Recruiting Blog - Offensive Keys and Things to Consider

In Summer 2021, we launched our first event series, “Best In Class”. The response and feedback has been amazing and we are so fortunate to be back for another summer in 2022. We are hosting four events, including our first 2024 women’s event! Boys 2024, 2025, and 2026 will compete as well.

Last year, Coach Dunn wrote some great blogs about getting noticed as a defender. In this blog, we hope to help frame your mindset heading into summer as an offensive player and give you some things to think about when competing in front of college coaches!

Three Keys

1. Control the Controllables

This is key, especially heading into a big summer of recruiting. Can you control which highlight account posts your goal? No. Can you control where you get ranked? No, (by your play, yes, but not the outcome)! Can you control which coach caught the 2nd half where you stuck that corner, or the play where you caused the turnover and went coast to coast? No.

Example: you take a great shot, in your favorite spot, and the goalie makes a great save. You palms up, shrug, and then are lazy in the ride. The palms up and the ride are controllable responses to something less in your control (the saved shot). The save might be more of a positive for the goalie, but the palms up and the lack of riding can get you crossed off a list!

Simply put, you can control your level of preparation, your effort and compete levels, and your attitude (and responses). Having a plan for development amidst a busy summer, a plan to stay strong and healthy, and a plan for recovery can go a long way. Having a plan for when things don’t go your way in game, is crucial too. Set yourself up for success!

2. Off Ball Play

If you’ve trained with us, you know that we spend just as much time, if not more, talking about off ball movement and spacing as we do dodging and shooting. As I’ve progressed as a young coach, I’ve also just seen that poor movement and spacing can be even more impactful (or detrimental) than dialing in that perfect shot!

So many players can shoot, dodge and be an athlete. However, many players don’t make it offensively at the next level because they struggle to find their role without being the dominant ball carrier. Can you clear space? Can you get open without it? Additionally, if plays aren’t designed for them to shoot, how do they get shots off? How do they make an impact in other areas?

We generally focus on the following principles in our off ball movement: cutting, fading, picking/slipping (for the ball and off the ball), flips, mirroring and shallow cutting (snapping). These need to be in your arsenal on command. We can’t stand outside the play and watch! If you do, will you still get recruited? If you’re a good enough dodger, or an athlete, sure. But I promise, you are leaving the best version of yourself on the table.

3. Body Language Matters!

This spring we had an Instagram Post go viral

It was meant to be a little facetious (thanks for that vocab word, Coach D), but the message rings true. Coaches aren’t always looking for just the good things you do. They’re looking for things that might make you less recruitable than the next guy. How do you respond after a bad play? How do you handle a bad call? How do you interact with your teammates after their good plays AND bad plays? This stuff matters. Coaches are looking for talent, yes. Will they take a chance on a guy they think they can mold, or coach it out of them, yes. But that doesn’t mean that it makes it ok, and if you’re on the bubble, you certainly don’t want to get crossed off for something in your control.

If recruiting is your only motivation, then yes, you should work on your body language and be a great teammate. If your motivation is ALSO to be the best version of yourself, then let’s dial this in so you can go from good to great, and be a leader on your team. Bring the rest of the guys and girls along with you, and set the tone for how you and your team are going to play this summer!

Offensive Checklist for Recruiting

Here is a quick list of things I think can make you a more recruitable offensive player:

1. Speed and strength: what are you doing to improve and display your athleticism?
2. Stick skills: snapping off passes, consistent catching and throwing at game speed and on the move.
3. Communication: “one more” calls, “double” calls, non verbal communication.
4. Run through ground balls: soak checks, and move it quickly off the ground! Play off the ball: with as much purpose as you play with the ball!
5. Play off the ball: with as much purpose as you play with the ball!
6. Dodging with aggression and creating contact: avoid fading! Eyes up!
7. Feeding: do you look for cutters? do you see skip lanes? do you snap off sharp passes on teammates sticks?
8. Decision making: it’s not always about making the assist, can you balance in hitting a nice skip or feed inside with hitting “singles” and letting the ball flow to flip fields and beat rotations.
9. Relentless in the ride! this is a great area to show your heart and hustle.
10. Sub well, and don’t slide upfield! be ready to sprint back in the hole.

From one Division 1 Coach: “We look for how hard guys run from O to D, not just D to O”

1. “Hidden Plays” - Quick Restarts, running balls out on end lines and sidelines
2. Have Great Body Language - no palms up, no slamming the stick – have the “get the next one” mentality and show it in the way you carry yourself.
3. Have great body language towards teammates - Be a positive leader on the field, no matter how many of your passes might get dropped, or missed shots others take.
4. Early Summer Vs Late Summer - Does your game evolve? Do you show anything different? Are you declining physically? Be a player that continues to exhibit growth, even though the summer might only span 6-8 weeks!

We are excited for a busy summer ahead! Trust your training, take care of your bodies, and let us know how we can continue to guide you in the right direction!

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