Brooke McKenzie has developed a rigorous practice routine that will answer the question lacrosse coaches have been asking for years: "How do I get my players to catch and throw correctly?"

Coach McKenzie breaks down, explains and demonstrates numerous stick handling drills so that any player can execute the practice techniques. The program is broken into two segments: individual wall ball and group or partner passing drills.

Wall Ball
Wall ball is the single most important practice tool for a lacrosse player. Wall ball allows an individual player to practice their fundamental catching, passing, shooting, faking and dodging techniques, on their own, at their own pace. All the great lacrosse players have honed their skills on the wall, and Coach McKenzie provides a dynamic workout that can be adapted to players of all skill levels.

Coach McKenzie takes you through a complete Wall Ball program, starting with basic catching and throwing and advancing into more difficult and challenging moves, including the game-like Shoulder-to-Wall Progression. She clearly explains and demonstrates each part of the program, giving both coaches and athletes helpful insights along the way.

Partner Passing Progressions
Phase One of the Partner Routine -- expertly demonstrated by the Stanford Women's Lacrosse Team -- can be used by two players on their own or used by a team as a daily stick skill warm-up. McKenzie incorporates multiple single-handed passing exercises to build forearm and wrist strength, as well as Around the World and Behind the Back passes to build core strength.

Phase Two of the Partner Routine progresses to more game-like passing and catching sets, such as One-Handed Grabs and Throws, which mimic draw controls and build arm strength. She then moves on to incorporate the Shoulder-to-Wall exercises demonstrated in the Wall Ball routine into a Shoulder-to-Partner routine, which stresses the development of skills needed in game situations.

The partner progression drills complement the wall ball routine and introduce elements of increased difficulty that will make your team more comfortable working with the ball and prepare players for real game situations.

Both coaches and athletes will benefit greatly from studying this DVD. Coach McKenzie has given us programs that can be used as an individual or team setting that will greatly improve passing, catching, stick skills, and ball handling!

41 minutes. 2012.

John Danowski lays out his strategies and approaches for teaching stick work. He starts in the classroom detailing practice strategies for stick work. Danowski believes it makes more sense to use drills that mimic game situations than traditional line drills. All of his stick work drills simulate some game situations.

At Duke, Coach Danowski breaks the drills into two areas:

• Non-contact skeleton drills which emphasize fundamentals.
• Live contact drills which allow the players to see the consequences of their actions.

Danowski believes that every player should have a high lacrosse IQ, therefore all positions (including the goalie) are involved in every drill; offensive and defensive. This helps each player understand exactly what is going on out on the field no matter their position.

Moving to the practice field, watch and listen as Coach Danowski explains each drill used to develop his players' stick work. He begins with individual skeleton drills - passing (2-on-0, 3-on-0) on the run, offensive passing, defensive breakouts, fast-break shooting, cutting, and full field breakouts. These non-contact drills mimic game situations while allowing players to perfect their stick skill mechanics.

Coach Danowski then moves into group drills, putting the individual drills together - breakouts, 3-on-2 scrapping, 4-on-3, full field transitions, 3-on-2 scrapping with a trailer, and half-field team offense.

Finally, Coach Danowski shares live full field team drills, putting all of the individual and group techniques to work. You will see how the individual drills are put into action in live game situations.

Developing stick skills takes time, but using game situation drills such as these will help your players improve as individuals as well as a team. Take advantage of these time-tested drills and implement into your program to enhance your players' stick work.

54 minutes. 2011.

Coach Gait show coaches and their young players how to take the next step in becoming a successful lacrosse player. He picks up where Coaching Girls Lacrosse - Basic Skills & Drills left off, exploring the next level of skills coaches can teach their players. Effective passing starts with stick protection, which involves positioning yourself between the stick and the defender. Cradle the ball to protect it whether preparing to pass or shoot. Passing skills include throwing across the body, away from the body and straight toward your target. Side-arm technique is also covered. Once passing to different directions is mastered, players can move on to faking one direction and passing another. Practice passing at a greater distance to add power and speed to your skills. Once players have learned how to control the stick with two hands, they can start to develop the ability to use just one hand. Finally, the players can use their newly developed skills against a defender in live situations. Gait also shows trick passes, catches and shots that can be used to throw off defenders. He finishes by showing how to incorporate advanced dodging skills in your game.

50 minutes. 2007.

In this one-of-a-kind DVD, lacrosse legend Gary Gait demonstrates the skills that has earned him the distinction of being called the "greatest lacrosse player of all time". Starting with the lacrosse stick, Gait carefully details the stick and the pocket. The basic cradle is dictated by the roll of your wrist and hand. Both the one- and two-hand cradle are demonstrated. Techniques for catching and protecting the ball are highlighted, as well as several different stick flips. Gait teaches throwing in two distinct parts; first, he concentrates on the hands and the arms away from the body. Learning to isolate the hands and arms develops control and the ability to throw in any direction, regardless of body position. When the body becomes involved, powerful shots and pinpoint passes can be made. Stick tricks include the 'behind the back' pass and the 'around the world' or 'reverse behind the back' pass. The 'handle slam' is another tricky maneuver demonstrated. Gait closes with the art of dodging. The bull, face and roll dodge are necessary dodging skills for all players and is completely broken down by Gait.

52 minutes. 2007.

Tony Seaman has won over 200 collegiate lacrosse games and coached his teams to the D-I NCAA Tournament 16 times. In this DVD, Seaman shows you the essential, fundamental stick handling drills he uses in practice each day. Before you can move on to the more advanced drills and situations of lacrosse, you need great stick skills. Using live demonstrators, Seaman showcases drills to improve your team's passing, catching, shooting, and defending. Tony shows you how to set up each drill, how to properly execute the drills, and discusses the objectives and benefits of each. It is no mistake that Tony Seaman has been a master at rebuilding programs and turning teams around. When solid fundamentals are a key focal point in your program, you are bound to be consistently successful!

60 minutes. 2005.