How to Play On-Ball Defense in Women’s Lacrosse
As an on ball defender it's your job to take away one thing from the attacker. I have my attack player and my on-ball defender down low. As the on-ball defender you want to meet your attack player between the eight meter and the 12 meter. As you approach your TAC you want to take bigger steps and as you get closer start breaking them down into smaller steps. Once she gets there, she's gonna initiate the contact with locked arms. My on-ball defender is forcing the attack player into the left lane because she's a right-handed player. As the attacker starts to move you want to continue to take away that right lane. As a non ball defender you want to approach your attacker in a safe controlled manner and dictated the direction you want them to go.
How to Play Off-Ball Defense in Women’s Lacrosse
The most important thing an awful a defender can do is to communicate with their teammates. You want to let them know where they are in relation to the ball, you can say things like help left; help right, force or right force your laps. Another thing you want to teach is a B position. When you're in the B position your arms are in a B much like this player. You’re gonna point to the ball and you're also going to point to the girl you're guarding. Anytime the ball shifts whether it's run or a pass. you want to make sure you're adjusting your body as well and maintain that B position. You never want to have your back to the ball and always pointing to both the ball and the girl you're guarding. It’s easier for players especially at a young age to get distracted when they're running off ball defense. Which is why it's so important to teach that B position. It gives them something to focus on and to make sure they're always constantly moving and adjusting their bodies as the ball moves.
Double Teaming on Defense in Women’s Lacrosse
Double-team an effective way to get the ball back, especially if your teams down by just a goal or two with a few minutes left. The defender closest to me is one stec. The defender over here is on body. the focus is to play good body position. So you want your knees bent your back up straight and your arms locked. The rules will change as the attacker moves with the ball. The best time to look for a check and a double-team is when the attacker tries to roll out. And the check will be there. Once you're in a double-team you want to stay in a double-team, until the attack either passes the ball or you get the ball back
