Conceptual Offense

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Conceptual Offense
Strategies and Skills for Success Tony
Gray gray_at_oaktonlax.com
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What is Conceptual Offense?
Online Dictionary concept   (kon'sept')   n.  
A general idea derived or inferred from
specific instances or occurrences. Something
formed in the mind a thought or notion. A
scheme a plan
Oaktons Definition A conceptual offense is an
offense that is designed on principles and/or
concepts. Rather than run plays, you will run
formations and look for tendencies in game-like
situations.
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Why Run a Conceptual Offense?

• Ability to run offense in multiple formations
• Allows coaches to manage the game easier
• Helps easily utilize sets that match your
  personnel
• Improve your offensive efficiency (scoring
  opportunities)
• Players learn to play the game
• Allows players to utilize their creativity
• Improve decision making
• Composure in the big game

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Oaktons Offensive Principles/Concepts

• Create space and gain time
• Unbalance the defense dodging is one way
• Six man offense
• Move the ball through X (turns the defense
  around)
• Attack to produce a strong side and find the weak
  side
• Most dangerous man is off ball
• Seal off the slide man
• Always dodge to feed (be a triple threat)
• Players without the ball must create space to
  allow man with the ball to isolate without threat
  of double-teaming
• Do not FOUL on the offensive end

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Formations
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Formations
1-3-1-1 Pros Off ball movement creates excellent
scoring opportunities, confusion on sliding, lots
of dodging space around the field Cons Longer
passes, need patience with unbalancing the
defense, need good outside shooters
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Personnel

• What type of players do you have?
• Outside shooters dodgers
• Finishers - inside players
• Role players
• How many of each do you have?
• What tempo do you want to play

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Oaktons Offensive Strategies

• Game like setting
• Competitive setting
• Tempo play fast
• Incorporate several concepts into one drill
• Play to the whistle
• Create games out of your drills
• 3-5 second drill or (Hippopotamus)
• One cradle
• Start with advantages (ie 2-1, 3-2, 4-3)
• Shooting drills should be where your team
  normally shoots from

No Straight Line Drills
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Oaktons Offensive Skills

• Shooting
• Passing/Feeding
• Protection
• Dodging
• Cutting
• Picking/Sealing
• Beating the Slide

• And Ones
• One on Ones
• Ground Balls
• Off Ball Movement
• Speed and Agility
• Reading the Defense
• Maintaining Balance

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Drill Shooting

• Have athletes practice rotating back and forward
  as they shoot
• On their knees facing the sideline, toss ball to
  them as they shoot at the cage
• Have athletes stand facing the cage (not allowed
  to move their feet at all) while they practice
  rotating back and forth as they shoot
• Same as 1 except standing
• Tip crouch to use quads, rotate hips, pull back
  arms, rotate all the way forward rotate wrists
• Use a wall to have them pull back until the stick
  touches the wall and then rotate forward.

