former Northwestern University Associate Head Women's Lacrosse Coach
A three-time national champion as a player and coach, Ann Elliott was Northwestern's first-ever associate head women's lacrosse coach. In 2013, she started a program at the University of Colorado.
Using a whiteboard presentation and live practice footage, Coach Elliott shares drills that emphasize her defensive philosophy while providing offensive techniques and tips.
Starting with offensive stick protection drills paired with defensive footwork and positioning drills, Coach Elliott moves players through a series of exercises that cover positioning on the rollback and an open field player changing directions; closing the gap in the open field and directing the flow of the play; and finishes with drills that build on game-like team drills.
Stick Protection/Defensive Positioning Drills
Coach Elliott explains how an offensive player needs to protect the stick from checks and how defensive players needs to direct the play of the offense while also leaving themselves in a position to create turnovers. Her drills focus on:
- Using footwork to take away space and force the offense to where you want them to go
- Keeping your stick in the triple threat position, choking up when necessary to maximize protection.
Lane Drills
Using a combination of drills, Coach Elliott creates a progressive approach to offensive stick protection, defensive stance and footwork to dictate the direction of the play. Coach Elliot's drills include:
- The "Lane Drill," which emphasizes defensive positioning and offensive stick protection.
- A variation of the lane drill, "Close the Gap Drill" that reduces the space the offense has available to operate and allows the defender to direct the attacker's movement.
Team Drill Progression
Coach Elliott continues the drills adding offensive and defensive players on the fly to build from a 2v2 to 5v5 in a game-like setting. While offensive players try to attack the goal, defensive players try to direct the flow of the play while setting themselves up for slides and double teams or opportunities to create turnovers.
Also included is a weight-room training session that focuses on footwork exercises to build quickness.
61 minutes. 2014.
LXD-04632B: with Ann Elliott, University of Colorado Head Women's Lacrosse Coach;
former Northwestern University Associate Head Women's Lacrosse Coach
Ann Elliott, a three-time NCAA champion as a player and a coach at Northwestern, shares some basic core drills that will challenge even the most skilled players. Coach Elliott's drills are done at game speed to reinforce the quick decision-making needed in pressure situations.
Stickwork Drills
The presentation begins with a discussion of Coach Elliott's stick work philosophy and the need to be a triple threat at all times on offense. Coach Elliott shares seven primary drills that progress from stationary to moving positions to create soft hands and develop the off-hand. She begins with a series of short passing and catching drills using strong hand and weak hand. Also included in the segment are one-handed drills. Coach Elliott then demonstrates a series of 30- to 50-yard passes that can be used to develop confidence and precision. She increases the speed of the drills to create game speed conditions, placing players in a sprint, shuffle, back pedal and rolling evolutions. Coach Elliott then challenges players using a quick stick with a dodge roll to keep them focused on their stick positions.
Coach Elliott adds defensive players into the drills, forcing offensive players to focus on their stick position and to recognize defensive slides and double teams. This trains athletes to take advantage of moving the ball to the open player while being confined in a tight space. A ground ball element is built into the drill to work on fielding ground balls under pressure.
Coach Elliott gives a whiteboard discussion of drills before moving to the field for a live action demonstration. Incorporate these drills and make your players an offensive threat.
Shooting Drills
Starting with the basics, Coach Elliott shares her philosophy on how players need to hold their sticks to maximize power and maintain a triple threat position with the stick. Her drills emphasize footwork and proper hand position . Coach Elliott demonstrates a series of drills - from stationary to shots on the move - that focus on increasing body position and power. The "Cross Arc Shooting Drill" forces the shooter's hips to rotate to goal and adds in a rollback when the shooting angle becomes too small.
Using a combination of drills, Coach Elliott progresses to more complex shooting drills, with and without defensive pressure, to challenge both the offensive and defensive players. This allows players the defensive slides and double teams to take advantage of them for increased scoring opportunities.
83 minutes. 2014.
LXD-04632C: with Ann Elliott, University of Colorado Head Women's Lacrosse Coach;
former Northwestern University Associate Head Women's Lacrosse Coach
As an assistant coach at Northwestern University, Ann Elliott built a top-ranked defense that helped lead her team to three national titles. In this presentation, Coach Elliot shows you how to train your defense to take away space and to force attackers to go where you want them to go!
Starting with 1v1 play and working up to 7v7, Coach Elliott shares a series of progressive drills for building a successful team defense.
The presentation is divided into five sections:
- 1v1 Drill: Forces the defender in right direction and teaches them to step up to take away the gap, minimizing the slide
- 2v2 Drill: Forces the defender to recognize the slide and the recover for another slide
- 3v3 Drill: Sliding and recovering. First slide works on being aggressive and the second slide (backside) works on seeing the middle
- 3v3 to 4v3 Drill: Creates game-like chaos to work on communication and mental focus and force the defenders to react in a man-down situation
- 7v7 Drill: Demonstrates how off-ball defenders need to be plugged-in so they can help the defense be successful and anticipate how to stop the offense from getting to the scoring area
Coach Elliott breaks down the drills on the whiteboard, showing the details you need to set-up and run the drill effectively. The action moves to the field where she runs her players through the drills, making corrections and giving coaching tips throughout the live practice.
These competitive practice drills not only build defensive principles, they also help attackers with passing and dodging skills. Take your defense to the championship level with the drills and coaching tips included in this dynamic presentation!
67 minutes. 2014.