Basic Skills for Learning to Play Lacrosse Session 3: Cradle

Duration: 90 minutes
Objective: Learn and improve the cradle technique, ensuring ball possession and protection while on the move.

1. Introduction (10 min)
Explanation of the basic concepts of cradling and its purpose in the game.

Key points: stick grip, wrist movement, and ball protection.
Cradling a lacrosse ball for beginners

2. Activity Development

• Goal: Develop ball control with the stick.

• Static Cradle (10 min)
  Drill: Players practice cradling while standing still. Ensure that players are performing good technical movement before moving on to cradling while moving.

• Cradle in Motion (25 min)
  Goal: Practice cradle control while moving.

  Drill: Players advance in a straight line while performing the cradle, focusing on ball protection. Once players begin to master stick movement while running, you can continue with more dynamic learning. Here are two excellent examples of drills to improve the cradle technique.
  5, 3 man passing drill
  Figure-8 Relay: Beginner Drill Focused on Ground Balls & Cradling
  Drill: Figure-8 relay focused on ground balls and cradling.

• Cradle under Pressure (35 min)
  Goal: Improve the ability to protect the ball when faced with close defense.

  Drill: In pairs, one player cradles the ball while the other applies light pressure to attempt a steal (without strong contact). Drill: Sharks and Minnows
  "Mouse and Cat" Lacrosse Drill for Boys
  Finish with a dynamic activity that tests the skills covered in this session (ground balls, passing, and cradling). My recommendation: Steal the Bacon, Boys lacrosse game

3. Closure (10 min)
Progress evaluation and discussion on how cradling helps protect ball possession in game situations.

• The importance of cradling lies in its role in ball protection. Players need to master this technique to maintain possession under pressure and to carry the ball across different parts of the field without risking a turnover. Effective cradling helps avoid steals and allows players to advance or position themselves for passing or shooting. It also helps create offensive opportunities by enabling players to move quickly while protecting the ball, which is key to success in the game.