Lacrosse Goalie Practice Plan for 11 and 12 Year Olds

Feeds that move the world, saves nobody claps for, bounce shots read off the dirt, and ten seconds of quarterback every possession.

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Arc walks with centering checks, pipe-to-pipe travels with arrival stances, quadrant step-saves (eight), and one minute of ball-position radio while you orbit. The pillars stand; today builds on them.

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The feed drill: you (or a second family member) snap passes across the imaginary defense (calling "SKIP!"), relocating the shot angle from one arc side to the other; the kid travels pipe-ward FAST, arrives set, and saves the quick soft shot that follows within a beat. Eight sequences. Feeds beat goalies who arrive late OR unset; the drill's two grades (speed, then stance) attack both.

Lacrosse's unique geometry: you walk the ball BEHIND the cage line (X, in the sport's language); the kid mirrors on the arc's back edges, never turning fully around (head swiveling, stance forward), and explodes to the correct pipe when you drive out to either side, set for the wraparound shot. Eight reps alternating sides. X play punishes goalies who guess; the mirror-and-explode is the trained answer.

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The saves that decide games and make no highlight reels: OFF-HIP (the awkward stick-side-low-behind ball: save with the stick head driven down-and-across, hips rotating open) and FIVE-HOLE (the between-the-legs lane: knees driving together with the stick head dropping to the gap). Eight of each at soft-but-honest pace, called then uncalled. Naming the awkward saves and drilling them specifically is what "technically sound" actually means.

The turf-lie problem: you shoot soft BOUNCERS (balls thrown to hit the ground a few feet in front); the kid reads the bounce point early ("short!" or "at me!"), steps to smother the hop with stick head down and body behind (chest as the backup wall, chin tucked). Twelve reps at varied bounce depths. Bounce shots score on flinchers and freeze-ups; read-and-attack is the cure, installed soft.

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The clear as a sequence: soft-shot save, immediate eyes-up scan, and the outlet decision to called targets: "BREAK!" (the long overhand launch to a far target), "SIDELINE!" (the safe crisp pass to a near one), or "WALK!" (fake, tuck, and carry out on your "nothing's open" call). Eight sequences, real ball for the passing half. Ten seconds of quarterback, every possession; the scan-then-choice is the job.

The voice, graduated: full sequences (arc travel, feed response, save) with the kid broadcasting BOTH channels: ball position constantly, plus defensive instructions at the right moments ("slide's left! Who's two? CHECK!" on your feed mimic). Two rounds of ninety seconds. The double-channel voice is what coaches mean by "a goalie who runs the defense," and it is drillable exactly like this.

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What to watch today: the arrival stance decaying under speed. Feeds and X play demand fast travel, and fast travel eats stances: watch for saves attempted mid-stride or leaning. The standard from age nine never changes: arrive, THEN save. When the kid starts self-calling "set!" on arrival without prompting, the position's spine is finished; everything after is polish and courage, both of which this program feeds weekly.