Lacrosse Footwork & Agility Practice Plan for 9 and 10 Year Olds
At 9 and 10, lacrosse movement gets its mechanics: acceleration (the low punchy first five steps that decide every ground ball race), the SPLIT DODGE's formal foundation (the playground lie now with a plant and an exit), defensive shuffles (the sport plays both ways), and speed WITH the stick carried naturally.
This session runs about 45 minutes with chalk, markers, and the stick aboard for half of it. Rest discipline rules the sprint work, quiet landings rule the hops, and the split dodge gets built at walking speed first, because the plant-and-go pattern learned correctly at 9 becomes the dodge that beats defenders for the next decade.
This plan was written for every 9 and 10 year old. ParentEdge writes one for yours.
Built around their game, their goals, and what they’re working on.
What makes the split dodge work?
Commitment and the exit: a genuine lean into the plant (the lie the defender must honor) followed by a burst the other way with the stick crossing to the protected side. Built at walking pace with theater, it scales to full speed intact. Shy versions practiced fast just rehearse fooling no one.
Why rehearse ground-ball races as sprint work?
Because they ARE the sport's sprint: five desperate steps with a lowering finish, repeated dozens of times a game. Training the exact shape (low start, stick descending, through-the-ball arrival) converts generic speed into possession, which is the currency youth lacrosse trades in.
How much defensive footwork does a young attacker need?
All of it: youth players play both ends, defensive shuffles build the same hips every dodge reads, and the mirror rounds train the exact staying-in-front instinct that makes future ride-and-chase valuable. The sport's two professions share one set of legs.