Dublin School Lacrosse 2012 Schedule

Groton (Home) – Saturday, March 31st

@ Cardigan Mountain School - Wednesday, April 4th at 3pm

Hoosac (Home) - Saturday, April 7th at 3pm

@ Kimball Union Academy - Wednesday, April 11th at 3pm

@ Cardigan Mountain Jamboree - Saturday, April 4th at 1:30pm

@ Putney - Wednesday, April 18th at 2pm

@ Vermont Academy – Friday, April 20th at 4:30pm

Tilton (home) – Saturday, April 21st at 2:30pm

Proctor (home) – Wednesday, April 25th 2:30pm

@ Brewster Academy – Friday, April 27th at 4pm

@ Holderness – Saturday, April 28th at 4pm

Eaglebrook (home) – Wednesday, May 2nd at 3:30pm

White Mountain (home) – Saturday, May 5th at 5pm

@ New Hampton – Wednesday, May 9th at 3:30pm

Alumni Game (home) – Saturday, May 12th at 2pm

@ Hoosac - Wednesday, May 16th at 3pm

Dublin’s 2012 lacrosse season is here. The journey of building a

team and preparing for success begins now. It is the responsibility of

each member of this team, coaches and players alike, to bring their full

energy and enthusiasm every day. It’s easy to feel excited now, before

everything starts. It’s easy to feel optimistic when we haven’t played a

game. That is how every team in the country feels. What will separate

Dublin lacrosse is our enormous focus on and energy put toward all of

the aspects of the game that we can control. We can control how we

treat each other. We can control how well we practice. We can control

our attitude. We control how much energy we bring every day. We can

only be satisfied when we know we put our best effort into our

preparation. We don’t talk about doing these things…WE DO THEM.

The following pages of this book will outline what it means to be a

Dublin lacrosse player, provide instructions on the fundamentals, and

lay the framework for our team philosophy. As you read through this,

begin to think of your personal goals, our team goals, and what legacy

you want to leave.

Let the journey begin! GO WILDCATS!

1. Be on Time 2. Prepare Rigorously 3. Be Respectful 4. Have

fun

1. No excuses, be on time. It’s a part of being on a team in that

everyone must be accountable and ready to go at the very

beginning of practice. The best players arrive early to get in extra passes, shots and one on ones.

“A team wins with the elimination of mistakes and with people who WANT to win, believe they can, and can’t stand losing.” – Lou Holtz “Excuses don’t excuse, explanations don’t explain. They just build bridges to nowhere and monuments of nothing”

2. Preparation and particularly quality preparation is the single

most important thing each individual and team can do to improve and to have any chance at success. Bring energy and

enthusiasm to every practice. If your tired or stressed from off

field issues, you owe it to your teammates to not allow that to affect your energy at practice. Come into the season in shape.

Work with teammates before and after practice. Focus during

every drill. Always compete. Pick your teammates up. Study the plays. Ask questions. Being great does not come easy for both an

individual and a team; it takes hard work.

“Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing

you made the effort to become the best your are capable of becoming” -John

Wooden’s definition of success

“The journey is better than the inn.” – Cervantes

“Failing to prepare is preparing to fail” -John Wooden

“[Bill] Belichick would always tell us, there’s always something else you can do to improve this team, to improve your play. Study more, work harder. Be an asset, don’t be a liability.” -Rodney Harrison 2011 “On the best teams I have coached, the players usually found the games to be “easy”

compared with the competition in practice.” –Jim Wilson Member of the New England Lacrosse Hall of Fame

3. Lacrosse is a team game and we are strongest when we are a

family. Therefore, each and everyone on the team must always

treat one another with respect. This is the nature of Dublin School and what makes it such a great place. That culture must

be translated to this team. Be positive. Pick a teammate up when

he is struggling. Listen to each other. NEVER talk negatively about a teammate. Never bring your ego. Support one another.

Our success depends on our ability to come together as a

team on and off the field. “You cannot live a perfect day without doing something for another without

thought of getting something in return” – Mother Teresa “A player who makes the team great is better than a great player” – John Wooden

4. Always remember to have FUN! Fast paced, high scoring, hard hitting, continuous flow, and constant teamwork; this sport has it all.

Enjoy it. Remember how lucky you are to have the opportunity to play

this game.

