with Katie Woods,
3x BIG EAST Coach of the Year Award (2013, 2015 & 2021);
Winningest lacrosse coach in school history with more than 100 wins at the school;
Coached 16 All-BIG EAST First-Team Selection Players;
Coached 7 BIG EAST Players of the Year;
Coached 6 IWLCA Division I All-American Players;
Coached 11 IWLCA All-Region First-Team Selection Players;
American University Head Coach from 2007 to 2011;
2008 Patriot League Coach of the Year
Using a zone offense is a highly effective way to run a potent, fast-paced lacrosse offense. It allows your players to use both their skills and lacrosse IQ to attack a defense without having to run set plays. A good lacrosse zone offense is fast, aggressive and takes advantage of non-stop motion on- and off-the-ball.
In this highly informative lacrosse coaching video, Katie Woods takes viewers through a progression of eight drills – walking through a productive practice where she teaches the details and coaching points of her successful zone offense. Coach Woods breaks down the best methods for training your offensive players how to read opposing defenses and use the tactics built into the zone offense to attack with the objective of increasing your team’s percentage of high-quality shots on goal.
Keys To Zone Offense, Stick Warm Ups & Drills
Coach Woods makes the comparison of an effective lacrosse zone offense to a good zone offense in basketball and emphasizes how proper offensive execution creates scoring opportunities while minimizing offensive movement.
Early on, Woods points out that a successful zone offense is predicated on finding open players via effective ball-movement and creating the appropriate amount of space necessary to stress defenders and form cracks in an opponent’s defense.
Since individual offensive skills are required to build and improve any team’s offense, Woods walks viewers through a series of drills she uses to build her zone offense and reinforce critical zone concepts with her team. The teaching and instruction are effective and interesting to watch, as she begins with simple, small player drills and builds into a progression that leads into 7-player zone offense work.
Woods shows viewers her favorite stick warmup drill – which features the recurring theme of her practice: ball movement, creating spacing and competition. She then focuses on an attack-versus-defense build-up session, with intentional constraints placed upon the offensive attackers to work on specific attack skills, eliminating obvious tendencies, adding in cutters and teaching each player to understand their roles and responsibilities in the zone offense.
Throughout this video, Woods creates a competitive practice environment and teaching atmosphere by stressing the following:
a) ball movement through quick passes and how to create options off it,
b) the importance of simple communication and ‘naming each pass,’
c) the impact of playing fast, and,
d) how to hit the ‘big ball’ to exploit the space created by effective ball movement.
Attack-Vs-Defense Build-Up Drill
Utilizing both a whiteboard and on-the-field demonstrations, Woods showcases her ‘Attack-Vs-Defense Build-Up Drill’ – which focuses on the concepts of playing up numbers, playing down numbers and taking the ball to the cage. This is a good competitive drill which builds on the previous ball movement drill by allowing the ball to get to the cage. The ‘Attack-Vs-Defense Build-Up Drill’ also teaches players how to:
a) recognize the numbers and fill the spaces accordingly,
b) take quick shots,
c) communicate on all passes,
d) establish fast play through ball movement and how to look backside for the ‘big-ball’ pass.
Throughout this informative, must-see video, viewers will benefit from watching how Woods utilizes effective methods for teaching lacrosse zone offense to her team. Her strategic focus on creating opportunities, while taking advantage of the ‘split-second moments’ to attack and not waiting for the perfect look, will bring options to the table that will help you to take your own lacrosse offense to the next level.
110 minutes, 2022.
LXD-05999B:
with Katie Woods,
3x BIG EAST Coach of the Year Award (2013, 2015 & 2021);
Winningest lacrosse coach in school history with more than 100 wins at the school;
Coached 16 All-BIG EAST First-Team Selection Players;
Coached 7 BIG EAST Players of the Year;
Coached 6 IWLCA Division I All-American Players;
Coached 11 IWLCA All-Region First-Team Selection Players;
American University Head Coach from 2007 to 2011;
2008 Patriot League Coach of the Year
In this terrific lacrosse defense video, Katie Woods walks viewers through a detailed practice where she teaches and works on her ‘Rover Zone Defense’ – which is a defense rooted in principles of high energy, effective communication and attacking an opponent’s offense as a cohesive defensive unit. Woods effectively combines presentations on a whiteboard with on-the-field action to teach viewers the intricacies of her Rover Zone Defense and the practice drills she incorporates to help players both grasp the defensive concepts and improve the critical skill sets they will need to execute the necessary player assignments of the defense.
Starting at the foundation of the basic zone setup, Coach Woods then progresses through seven drills which focus on learning the basics, crashing, dealing with more than one attacker, zone handoff, and dealing with the topside of the zone.
Keys To Defensive Zone Success
Coach Woods kicks off the action in the video, by detailing the foundation and principles of a basic zone defense set up, followed by a highly valuable teaching progression through seven practice drills that help players learn basic, yet key components of playing zone defense – such as crashing, dealing with more than one attacker, zone handoffs and defending against attacks against the topside of the zone.
Viewers are taught the set up rules for six zone positions and the rover spot, as well as individual defender assignments, defensive rules and both ball-side and off-the-ball defender responsibilities.
