Starting at X and Moving Above GLE
Starting a man-up offense with one player behind the goal (X) forces the defense to respect the feeding threat and maintain their initial setup. Once the play begins and everyone moves above GLE, it disrupts defensive rotations, creates better shooting angles, and increases the chances of an open look.
Side Diamond Wheel
A 4-man wheel on the side in man-up offense forces the defense to rotate, communicate, and cover multiple moving players, increasing the chances of a missed slide or an open shooter. The constant movement creates better passing angles, skip lanes, and shooting opportunities, making it harder for the defense to stay organized and react in time.
Pull and Reverse
A 2-2-2 man-up play uses precise ball movement and synchronized off-ball rotations to force defensive adjustments, creating gaps for cutters and wide-open shooters. The structure ensures constant offensive options, with built-in resets that maintain spacing and pressure on the defense.
Double Triangles High & Low
Running a man-up offense with a midfield triangle rotating together and an attack triangle rotating together forces the defense to constantly adjust, creating natural overloads, 2v1 situations, and open passing lanes. This structure maintains spacing, facilitates quick ball movement, and naturally generates picks and seals, making it easier to exploit defensive breakdowns for high-percentage scoring opportunities.
Cut Fill Look Backside
This Men’s Lacrosse Man Up play effectively forces the defense to rotate and adjust, creating gaps and confusion in their formation. By drawing attention to the cutter and crease movements, it opens up high-percentage scoring opportunities for the opposite wing.
Top Corner Wheel
This man-up set positions all six players above the goal line, creating constant scoring threats with coordinated rotations that challenge the defense to stay organized. The top-right rotation shifts defenders, allowing the offense to exploit the weak side, while stationary players maintain readiness to pass or shoot quickly.
Understanding the 6-Man Offensive Rotation (Wheel) in a 3-3 Man-Up Set
In men’s lacrosse, man-up situations are prime moments to exploit your extra player and create high-percentage scoring opportunities. A dynamic 3-3 offensive set with a 6-man rotation keeps the defense guessing and opens up lanes for easy shots. Dive into the strategy that could change your game.
Crease Overload Deception Man Up Play
This man-up lacrosse play starts in a 1-4-1 formation and transitions into a 4-2 to confuse the defense. After passing the ball to the player behind the goal (at ‘X’), the crease attackman moves below the Goal Line Extended (GLE), overloading one side of the field. This shift forces the defense into tough decisions, allowing wing attackmen to sneak into the soft spot on the crease for high-percentage scoring opportunities.
1-3-2 Bottom Triangle Carry
This is a very clean man up that many of us can run. Sometimes a simple rotation and change in direction of the ball is enough to throw a defense off. Video included
Carry & fill man up scheme out of a 3-3 set
The most common man up formation is the "3-3" where three middies play high and three attackmen play low. If you are a fan of the dodge and fill philosophy this carry and fill concept will work very well for your man up out of 3-3. It is a very simple scheme that can be executed at any level if practices regularly