Limestone Lacrosse “IKE” Lacrosse Drill

Awesome GB to 4V3 Drill w Trailer, Add One Feature and a Twist…

In the recent podcast with Coach JB Clarke from Limestone he shared a number of new drills, and comments on other Clearing Drills from Limestone I have posted but this one particular lacrosse drill I fell in love with…

OK, … Coach Clarke directed Limestone to National DII Championships in 2014, 2015, and 2017, he is President of the IMLCA, former Coach of the Year, coached at teams in the Final Four at the DI, DII, and DIII levels, is a great friend of the site and has an awesome sense of humor.

If you like lacrosse drills that are fast, you will love it, if you like transition drills, you will love it, and if like me you love drills that “multi-task,” this is one for you. They call this one “Ike” after President Eisenhower.

We begin with three Attack and three Close defenders at each end with Goalies. At each “offensive” corner of the Substitution Box [private]we have a line of “Blue” Middies and at the other offensive corner of the Substitution Box we have a line of “White” Middies. Extra attackmen and even extra poles are also usually included in these two lines of “Middies.”

The drill begins with one “White” and one “Blue” player entering the field towards Midfield. As they enter the drill Coach is on the field and rolls out a ground ball. (Now we have a 1V1 GB Drill.) Coach usually rolls the GB so that one player may have a slight advantage. For example if the “Blue” player gains possession he immediately breaks to the “Blue” offensive zone as the “White” player is a trailer in a fast 4V3 look, with a trailer.

We play to a quick shot or turnover, and now it gets interesting… if the ball went out of bounds we have a quick re-start, we now have a quick Clearing Lacrosse Drill, as the Goalie or a Defender makes the “first” completed pass. In the “Clear,” (assume now “White” is clearing) one player from the line of “White” Middies quickly enters the drill from the offensive end of the Substitution Box, as the ball moves in transition down to the “White” offensive zone. So now in essence we are in a 5V4 coming back the other way. And if you like have a “Blue “ player enter the drill from his side, the far side of the Substitution Box to give us a trailer.

So it is a 5V4 coming back with a trailer, thus a 5V4 with a trailer out of a 5V5 transition look coming back. And we play to a quick shot or turnover, or out of bounds quick re-start.

At his point we can begin the drill again, with a 1V1 GB, or we can continue to “Add One,” (then a trailer) up to 6V6.

I love this lacrosse drill as it is really game realistic with a free player out of the Box everytime. I also love it as each scenario might be a little different — players need to quickly recognize the situation and react. I love it because the players quickly learn that each transition moment might only be “one to four seconds,” in the words of Coach JB Clarke.

Variation II

I mentioned Coach has a sense of humor. This variation they call “Reagan.” It is the exact same drill, however instead of a 1V1 BG to begin, two “White” and two “Blue” players inter and it is a 2V2 GB, again perhaps initiated be a slight advantage one way or the other depending on where Coach rolls the Ground Ball.

For example if we had an attackman in a Middie Line, he might roll the GB towards the other color, thus putting the Attackman now Middie in a transition defense situation and we play…

If you have a smaller roster, you might just have two Attack /Poles at one end,

Is curiosity killing you? The names of the drills stem from one of his former assistants who had 28 years in USN and from his favorite ship… I can’t make this stuff up…

OK, Coach explains all this in his own words, in the five minute Preview, for all Free members, just click here,

To see more drills from Coach JB Clarke, just enter “Limestone” in the search box on my Home Page,

Anxious to see your comments below!
Mike@laxcoachmike.com

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