coaching defense at High school

[lincolnlax2007]

Sup. I Just graduated from highschool this past year and really want to get into coaching. I'am probably going to start to coach defense for the Highschool I graduated from. I was wondering if anyone had any kind of pointers or things to remeber or ways I should conduct our defensive practice? Or just and ideas at all. Throw anything out there. Thanx.

[The Doors]

in a lot of states, you need a license to be a coach, so you may or may not be able to coach. Also, I would not recommend being a coach at the school you graduated from. There's a respect level you need to have from your players, and if you were there teammate last season, you dont have it. I would also recommend playing collegiately before even considering becoming a coach. It will help hone your skills and show you how much you don't know about the sport.

Its good to see you want to give back to the sport, but I think you need a few more years to do what you intend on doing

[MadLaxPlaya16]

im not tryin to bash the doors or wutever cuz i do agree with gettin a little more experiance in the sport than just high school but it also depends on what level of lacrosse ur old high school plays. like i just graduated and im gunna b a coach for mine this year. i think i could handle it cuz right now all it is a club team in a place where lax isnt that big yet and they just need a sumone to help out with basic skills and that sort. but um man if u wanna do it (and if ur allowed) go for it man. i mean im not being a big part of coachin just like with the attackmen and stuff like passin moving without the ball and shooting. but for defense i guess just teach em to be vocal ow slide correctly and different types of D. i hope this helps a little bit

[jimd619]

In areas that do not have experienced coaches, by all means chip in. But understand that playing is easier than coaching. That is why the old saying is, the more you teach the more you learn. So that means if you want to teach, it's time to really study the craft. I am trying to get our coaches to take the Coaches Level 1 course at US Lacrosse. It does a good job at not only explaining the basics that you may know without realizing it, but it also delves into how to teach it. Good course. But mostly, I would not expect you to head coach. Study under someone who is more experienced. Finally remember one thing, always be positive. Effort and attitude is your priority. Support the correct things your players do, far more than criticize what they need work on. Then teach them to self-coach. Ask what they could do to do better in a particular play or skill. Be a positive force.
And have fun, nothing better than to see your players improve.

[Z12/AM]

The thing I hate most about playing defense is practice, completely aside from scrimmaging. There are certain things that a defender must learn, foot work, slide packages, help side talking, etc. But you have to be able to do this to include your more advanced players and to have fun with everyone. Basically, just don't spend all your time throwing long passes and doing foot work, have some fun and work on throwing some take-away checks into practice every once in a while. Hopefully this is what you were looking for, if not, specify. In addition, I agree with the above posts.

[coaches gal]

I agree with jimd619 - take the coaching course offered thru US Lacrosse - even if you're just going to help out a little bit... the course is inexpensive and some club teams will pay for their coaches to take it.

I also agree with The Doors, however, that it is difficult to coach at the school where you just graduated. We are a club team and have had graduates help with JV. It's a tough adjustment [not impossible, just tough]. Having the coaching class under yor belt will improve your odds. Some do well, others don't.

Just remember that you are now in a 'role-model' position and your attitude and behavior need to reflect that position.