defensive problems

[preplax29]

Ok after reading the entire D Tips sticky, my question still wasnt answered. My coach keeps telling me I am "ball watching" and if i stop that im gonna be really good (sorry to sound conceited, thats what he said). but anyways, I feel like i have to watch the ball so when i know when to slide, but i tend to lose my man.

My question is, do i focus more on my man instead of the slide (I play the x man), and keep my head on a swivle, back and forth, or do i put like 90 % on my man, 10 % of my attention on the ball?

Any type of tips would be great.

[Dlax44]

always keep your head an a tilt..always try to stay with your man but keep tilting your head to see where the ball is..you constantly have to be switching from your man to the ball...does that help at all???

[singsingallstar]

i put 50% on my man and 50% on the ball, but also if you can use his shadow to find where he is, so you don't have to turn around completly to find your man.

[preplax29]

yea its like i think i was more worried about the slide. should i be more focused about the man, or the slide?

[dta06]

I would focus more on the slide. If your man is at X, he cant do anything. He'll either feed it to someone or run it, and if he decides to run all you have to do is beat him to the cage.. Stay in front of the cage and keep your stick up, and get ready to swat down some passes, and try to keep your head on a swivel. When I play near or far side D I only look at my man 25% of the time and 75% on the ball. I keep my my dpole in 1 hand and have it touch my attackman at all time. In other words I use it as a feeler. If he gets away from my stick I know he's trying to cut or set something up. Play tight D if nothings working for you

[smooth87]

Eh, that's not totally true. If he pays more attention to the slide a good attackman is taught to move when he sees the back of the helmet. So he can creep around the opposite side and stick a goal right on the crease. When I play the man at X, i like to use my peripheral vision a lot more. I like to position myself like a triangle. The man with the ball is a point, I'm another point, and my attackman is the other point. It keeps me in good position and i can see both guys without turning my head much and not needing to focus X amount of time on a certain player.

This should help:
http://content.imagesocket.com/thumbs/drawing1351.JPG (http://imagesocket.com/view/drawing1351.JPG)

[big52daddy10]

u should focus on your man first, and the ball second.....your man is the main priority, especially when he's in a dangerous position.....obviously, dont just watch your man, but think of it like this.....take 2 looks at your man, and 1 at the ball......hes YOUR man for a reason......u can do little things to, as some others mentioned, like lightly put your stick on your man to feel where he is (not so much where you could get called for a hold or some crap like that but just to feel so that if he moved, you would know) or take an angle where you can simultaneously see the ball and your man but not be outta position....

[MadCowDisease]

You could put your head on your man or just get next to him and feel him, then you can watch the ball without having to worry so much about your man.

[VinelandHighLax]

My coach tells us two looks at your man and one at the ball so its man ball man....but as u can tell our defense isnt that great (vineland)

[LacrosseNY3491]

As others have said, your head should always be on a swivle (man ball, man ball). Our coach always telss us that the most important is our man becuase we have to be ready for the cut. A "v" between the man and the ball, as the diagram above showed, is a real good idea. The thing to keep in mind though is to mix up the swivle. DO NOT get into a pattern, becuase it will get read very easily by a smart attackman. Mix it up, spend diferent time at each, quck quick slow, slow, quick slow quick quick.....that sort of thing. Either way, both sliding and cutters are an important part of defense, but i would DEFINITELY say that first and foremost you should worry about cutters!.

[Expresslax20]

always keep your head on a swivel but heres a trick that i do..... when your really close to your man pinch his jersey with your thumb and index finger and when you feel him going away just let go and follow him ....if you are playing defense on the crease always keep your elbow or some part of your body on your man and keep you stick in a place so they wont feed the crease

[Upintheclouds]

your goalie should also be yelling to the defense where the ball is too. This doesn't mean that you don't have to watch the ball at all but it should help you know where the ball is and be able to watch it easier. Listen to what the goalie is saying and if he's not talking to you guys then let him know he needs to start.

[Zakk852]

head on a swivel

[MiddieMan05]

i don't think you can really spend any more time on the ball than your man or any more time on your man than the ball. Always keep your head on a swivel, knowing where you man is and where the ball is. Something you should do, is always keep a body part or your lacrosse head on your man in a place where if you moves, you can feel it. That way, when you aren't watching your man, you can feel if he moves. Ball watching will get you burned on cuts and back door moves, but watching you man will make you late for slides. The only way to do it is pay attention to everything. And definately listen to your goalie, because he can help you out finding the ball if the other team is working it around quickly and your having a hard time keeping up.

[bellies_lax_17]

My coach constantly tells us "see the man, see the ball" and he tells us to try and position ourselves in a position so that you can see both without having to turn your head all the way around or what not.

[RedHawk23]

i'd say go 50/50, but always keep your stick on your man, so you can feel his movement. also, keep your head on a constant swivle

[dmorgan2009]

Our coach tells us "man you ball", id say 50 man/ 50 ball. keep the head of your stick on your man so if he moves then you know it. you should try to stand at an angle so that you can see both your man and then ball.

[D1Dpole]

Something i personally like to do is if i think im gonna need to slide or if the current ball carrier is good and im in deny (1 pass away) i just put my stick in the stomach/chest of the attackman, so i can watch the ball the entire time, and if i feel the attackman move away from my stick, i look his way, then put my head on a swivel. I know this D pole that plays at Salisbury who sometimes just looks at a patch of ground btw his man and the ball so he can see both at the same time.

[jpturner]

You've received some good tips, first and foremost being to keep your head on a swivel between your man and the ball (meaning constantly looking back and forth). As for timing, I think the best timing is man-man-ball. Like beats to music: meaning two beats on your man, one on the ball, then right back to your man.

You must know where the ball is to see picks and lanes where your man may cut, but face guarding means you can't see things till it is too late, and cannot help with slides.

Hope this helps.

[navylax161]

you have to constantly be moving youre head lookins at your man and cutters or dodgers you may have to slide to.

[D_Pole2010]

Ok after reading the entire D Tips sticky, my question still wasnt answered. My coach keeps telling me I am "ball watching" and if i stop that im gonna be really good (sorry to sound conceited, thats what he said). but anyways, I feel like i have to watch the ball so when i know when to slide, but i tend to lose my man.

My question is, do i focus more on my man instead of the slide (I play the x man), and keep my head on a swivle, back and forth, or do i put like 90 % on my man, 10 % of my attention on the ball?

Any type of tips would be great.

once you find a man, and get the offense slowed down(not a fast break), get yourself in a position where you can control your man's space, and know where the ball is and be ready to slide. also, your goalie should be calling out where the ball is and your fellow defensemen should be calling "hot" or "cold" or "switch" or "watch the pick" or even "be ready to slide". its all about communication and positioning.

[coyotelax2010]

open ur hips up so u can see both

[jaxlax1140]

i play d but im only 11 and i have no acsess to weights what should i do

[QBYattackmen15]

my coach calls it like "big eye, little eye", 1 look to the ball, 2 to the man. and just keep doin that.

[Rosie411]

i keep my head on a constant swivle its one of the best things a dman can do and can be used at any posistion whether it be middy, d, attack because you basically covering your man while being ready to double or "fire" in an instant

[stegmakk]

If your goalie is loud and calls position then the man-man-ball timing is perfect. If your goalie is a mute and doesn't talk, that forces you to be more watchful and do a 50/50 man-ball which gets old real quick.