Mastering Approaches

We are very excited to launch our new courses feature on FCL online. We truly believe this method of conveying lacrosse-related concepts will transform how players and coaches around the country and world are able to gain the knowledge and tools they need to fulfill their potential. Here are a few select thoughts from the full Mastering Approaches course on FCL Online.

Our first defensive course, Mastering Approaches, deconstructs the critical elements of an effective approach to the ball. Great defense starts with a great approach. If players can master this part of their game, they will be in a significantly better position to win match-ups and funnel players to positions where other teammates can slide and support. Most scoring opportunities stem from the offense working to attack and exploit poor approaches by defenders.

For example, Deemer is constantly preaching to O guys about using moves specifically intended to attack poor approaches:

Good Approaches are rated E for everyone

One of the greatest things about approaches and the teaching points in this course is that anybody can execute them. Having a great approach does not require a certain size, strength, or athleticism to execute. While these components will factor into winning matchups, anybody can have an excellent approach which will already thwart offensive strategy.

Think of an approach just like a close out in basketball. Shooters in basketball pump fake to get defenders to leave their feet so that they can dribble past them to the rim. Basketball teams constantly do close out drills to work on their defensive technique when approaching shooters to counter this. This is exactly what this course is meant to teach for lacrosse. It’s no secret why most collegiate defensive coaches consistently drill approaches and that many film review sessions harp on the approach.

Side note: I can’t even begin to tell you how many of our college film clips were labeled “[word I should not say on this blog] Approach”. Needless to say, you really hoped you weren’t on those clips. That being said, the constant critique of your approach form eventually led to you focusing on the details needed to execute it against the best players in the world. We put this course together to distill and consolidate the main portions of that feedback that I have learned over the years as both a coach and player. I feel confident that if players learn these concepts and can execute them, they will add value to their team defense and limit offensive scoring opportunities.

Our full Mastering Approaches course teaches defenders

1. Why approaches are so important
2. How to effectively breakdown (including stick position, body posture, and footwork)
3. How to time our approaches appropriately
4. How to angle our approaches to “dictate the dodge”

If defenders can understand these concepts and learn how to execute them in practices and games, they will have the foundation to be a great defender. The approach alone will not solve all of your problems; however, it can solve many of them and will put you in a more favorable position to make the next right play.

I hope you log in and check out this course and please let us know what you think. We will continue to develop course content for all areas of lacrosse so that everyone has the resources they need to be the best they can.

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