At this age, catching and throwing is a very hard task to accomplish. Focus on the fundamentals you can control. Spend time on stick work drills but make it a point to have the boys work on wall ball outside of practice. Have wall ball tests to make sure the boys can accomplish certain things in a certain amount of time. This should be done at all ages.
Emphasize ground balls, cradling technique, and dodging. On defense understand the principles of how to guard someone; giving ground and approaches. Team defense will be hard to teach.
Ground Ball Technique:
Both Butts Low
Importance of Quick Cradle on Ground Ball
Head and body down, bring it to your ear, make a phone call
Cradling:
Proper technique
functional to getting the ball out of your stick faster - vertical by your ear
Catching and Throwing:
Importance of proper fundamental throwing - compare to baseball pitcher, opposite foot forward, hands away from your body, put keys in pocket
Overemphasize rotating when throwing! Turn your torso
Soft hands! No death grip. All fingers!
Quick Stick right and left - (start early with both hands!!!!!)
10 yard throws - Both hands
Canadian left and right
Over the shoulder
Catching:
Very soft hands, top hand never on plastic, catch with fingertips. Pressure should be light enough to knock stick back to passing position
Rolling away from Pressure:
Importance of moving away from pressure and punching hands out away from defender
Dodging:
Importance of dodging full speed on all dodges
First step at defender
Changing speed and direction
Dodge 5-10ft away depending on person guarding you to create space
Dodges to master (Importance of footwork in dodging:
Bull dodge - Compare to an in and out dribble in basketball - player explodes off of opposite foot to explode back to their stick side
Split Dodge - Compare to crossover in basketball - player explodes off of same foot the stick is in to change direction - hands are changed late to make sure player shields stick with body
Defense:
Giving ground
proper approaches - banana approach
poke check
“pop” and what the importance is
Controlling offensive player - you control where he goes
Help defense - knowing how to clog up lanes of other dodgers, “showing”
zone help
Offense
Clearing through - When someone is dodging, know to get out of the way if you’re adjacent
Coming to the ball!!! Easiest pass is two players running toward each other, no flat feet!!!! CANNOT STRESS THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS
