with Seth Tierney, Hofstra University Head Coach;
Team USA Assistant Coach; 2018 Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) Men's World Championship (Gold medal); 4x Colonial Athletic Association Regular Season Champions; four consecutive NCAA Championship berths from 2008 thru 2011;
As most coaches know, if you don't come to practice with a plan for a theme (offensive play, defensive movement, stick work, ground balls, etc.) your practice is doomed to fail and both you and the players will be frustrated. Additionally, the energy and tone your team starts practice with is going to carry on throughout the rest of the practice.
Step onto the field with Hofstra's Seth Tierney as he leads his squad through two practice sessions that cover a variety of practice aspects: stick work, skill work, small sided games/situations, man up vs man down situations, small sided games, half field drills, and more!
Coach Tierney's teaching method lays out each drill on the white board before taking you to the field, allowing you plenty of time to comprehend each drill so you can immediately use them within your team's practice plans.
Practice One
You'll get 15 high-paced, challenging drills to get your team ready for the season. The first type of drills he demonstrates focus on individual or small group skills. The second type put together those smaller drills into game-like situations.
Coach Tierney transitions from small group drills focused on attack/midfielders and defensive players to small group situation play. All of this supports his coaching philosophy of fast paced practices, efficient use of time, and what he terms "Turnpike" mentality.
Drills include:
- The Star Drill - A great drill to start with because it sets the tone for players, makes them stay focused and engaged, and emphasizes the most basic aspects of the game. Athletes will work on accurate passing, catching anything thrown their way, and handling their stick in traffic.
- The Transition Drill - Helps break down scenarios on the field and encourages players to expose the 2v1 man up situations on the offensive end of the field. Athletes must work together to get into spaces where their teammate can find them. It also pushes the defense out of their comfort zone.
- 3242 Drill - Reinforces Coach Tierney's philosophy of fast paced quick transitions with a competitive edge. This drill has a quick transition from a 3v2 defensive advantage to a 4v3 man down situation and addresses offensive players learning to play a man down while defensive players get a chance to score.
- Pressure Cooker - This drills breaks the team into defensive and offensive players. The concepts force either the defense or offense to move the ball with a man advantage around the cage, trying to keep it away from the other side for one minute without a turnover.
Practice Two
This practice is a continuation of the first practice and includes more game play, followed by skills work.
You'll see why having good stick skills and empathizing them at the beginning of practice translates to better half/full field play at the end of practice. Each drill can be tailored to fit the skill level of your players. Drills include:
- The Perimeter/Approach Drill - Allows your defense to work on their positioning without having to think about protecting the goal as well. This drill emphasizes the need to communicate effectively amongst all players.
- The Full Field Face Off Drill - Players need to know how to translate the small-sided/half field drills to a full field. This drill helps them prepare for a game by starting with a face off and then attacking and defending.
This extensive look at the practices of four-time NCAA champion head coach Seth Tierney will give you some great ideas to improve the effectiveness of your team's own sessions!
148 minutes. 2018.