with high repetitions and constant coaching.
Focus on:
- Passing
- Catching
- Ground balls
- Cradling
- Dodging
- Shooting
- Defensive footwork
Keep drills moving and minimize waiting in line.
4. Positional & Situational Work (15 Minutes)
Break players into position groups or teach team concepts.
Possible topics include:
- Riding and clearing
- Fast breaks
- Transition offense
- Team defense
- Man-up/man-down situations
- Communication
- Sliding and recovery
5. Small-Sided Games (30 Minutes)
Small-sided games create more touches, more decisions, and more learning than traditional full-field scrimmages.
Consider:
- 3v3
- 4v4
- 5v5
- Cross-field games
- Continuous transition games
Encourage creativity, communication, and quick ball movement.
6. Finishing Competition (5 Minutes)
End practice with an exciting competitive challenge.
Ideas include:
- Ground ball races
- Accuracy shooting contests
- Fast-break competitions
- 1-on-1 battles
- Team relay races
Players should leave practice smiling while still competing.
7. Cool Down & Team Wrap-Up (5 Minutes)
Finish with a brief recovery period and reinforce the day’s biggest coaching points. Celebrate improvement, recognize effort, and preview the next practice.
Coaching Tips
- Keep players active with minimal standing.
- Create as many stick touches as possible.
- Teach in short bursts and let players play.
- Build competition into every practice.
- Finish with positive energy every day.
Great practices create confident players—and confident players become better teammates.
For more coaching resources, practice plans, and player development guides, visit the training section at wormburnerlacrosse.com.
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