[
YOUR EDGE] coaches Use It or Lose It
Man-up offense should be easy. Take advantage with these principles and plays.
When your opponent commits a
timeserving penalty, it should be an easy goal. Your team has more players on the fi eld. So why is it so hard for some teams to score with a player advantage? The biggest reason I have seen: Too
many teams let the ball do all the work. They pass ad-nauseum with hopes of a shot coming from it. But for an extra-man opportunity to be successful, the defense must be forced to change its basic shape. For example, how do
you make a zone defense move? Consider these three principles when designing your man-up plays.
1. Move your feet. Extra-man offenses must have players
moving off-ball to occupy defenders that are off-ball. Think about using cutters and picks to free up a shooter. Rotation or wheel plays that overload a side of the fi eld are also good for creating opportunities.
2. Draw and dump.
Have your player carry into a defender’s area, forcing him to play the ball. If you have taught the basics of a motion-type offense, one side will become overloaded with attacking players. The defense can’t cover them all.
3. Give and go. Immediately after passing the ball,
a player should cut hard to the goal. This initial cut toward the goal will pull a defender out of position and allow another player to fi ll into the empty space where he or she can get off a clean shot. In addition to these base concepts,
careful selection of personnel and their placement within the play is important. Do you have a great shooter, who
lacks dodging skills? Consider ways to get them a time-and-room shot. Is there a player that works really well
off-ball and can create space for inside shots? Perhaps he or she becomes a pick player on the inside with the option of becoming a shooter. How about a great feeder? He or she
can become your distributor on give-and- go type plays. Man-up offense is as much about using
your personnel properly as it is about exploiting the man-down defense’s lack of personnel. Take the time to evaluate your personnel and put them in the spots to be successful. Player evaluation means more than just putting your most talented athletes on the man-up team. It’s about fi nding the right combinations of players, putting them in the right positions and running the right plays.
— TJ Buchanan US Lacrosse coaching education content manager 58 LACROSSE MAGAZINE >> August 2013 A Publication of US Lacrosse
• This play starts in a basic 2-2-2 set, with the ball moving counter-clockwise around the perimeter.
• When the ball is passed from high to low, the passer cuts through and sets a pick on the defender responsible for the lone high player.
• The high player cuts to the ball — making sure to use the pick correctly — and receives a pass for a quick shot on goal.
• This play starts in a standard 1-4-1 set and morphs into a 1-3-2 set, resulting in two opportunities for a high-percentage shot.
• As the player at top center receives the pass, he sweeps hard to his right.
• One crease attackman rotates out, while the other sets a pick for the opposite attackman.
• The ball moves two passes backward and ends in a feed for either the cutting far-wing attackman or the player at X cutting from behind the goal.
2-2-2 Cutting EMO MAN-UP PLAYS
Using your smartphone, scan the QR Codes below to see two options for running an extra-man offense, courtesy of US Lacrosse.
1-4-1 to 1-3-2 EMO
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