Here are five readily available resources — many of which are in multiple formats for flexible consumption — US Lacrosse provides to coaches.
This may be the last full week of April, but plenty of youth and high school lacrosse remains for 2018 if you include summer-time camps and tournaments.
That means coaches have ample time to continue to hone their craft and help to create great lacrosse experiences for their players.
Here are five readily available resources — many of which in multiple formats for flexible consumption — US Lacrosse provides to coaches. Click the linked subhead to access.
Perfect for the coach on the go, Mobile Coach offers more than 500 drills with diagrams and videos for your iOS or Android device. Users can sort by ability level, gender, and even the skill they want to teach their players. The app provides practice plans built in alignment with the Lacrosse Athlete Development Model or you can build you own. IPad users will enjoy the whiteboarding function.
The “developing the individual athlete” clinic drill bank contains all games played at our Level 1 in-person instructional clinics. It’s the perfect resource for coaches looking to gamify their practices. The result? Happier players who have more fun while learning!
Cost: Free for members of US Lacrosse.
Dozens of diagrams and descriptions of drills that help players develop and perfect skills and tactics are available for coaches of boys’ and girls’ lacrosse. From a basic man/ball drill to a more-encompassing 3v2/4v3 drill, many of these represent timeless opportunities for athletes to build or reinforce fundamentals regardless of their age or skill level.
Cost: Free for all.
The US Lacrosse Convention (LaxCon) represents the most comprehensive professional development event for coaches, but it only happens for three days in January of each year. US Lacrosse makes available to LaxCon attendees and non-attendees alike an online library of some 100 educational sessions (including coaches’ and officials’) from the event. Some feature full video, such as Devon Wills' goalie instructional session pictured above, while others present the speaker audio synched to his/her progression through PowerPoints.
Cost: Free for registered LaxCon attendees; a la carte and bundle pricing available for non-attendees.
The US Lacrosse e-learning website houses dozens of online courses to help coaches get better. Some represent required components in order to earn certification from the sport’s national governing body. Most online courses can be completed in two or three hours; all allow users to save progression and finish in multiple sittings. Have your USLacrosse.org username and password handy to log in, or create a free such account if you don’t have one.
Cost: Free for members of US Lacrosse; various for non-members.
US Lacrosse regularly publishes educational videos for coaches, some developed in conjunction with Trilogy Lacrosse, on its YouTube channel. Content ranges from drill instructions and rules interpretations to samplings of LaxCon presentations and more, posted to respective playlists accordingly.
Cost: Free for all.