“In basketball, as in life, joy comes from being fully present in each and every moment, not just when things are going your way. Of course, it is no accident that things are more likely to go your way when you stop worrying about whether you’re going to win or lose and focus your full attention on what’s happening right at this moment.”

–Phil Jackson

Team and Individual Goals

Being on a team requires individuals to work not only toward their own

personal goals, but also toward goals that the entire team shares. Number of

victories and championships are often the first things that comes to ones

mind when thinking about goals. Those are certainly important and we want

to have a lot of those. But, who doesn’t have those goals? A true goal relates

to your preparation habits, your commitment to your teammates, and your

effort. They are geared around aspects of the game that you can control. If

we work toward goals focused on those aspects of our game, the outcomes of

the games will take care of themselves.

As a team our goals are to:

1. Practice with complete focus and intensity each day. 2. Get better every day! 3. Commit to being a quality teammate. NEVER speak badly about

a teammate on or off the field. 4. Work on your individual skills before and after practice.

(shooting, 1v1’s, passing) 5. Care more about the success of the team than your personal

stats. 6. Be the best-conditioned team in the league. 7. Know our defensive and offensive philosophies by heart. 8. Be the toughest and most hard working team in the league. 9. Have FUN!

In order to reach our team goals, we need to all be striving to meet our own goals. Each person on this team has a role, and each role is as important as the next. As you think about your role, it is essential to come up with goals for yourself. As we progress through the season, you can assess your progress toward these goals. Also, everyone must be OPEN TO LEARNING. If you are dismissive and do not accept criticism, you are telling your teammates that you are above the team. We are a TEAM. We are all learning and working together. In all aspects of the game, WE ARE A FAMILY! Goals Each Game: After each game we will see if we can say “Yes” or “No” to each goal.

1. Win 60% of the ground balls

2. 25 Shots per game with 75% on net

3. Break up 4 clears

4. 70% success rate on clears

5. NO UNSPORTSMANLIKE, ILLEGAL STICK PENALTIES! No more than 4 personal fouls!

6. 100% energy and effort the entire game

7. Worked well as a team

DEFENSE

Dublin Defense

GREAT teams win because of their focus on creating a defensive unit

that works together, plays with intensity, and is relentless. That is what

we are striving for here. The commonly used sang, “Defense wins

championships,” is true. Every player on this team has a defensive role. The

attack must commit to riding. All middies will be responsible to play defense

and ride. Defensemen, this is a no brainer, you will be our rock. Goalie –

Lead the defense!

Keys to Defense

-Defense is played with your LEGS, not your stick.

-Keeping good BODY POSITION is essential. This means being a stick

length away, not letting the offense guy get close into you, and staying with

the man.

Dublin Defense -Good FOOTWORK – quick changes of direction

-Maintaining an ATHLETIC STANCE. Think of a linebacker or cornerback

in press coverage or a basketball player. Knees bent, back straight, hands

out, stick down.

-COMMUNICATION is key. Goalies let the defensive players know where

the ball is, when to check, and asking who is sliding “Who’s HOT” “Who’s

COLD”. Defense and middies call out who is sliding “I’m HOT” “I’m COLD”.

Person on the ball let others know “I GOT BALL!” BE LOUD. BE

CONFIDENT.

Dublin Defense

-When you slide, SLIDE HARD and FAST! If you go, GO. Right or wrong,

slide hard! Stick must be down and straight out. Slide to where player is

going, not where he is.

-When you are off ball, keep your HEAD on a SWIVLE and have your stick

in the air! Open your feet so you can see the ball and your man.

-Poke Check – it is like using a pool cue. Hold your stick out straight, keep your bottom hand in place, and slide stick through top hand. If the man your guarding goes to throw it, poke his bottom hand! -Ground Balls – Get both hands low to the ground, scoop through the ball. After you pick it up, get it out of your stick within 2 SECONDS. PICK IT UP AND MOVE IT!

-When an attackman dodges from behind, KEEP YOUR STICK UP FIELD and make him TURN BACK TO THE ENDLINE. TURN HIM BACK!!! NO CHECKS! Your only job is to TURN HIM BACK. Your feet should be pointing toward the end line.

Dublin Defense Slide - When an offensive player runs past your defensive teammate, you need help your teammate by picking up the offensive player.

