Crease Slide vs. Adjacent Slide in Lacrosse: A Detailed Guide to Defensive Strategy
In lacrosse, the crease slide and adjacent slide are two key defensive strategies. A crease slide involves a defender near the crease sliding out to help stop an attacker, ideal for protecting the middle of the field and preventing close-range shots. In contrast, an adjacent slide provides quicker help from the closest defender, best for defending perimeter dodges and well-spaced offenses. Both have their advantages and are used in different scenarios, depending on the offensive setup and defensive needs. Understanding when and how to use each can greatly improve a team’s defensive effectiveness.
The drill that turned into a game time strategy
This was a man up / man down drill that incorporated fast breaks that became an effective game strategy
Clearing 101 for new coaches
If you are a new to Lacrosse this may help you understand clears a little better.
Rotating Box - Man Down Defense
How many of you use the rotating box to pressure the ball when you are man down on defense? Or maybe just to throw a different look at the offense?
Attack over clear
How can you utilize your superstar to clear the ball without burning him out during the game?
Running a Zone Defense
Let's go over some basic aspects of a zone and different ways to run it.
4 man low clear
The 4 Man Low Clear is particularly useful at the youth level as it gives an easy outlet to the ball carrier and eliminates the need for a long pass.
Clearing 101
If you are a new to Lacrosse this may help you understand clears a little better.
Scouting Offenses
Depending on the level of play scouting an opposing team can be as little as seeing warm ups and talking to peers or as much as watching hours of game film. Either way it is good to know some basic things about your opponent before stepping on the field.
Pros & Cons of Pressure Defense
Many teams, especially less experienced or skilled teams, can not handle pressure. When I coached games where both teams are less skilled I found a lot of success in forcing the offense to make quick decisions. Typically I found that they would go to the goal and run into the defensive help. Obviously putting pressure can work in other situations as well.
Double pole the inbound
This is a daring defensive move that can catch teams off guard. You may also want to practice it because with under two minutes left if you need the ball this is a tactic you will need to try.
Lacrosse 101 - Clears
After the defense makes a stop and regains possession of the ball it is time to run the clear. Let's go over the basics of clearing
Lock 2 Defense
The idea of a Lock 2 Defense is simple: your two short sticks shut off and the long sticks play defense. This works fantastically against teams that are not well balanced on offense -- short sticks shut off the best two offensive players to let the long poles play!
60 defense
I would use this if the other team has strong crease play, if they do not use a crease man such as in a circle offense I would not use it.
3 1 3 settled clear
This is a great clear to utilize a talented midfielder who can leg it up the field.
5 Characteristics We Want from Our Starting Goalie
Here is the solution to create a complete goaltender. Divide the position in to five specific segments, each to be focused on daily and throughout the season. The order and frequency is based on how many practices you have, and how much time you can allocate.
Adjacent Slide on Defense
When using an Adjacent Slide defense the goal is to lock off the crease, denying the ball to the man in front of the goal.
Zone defense basics in Lacrosse
Zone Defense is often effective in stopping penetration and 1v1 moves because as a ball carrier dodges he makes his way into more zones and encounters more defenders. Let’s go over this in more detail…
4 man rotation with a shut off
This strategy is worth exploring because it disrupts a team’s offensive rhythm by neutralizing their primary playmaker, forcing less experienced players into decision-making roles. By combining a disciplined shutoff with a compact four-man box rotation, it limits high-quality chances while maintaining defensive structure, making it an effective counter against teams that rely heavily on one key player.
Coma Slide
A Coma Slide is a great technique when the player is driving from X and you do not want to slide from the crease