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LumberJax Training Camp: Getting Ready for December 30th!
Submitted by walax on Sat, 2006-12-09 08:01.
Before the season starts, the Jax held open tryouts with some of the area's hopefuls before drilling down their rosters to training squad size. After two training camp dates, they drilled their roster down to 23. Walax captured some Jax training camp sessions and included some of the important differences between field and box Lacrosse basics. Enjoy!
Walax has partnered with the Portland LumberJax this season to help bring more of the indoor Lacrosse you love to you. We will have interviews, game coverage, pictures, and video of some of your favorite players in the NLL closest to home. Who are the LumberJax? How has an upstart NLL franchise in Portland change the NLL again this year? Who are the players behind the All-star team? Stay tuned this season to find out...
Stepping into a well-used community box facility in Richmond, BC, the Lumberjax put their pads on around little soccer players and parents finishing their morning games, preparing for their first day of the second session of training camp. All the guys take several laps shooting against the boards and limbering up before starting a four line breaking drill designed to shoot on the three goalies before stretching with a dynamic warm-up from one side of the box field to the other. All these players were out here are working hard and having fun. Derek Keenen, coach of the Jax, storied player, supported playing in the Richmond facility as a cost effective measure as well as a location central to most of the player's homes. Additionally, getting Canadian player VISA problems resolved is increasingly more difficult.
Today’s schedule includes both team offense and team defense talks and drills. With a pruned group from the first week, the Jax have just one more weekend of training, and four days of hard practice before their home opener December 30th.
Still fighting for a few spots, several guys know this may be their final practice. The camp players are split up into two groups- white and black. Black shooting on white, white shooting on Black- more appropriately-Dallas. Two goalies are vying for the final goalie spot, but no one doubts the starting spot will go to Dallas Eliuk, the best goalie in NLL history.
After warming up, the coaches bring everyone in to talk about the schedule for the day. None of these guys need added motivation, they are all professionals in practice as well as games. Training camp will start with Defense.
On defensive transition, coach talks about the need to understand who your are subbing out for- know who your individual opponent is. In order to demonstrate, the Jax start a three on two fast-break drill with a trailer releasing. All drills are white against black encouraging strong defensive position in the lighting-paced drill.
Some may ask, what are the some of the similarities and differences in Defensive strategy between Box Lacrosse and Field Lacrosse? Here are some philosophies that apply to Box:
Loose ball- don't go after the ball unless you are sure- don't slide from marquee players- rather let the other guy shoot.
Slides - if there is a switch or a slide, get in the hole, and put you stick in the passing lane. When dealing with slides and picks, talk through them, but open up to the pick. Don't switch until contact off the pick; otherwise, the picking guy will roll underneath to the goal. Normally, you don't open up to a pick in Field Lacrosse, but that is the way to stop the roll off the pick in Box.
Man down - Uptop stick in the middle, down low, sticks outside Play a 3v2 uptop, and most of the scoring threat is from up top, so pinching at the top, rather than down low.
After the transition drill, the Jax work on the slides and loose balls by running a four corners adjacent slide to the cage drill. Two lines on each side, with the up field slide guy leading with stick but coming to help out with body stabbing between the hands and pushing down to the boards to get him away from shooting surface. Lots of discussion about pushing to help inside when coming adjacent to get back to the man.
Another difference between Box and Field Lacrosse is Offensive position referred to as "X".
X - X is up top in box, rather than behind the cage. Offensive motion always keeps a guy at X. Need to have a guy play up top, right handed center up as a mobile spot where offense can go either lane. Specifically, a strong side (right) triangle. This way, with rotation, and a man at X, the pick and roll is available.
With so much transition in Box, it only seems realistic to work a transition drill to help work on unsettled offense and defense. Similar to the field version calling numbers both ways, 1-5 to release guys from the box in transition. Such prolific players as Rookie of the Year in two leagues, Brodie Merrill, MLL all-star and MVP Ryan Powell, Dallas Eluik, the best goalie in the NLL, and a host of others, the Jax look to improve their remarkable season last year. I asked how could such a team be put together with so few practices?
"Real good group of guys, good leadership". Derek Keenen "these guys know we don't have a lot of time in three practices, so they do a good job with intensity".
STAY TUNED FOR INTERVIEWS WITH BRODIE, RYAN, AND DALLAS!
Make sure you come suppor the LumberJax in their first home test on December 30th in the Rose Garden!