Box defense

[Janessa]

Help help help!
Okay, we've just won our first three games, but each game the score is getting closer and closer...
We have three/four really good scorers who are keeping us in the games and our goalie is standing on his head half the time. Our defense is lacking a lot.
What drills can you use?
Secondly for you who play box how do you deal with a hard-core cherry picker? This kid has scored 9 out of his team's 13 goals.

Thanks alot!

You can email me at queenofkayaks@yahoo.com as well.

Janessa

[Hutch]

Keep a defender back to cover the Cherry picker.

[Ghs_Lax25]

use it to your advantage if someone is cherry picking then that means you have man up on them all the time on offense. For the cherry picker standing back there he willl learn his lesson when his whole team is pissed at him becuase there dfense sucks.

[RockStar]

I'd say leave a fast footed point man high in the attack zone with one eye on the cherry picker. If the picker breaks for it, hopefully your guy notices and can run him down.

Other alternative is to have one of your faster point or wing men dash back to shadow the cherry picker as soon as your other attackers shoot.....this eliminates the open fast break pass.

Otherwise, just enjoy the man-up situation and fill the net!

Re defense: what's your set-up now?

In a highly transitional run and gun game like the old MILL, I think I saw many using a 1-1-3 setup, working sort of like hockey's 1-4 neutral zone trap. Don't lynch me if I'm wrong, I've only seen a handful of MILL tape, didn't follow the league before 1999.

For a more deliberate half-floor style game, use a "house" zone defense setup almost like a basketball 2-1-2. Have 4 of the men box out the defense zone, and plant one of your better and smarter players in the middle. This guy shifts around inside the box to follow the ball and/or the open man.

Other than that, make anyone who's driving to the net pay for the privilege! Hit 'em again, and then hit 'em harder!

If crosse-checking is legal, have your kids focus on that rather than the poke and slap field stuff.

[Janessa]

We tried to leave the cherry picker up there by himself but he's the most talented player in this division.
We played the "Box" defense the game before and it went okay. What I think we're going to try to do is play almost the neutral zone trap. We have lots of big kids who can throw their weight around so we're going to have the 2 d-men and the point lined up at the rag lines and then let the 2 creasemen go hard.

How does that sound or is it TOO defensive?

Janessa

[RockStar]

How old are your kids?

If they're young and inexperienced, the 1-2-2 might be just as good as anything. Its simpler, because it fully shadows the typical offense setup, and then plays almost like man-to-man with switching.

If you have one really smart defense minded player, make the 2-1-2 work for you. I think it's a little tighter because the middle guy can swing to cover the point man, or the strong side or the ball side at his choice. He's also better positioned to clog the lanes better when attackers are cutting to the net.

[Janessa]

I coach bantam (which is 12-13 year olds). We have a few very skilled players, but more new players.

[a_nik_02]

Use the house setup1-2-2 and play more man on man. The biggest problem I have is getting in the 24 foot arc. Make sure that you defenders know that once a player is in that arc you must push them out. That is the biggest problem with some defence, they don't push the player in the arc out and it leaves him open. Keep the defence only a a stick and a half from each other in the box shape around the arc that makes it easier for them if a player tries to move in and score.

Edit: I just noticed that you might not have the 24 foot arc in your league.....if you don't well sorry most of the stuff I just said wouldn't help.

[Janessa]

We have the "24 foot arc" Also known here as the "kill zone". We did some player shuffling and we'll see how this works out.
I personally think that one of the biggest problems we have is we have too many players who want to score...
*shrugs*
We put out two strongest players back on defense and moved two weaker players up and moved our biggest guy so he can play point.
Game's on wed. and we have a practice tomorrow. Any more suggestions?