Skill Development – Defend the Cone
In this Defensive oriented drill we are working on defensive footwork and body positioning. The idea is for the first offensive player to go at about a 75% effort trying to get to the cone (goal) The second offensive player goes full effort to the goal while the defender is recovering Playing with or without sticks, the defensive players need to use their feet to get their body in the right position to be able to stop the offensive player.
Drill Set Up:
Break up the offense and defense so you have about 5-6 guys in a group (both offensive and defensive players in each group). Each group should have their own cone. Set the line up about 7-8 yards from the cone. Have the defensive player drop step out and the second and third players in line get balls in their sticks. Set the defensive player about 2-3 yards in front of the offensive player between the ball and the cone. The defensive player should get in a good athletic stance with his hands up and in near his chest.
The offensive player should start with a drive and/or a dodge (split, face, rocker, roll etc) trying to get to the cone. He should not go 100% but probably around 75%. The defensive player should use their feet to maintain his position between himself and the cone and use his hands by pushing on the back and shoulders of the offensive player to control him and keep him away from the cone. Each repetition should last about 5-8 seconds. Once the first offensive player has gone for 5-8 seconds, blow the whistle and the defensive player should immediately return to the starting position. You should blow the whistle again for the next offensive player to go right when he returns to the starting position and gets in a good stance. In the beginning allow the defensive player to get back and get set, but as they get better at the drill, blow the whistle as the defensive player is recovering to the starting point so that he must begin to think about using angles to get to the right spot. It is important that all players play both offense and defense. Long poles should use their long poles when on offense!! In essence the first offensive player is going 75%, the second is going 100%. The same defender is going on each of those two players.