Throughout this video you will see expert examples of how Woods teaches players, as well as the key defensive concepts that are emphasized in each practice segment.
Woods also details concepts critical to success with the Rover Zone Defense, such as elbow zones, the high zones, the low-crease zones and how each zone position defender works in unison with the rover defender to form a cohesive unit that disrupts opposing offenses.
The three-time BIG EAST Coach-of-the-Year also provides valuable on-field sessions that illustrate how good communication is essential between adjacent zones to properly execute key defensive objectives such as: pinching ball-side, facilitating a handoff, closing-down open looks, and eliminating driving lanes, as well as which passes you can afford to give up.
Topside-of-the-Zone Drill
On both the whiteboard and then out on the field, Coach Woods takes her defensive players through a terrific drill called the ‘Topside-of-the-Zone Drill.’ It’s during this segment of the video where viewers gain insight into the ‘playing-down philosophy’ that helps build up the grit and mindset required to be an effective defender. This progressive-numbers drill starts working the topside, plus rover and builds into a drill that eventually includes the entire defensive unit.
The ‘Topside-of-the-Zone Drill’ provides extremely valuable defensive information on key concepts to the Zone Rover Defense, including:
a) hand-off cutters,
b) correct position within each zone area,
c) how a defender can assume an off-ball position that increases line-of-sight, and,
d) how defenders can learn to prioritize the biggest offensive threat.
One of the parts of this video that makes it extra valuable as an educational tool for coaches is you'll also get to observe Woods making adjustments and correcting mistakes as this drill progresses on the field.
This video provides viewers with a complete template for implementing Woods’ ‘Rover Zone Defense’ – but perhaps even more importantly, her teaching approach provides a great framework for coaches to implement their own twists and defensive ideas into this highly effective lacrosse zone defense.
98 Minutes, 2022.
LXD-05999C:
with Katie Woods,
3x BIG EAST Coach of the Year Award (2013, 2015 & 2021);
Winningest lacrosse coach in school history with more than 100 wins at the school;
Coached 16 All-BIG EAST First-Team Selection Players;
Coached 7 BIG EAST Players of the Year;
Coached 6 IWLCA Division I All-American Players;
Coached 11 IWLCA All-Region First-Team Selection Players;
American University Head Coach from 2007 to 2011;
2008 Patriot League Coach of the Year
For lacrosse coaches looking to build a better team of more-skilled players, there’s no better place to start than by adding new, high-level drills into your practice regimen.
In this video, Katie Woods walks viewers through one of her detailed and productive, yet highly efficiently run practices, with terrific coaching information shown on a whiteboard, as well as out on the field. Lacrosse coaches will be fascinated as this practice progresses from stick work and drills, into a highly competitive, intense closing period.
Pre-Practice Warm-Ups & Critical Skill-Building
From bringing her team together to review that day’s practice, to the clever way that Woods structures her drills, her consistent approach to fostering an environment that stresses competition and teamwork, while demanding focus and effort, viewers of this video bear witness to how a top lacrosse coach plans and executes the daily duties required to run a highly successful program.
Woods unlock the secrets to a productive, powerful pre-practice routine – with enhancement tips on building team energy, a sense of competition and connection among your players, as well as a package of terrific pre-practice drills such as the stick-work warm-up drill and the 8-line center-circle passing drill.
The coach also covers critical skill development drills such as, passing drills to work on slingshot, sidearm and switching-arms passing skills, as well as a ball-rotation drill and a stick-work-while-under-pressure drill.
Save Drills … and ‘The Best Drill Ever’
After that highly productive start to practice, Woods ups the intensity and tempo of the work that needs to be done by walking viewers through a series of excellent save drills. These drills progress from simple mind-and-body stick work that’s essential for being a winning lacrosse team, into a set of more-complex stick work exercises and drills – all while encouraging effective communication and efficient ball movement.
Woods then unveils ‘The Best Drill Ever’ which is a great transition drill to use early on in a practice, and pits offense versus defense in a quick, attacking set-up which forces the defense to get organized quickly.
‘The Best Drill Ever’ is a fast-paced competitive pass-catch-transition drill – founded on Woods’ coaching philosophy of discouraging a fear of mistakes and celebrating risks. In this drill, the offense and defense compete to get the ball up-field with the objective to have numbers-up on the transition back. It forces players to a) communicate and ‘name’ their pass, b) get to missed passes quickly, c) always be on the attack, getting to the cage quickly, and, d) when on defense, be sure to get organized quickly.
Viewers will then watch Woods progress through some effective add-in drills, which help work on awareness, communication, and figuring out how to adjust to different numerical advantages. The coach concludes practice with a highly competitive 7-vs-7 Drill that does a great job of pulling together and reinforcing all of the skills work previously covered earlier in the practice.
Throughout this practice, Woods stresses teamwork and viewers will watch her team gather after each drill to discuss key coaching points.
Woods provides viewers with a practice framework that works the basics in challenging ways under competitive scenarios. Focus, awareness, communication, anticipation and reading the play, connection, and urgency – this video showcases how Woods incorporates these concepts into her practices, so that you can bring them into yours, as well.
89 Minutes. 2022.