21 Build Up with Jordan Hirsch

Jordan Hirsch is the current Assistant Coach and Offensive Coordinator for the Israeli National Lacrosse Team.  He is also the current Varsity Lacrosse Assistant Coach and Varsity Head Basketball Coach at Hendrick Hudson High School in Montrose, NY. Jordan played attack for Division III lacrosse at Nazareth College in Rochester, NY and was Captain his Senior year (while I was a Freshman on the team)!  He also was a Grad Assistant at Division III Lynchburg College '09/'10.

Jordan is a wealth of knowledge, great communicator and has a unique perspective on the game from his experience playing and coaching at various levels of lacrosse - as well as Basketball.  I will be featuring clips from our full conversation in a part 2 follow up on The Lax Tutors Vault.

You can find Coach Hirsch on Instagram @Coach_JHirsch

21 Build Up

I really like the simplicity of this drill and yet a lot of quick decisions need to be made on both sides of the ball.  A great drill for all levels that can handle the ball - run this when you want your team to have to think on their feet and move the rock!

The Set Up

🥍 The Drill:

• The drill starts when coach passes or rolls a ball into the offensive line (x's above in diagram). When that happens, 1 defender comes into play setting up the first sequence of attack 2v1.
• After a goal, save or turnover - that rep is killed and coach rolls in another ball to the offensive line (top of box in diagram) - the offensive player picks it up, at the same time the defense adds a player - now a 3v2 is quickly played out to a goal, save or turnrover
• Once that rep is completed the coach rolls out another ball to the offensive line - adding another player - as well as the defense adding another player. This leads to a 4v3.
• Do the same for a 5v4 and even a 6v5 if you have the players.
• Keep in mind you can move around the field with your lines so players are starting from different points.
• Easily add competition by going shorties vs poles or by switching offense and defense halfway through.
• Be creative - this simple drill can be very effective and fun for your team.

🅾️ Offensive Skills:

• IQ - Understand the situation and what shape you should be in.
• Finishing on the door step
• Ball movement, quick decsion making, tons of Draw & Dump situations.
• Skip passes
• Work for a great shot not the first shot. You're man up - move the ball

⚙️ Defensive Skills:

• Communicating the situation (2v1, 3v2 etc.)
• Get sticks into passing lanes
• Man down rotations
• You're man down so you have to work harder than the offense.

🥅 Goals:

• Draw & Dump - make a defensive player commit and move the ball. I see a lot of players wait until the defender is on their hands (especially in the younger ages) and then try to move it. That's too late. Draw the defender out by being a threat and move the ball once they commit.
• Read & React - As a offensive player, reading the defense and making quick decisions is vital. This drill forces players to read and react to different situations quickly. Having to think is part of the game and this drill gets players on both sides of the ball doing so at each change of situation.
• Spacing - Space always favors the offense. Don't let 1 defender cover 2 offensive players. Get in your shape and be sure to stay spread while still being a threat. Don't stand still, find passing lanes by moving your feet on offense.
• Skip To Score, Don't Telegraph Passes - Sometimes players try to make something out of nothing with a "homerun" skip pass through a defense that hasn't rotated yet(ie. our film above!). Get the ball moving, move your feet and skip lanes will open up while you make the defense work. Don't telegraph your passes - moving the ball quickly is the easiest way to score easy goals and use deception (body languge and no look passes) to make anticipating the play tougher for the defense (this is a harder skill, however, 7/8 to High School teams should have it).
• Don't Settle, Play With Pace - You should be working for layups against a defense that is man down. In the film above we do a terrible job of this and this is something we continue to talk about. Don't settle for the first shot. Get a great shot by moving the ball quickly, spreading out and making the one more pass. AND always remember, lacrosse is the fastest game on two feet. Play at game speed.

Part 2 with Jordan Hirsch will breakdown our full conversation where we talk about skill development, similarities to basketball and lacrosse, World Games experience and more.