Conditioning is an important component of lacrosse, one of the most physically taxing team sports in which you can participate. Weight training will help you build strength, needed for the explosive power required for moves including throwing and dodging. Use dynamic training drills to help build endurance, skill and muscle memory along with speed, agility and flexibility.
Drills Sans the Ball
Perform dynamic conditioning drills without a ball. These include sprints from one end of the field to the other and down-and-back runs. To perform a down-and-back, join a group of players starting at one end of the field. Run to the first line and back. Then run to the far line and back. Finally run to the midfield and back. Also utilize variety runs. For example, run halfway down the field forward then turn backward and continue to the other end of the field. Then run in a zigzag pattern through cones back to the first end of the field. Finally run to the other end again.
Competitive Games
Use competitive games for dynamic lacrosse training drills. Play each game for three to four minutes, recommends James Hinkson, lead author for "Lacrosse for Dummies." For example, team up with a partner and pass the ball back and forth as you run the length of the field. Call your partner's name each time you pass. Take two steps maximum before passing. Compete against another pair for speed and accuracy.
Build Muscle Memory
Beef up your defense with dynamic training activities. For example, use a side footwork drill to help you stay with an opponent on the field. Start in a ready stance. On a whistle, side shuffle 5 yards to the left. On the next whistle, go 5 yards to the right. Then have a partner point to the direction you'll go. Keep your stick up as you do this drill and concentrate on not getting your legs crossed. Such drills are important because they help build muscle memory, notes Bob Swope, author of "Youth Lacrosse."
Warming Up
Start any lacrosse training session with a 15- to 20-minute dynamic warmup. Warming up improves your performance and helps prevent injuries, notes Kathleen Yount of North Carolina's Duke University Health System. For example, place a resistance band around your ankles and perform the grapevine. Also perform a dynamic flexibility exercise such as lunges. Follow that with a coordination exercise like a backward run. Cap off your warmup with a plyometric exercise such as line jumps or hops in which you jump or hop forward and backward over a line on the field in a controlled manner.
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