Hey Aiden —
Here's the picture of what you're building this season.
You can dodge your man and beat him with your speed better than almost anyone your age. That's real, and it's the hardest thing in lacrosse to build — you already have it. So let's be clear about what this season is actually about: it's not your athleticism or your dodge. Those are good. It's about becoming a complete threat — one a defense can't take away with a single adjustment — through your off-hand, your shooting, and moving without the ball.
- Your dodge is genuinely dynamic. You can beat your man off the dribble, and that ability to create is the thing you can't teach. You've got it.
- Your speed separates you in the open field. When you get a step, you're gone.
- You compete and you want the ball. You'll do the boring wall-ball reps, which is why your off-hand is coming along.
- Your left hand is getting real, and you can already feel it — defenders can't just force you right anymore.
One thing to focus on this week
Commit to your off-hand, even when it feels awkward. Right now defenders overplay your right because they know you'll never go left — and that takes away half the field before you even dodge. The second your left hand is a real threat, they can't do that anymore, and the whole field opens up. Do the off-hand wall ball, take the left-handed dodge in games even when it's not the comfortable play. Ugly reps now are what make it automatic later. A player with two hands is twice as hard to guard.
The wall ball, the off-hand reps, shooting for corners instead of ripping it — none of it is glamorous, and the off-hand is going to look ugly for a while. It doesn't feel like it's adding up. It is. The midfielder who's un-guardable next season is the one who did the boring two-hand work this year. You already have the dodge and the speed. This season is about the pieces that make you complete. Keep going.