Dublin Defense

Offense

Dublin Offense

Lacrosse is a game of flow and creativity, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Below are tips that will help each of you grow your skills and as a result improve our TEAM! Learning these skills takes time and practice. You are all capable of practicing these skills! Throwing – it’s like throwing a baseball - elbow up, step with your opposite leg, and snap your wrist at the target. Step away from defender to get hands free

Catching – Hold your stick by your ear to give a target to the person passing to you. - Allow the ball to land gently in your stick by pulling the head of your stick back as the ball enters the head of the stick (you’ll hear me yell

“give with it” or “don’t snatch at it”. Imagine catching an egg and not allowing it to break. Shooting – hands away from your body, shoulders turned, use your legs, hide the head of your stick behind your head, keep your eyes on the NET, and follow through. USE YOUR whole body to shoot. Not just your arms.

Cutting – Cut straight to the person passing to you. Run through the catch. Cut when your defender has his back to you. Ground balls – keep both hands low to the ground. Scoop through. DON’T RAKE AT IT!! After you pick the ball up, you have 3 seconds to get it out of your stick and to a teammate. When running with the ball vary your speed, DON’T run in a straight line, instead Zig zag. Keep your eyes up. If you want the ball you must run to the ball and yell “here!” or “here’s your help” LOUDLY!

Ball movement – like basketball, you don’t want to carry the ball too long. Dodge to the net and either shoot or pass it right away. If you get the ball from your left pass it to your right. If you get the ball from your right pass it to your left. DON’T HAVE THE BALL IN YOUR STICK FOR MORE THAN 4 SECONDS!

Dodge pass it pass it again re-dodge Stick protection – keep your stick vertical with the head of your stick by your helmet. When carrying one handed, stick should be vertical; your elbow of your arm holding the stick should be tucked into your body, and your other arm should be held out.

Dodging – Make one or two hard moves and GO! Don’t dance. Be quick. Be crafty. Use your athleticism. Run toward the goal. Don’t start a dodge standing still. Dodge right after you receive a pass and dodge to the opposite direction.

Dodging – Fake Split – (if stick is in your right hand) cradle the stick in front of your body, fake as if you’re going to go left but go back to the right. Make a hard step to your left and sprint to your right. (Opposite if ball starts in left hand. Always ACCELERATE after you make your move. Split dodge – hard fake and step one direction, then change hands and go opposite way. Just like a cross over in basketball. Great for midfielders. Roll Dodge – run hard one direction, plant your inside foot and spin back opposite way. Change hands after you roll. Good for attackman. Face dodge – fake with your stick one direction, then pull it in front of your face, turn your shoulders, and run opposite way of your fake. Great for when someone rushes out at you. -Ground Balls – Get both hands low to the ground, scoop through the ball. After you pick it up, get it out of your stick within 2 SECONDS. PICK IT UP AND MOVE IT! Crease Play –

THE DUBLIN 150

The best way to practice your stick skills is by throwing against a wall. The gym walls are EXCELLENT for this. Make sure you use good techniques for passing and catching that are mentioned above. Throughout the season we will have wall ball competitions. The competition is called THE DUBLIN 150. In order to complete the Dublin 150 you must do the following: 25 – Right handed throws (1 cradle) 25 – Left handed throws (1 cradle) 20 – Catch with your left hand then throw with your right 20 – Catch with your right hand then throw with your left 10 – Quick sticks with right hand (no cradle) 10 – Quick sticks with left hand (no cradle) 10 – One handed throws with right hand 10 – One handed throws with left hand 10 – Right handed throws as fast as possible –get the ball out of stick quickly! 10 – Left handed throws as fast as possible - get the ball out of stick quickly! How fast can you do it? How many can you do in a row with out dropping the ball? Are you better each time you try it?

Dublin Offense

Man Down Defense

Keys – STICK IN UP IN THE AIR - COMMUNICATE WITH TEAMMATES - They will have 6 and we will have 5 players - Help inside when your away from ball

Extra Man Offense (EMO)

Riding When we lose the ball on offense, we need to prevent opposing team from getting it to their offensive side of the field.

Clearing

When we get the ball in our defensive end, we need to get it up to our offensive side of the field. Below are a few ways we can set up to clear the ball. WE HAVE 7 they have 6!