Midfielders, sometimes called middies, play a pivotal role in lacrosse. They must be adept enough on offense to spark the attack with aggressive runs and precision passing, while always remaining vigilant defensively. Midfielders need to be athletic, skilled and intelligent to succeed. Practicing a few middie drills can help perfect your midfield game.
Cutting
Middies need to be aggressive in cutting to the net, not only to create scoring chances but also to get the offense into an effective rotation. For this drill, position two lines of midfielders at the top of the box and a line of attacking forwards behind the net. On the whistle, the attacker picks up the ball, dodges and cuts either left or right of the net. As soon as the attacker picks a side, the first middie in line should bust into the box and accept a pass about 10 to 15 feet above the crease. The middie must then wire a quick shot into the goal, ideally placing the ball inside the opposite post from where the pass originated.
Wall Ball
Midfielders should make wall ball a fixture of their practice routines. In wall ball, you simply want to shoot the ball off a wall as many times as possible without letting it touch the ground. Vary your shots so you have to move around and change stick positions to catch the rebounds. And keep a fast pace, firing one shot after another as quickly as you can. Wall ball helps middies develop quick sticks and lightning reflexes.
Square Shooting Drill
This team drill will improve a middie's shooting and movement away from the ball. Position two middies at the top of the box and two attackers down low alongside the net to form a square. On the whistle, the top left middie starts the ball around the outside of the square, from top to bottom. As soon as he makes that initial pass, the first middie cuts into the middle to set a pick for the second middie, who rolls off the pick and accepts a pass from the second attacker before ripping a shot on net. Run the drill until every middie executes it with precision.
Dodge
To get around defenders, middies need to dodge, or make quick fakes one way and then dart in the opposite direction. Dodges open space for quick shots. Coaches can set cones on the field to act as dummy defenders. The middies have to run at the cones, execute a dodge in the direction the coach indicates and then fire a shot on goal.
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