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Drills Shooting
Practice dodging from behind the cage and turning
and shooting away from the cage.
Mirror Shooting Both O up top pass to attack
behind. Both groups cross and one group passes
to the other group.
Practice dodging from the wing and protecting the
ball on your inside shoulder and shooting while
stick in your chest. Tip Turn shoulders so that
the D man cannot body you without drawing a
penalty
Give and Go Ball starts up top. Pass down the
wing and gets pass back.
D
Throw Back Player with the ball dodges down the
wing, rolls back and hits player coming to him.
He rolls back and hits man on the wing.
Split Dodge Pass Man with the ball practices
split dodging and then quickly feeding to man
rotating from behind.
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Drills Shooting
Each player faces forward on their line. Feet
should be going forward too. They pass using
primarily their wrists.
Speed Shooting Run and pick up balls and shoot
using only wrists. Shoot all 20 balls and then
rest. VAR Have player stare at goal for a
minute and then with his back turned, practice
shooting without looking at the net
20 balls 6-10 yards out.
Right
Right
Power Shooting Player receives a pass from the
coach. He shoots as hard as he can. Keep player
close to the net. Hands should be up, pull back
and snap forward with wrists and follow through.
Players run straight forward and shoot using
their wrists. Hands should be up high. VAR
Players switch hands and practice layups
Right
Left
Over Net Shooting Coach tosses ball up to players
ear and player shoots over the 2nd net using
wrists as well as regular outside shooting
technique. VAR Players need to do bound shots
Up the Hash Shooting Wing player rolls up and
receives pass with his feet set to practice
shooting standing still.
2nd Net
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Drills Shooting
Pop Drill Same as drill on the left except man is
in the crease and pops out when man behind back
steps.
Cutting Feeds Man behind dodges and when he gets
to the line, the top man cuts, while the man with
the ball back steps to feed. VAR Practice
cutting back door
Power Shooting Pass the ball around and wingman
practices shooting with his feet set. He then
picks up a ball, goes around a cone and feeds
opposite wing man who will also practice shooting
with his feet set.
Extra Give and Go Ball starts up top, player
passes it to bottom man and he gives it back. He
passes again and then cuts to cage where he will
receive a pass back and then shoots.
balls
Right
Left
Let Her Fly Player split dodges to his left and
then passes down to the wing. The wing man will
pass it to a middie on the run who will take a
hard shot. TIP Hands Light and Up.
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Drills Passing/Shooting
Pop Drill Same as drill on the left except man is
in the crease and pops out when man behind back
steps.
Weave Shooting Weave from midfield line, middle
man shoots and the two outside men get feeds from
behind.
Power Shooting Pass the ball around and wingman
practices shooting with his feet set. He then
picks up a ball, goes around a cone and feeds
opposite wing man who will also practice shooting
with his feet set.
Extra Give and Go Ball starts up top, player
passes it to bottom man and he gives it back. He
passes again and then cuts to cage where he will
receive a pass back and then shoots.
balls
Right
Left
Let Her Fly Player split dodges to his left and
then passes down to the wing. The wing man will
pass it to a middie on the run who will take a
hard shot. TIP Hands Light and Up.
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Drills Passing Drills
Carry the ball
3 Man Drill Man in the middle rotates around as
outside players pass and catch his passes. Have
him go left on one rotation and then right (so he
doesnt get dizzy). VAR Can have two balls or
two players in the middle and have middle man
catch a pass and throw right back before
receiving pass from other side. Can also have a
player carry the ball and pass back reinforcing
long passes while turning.
Triangle Drills Pass with sticks on outside Pass
with stick on inside (wrists) and catch on
outside GBS If you pick up a GB pass it, if
you catch a pass, roll it. Roll Dodge run to
your pass and then roll back Split Dodge run to
your pass and then split dodge Over the Shoulder
2nd Person in line receives pass and the 1st
person breaks out in a banana formation to
receive pass. VAR Can do same thing with 4 lines
(square)
3 Facing 1 Drill 2 balls Solo man must pass to
person without a ball as quickly as possible.
Cannot pass to person you received pass from.
Bad Monkey Drill Practice stealing the ball as
they play monkey in the middle. O must pass it
near D man (within his reach) or else the D man
gets a point. VAR who can steal the ball most
in a time period.
Bad Pass Drill Coach throws a bad pass to force
player to adjust. Tip When it is high, player
must practice catching or deflecting it with only
one hand on the stick.
D
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Drills Passing/Shooting Drills
Hopkins and One Drill Dodge down the wing hard.
Inside man gets into position for an inside shot.
Outside man yells and one and the inside man
touch passes it to the left side offensiveman for
the shot.
Hopkins Shooting Man with ball dodges down wing,
turns his body (even backsteps and feeds top.
Man with ball dodges hard while inside man curls
to get into position for a shot. Make sure his
feet are set when he receives the ball.
Fake Clear Shooting Drill Man up top passes to
wing attackman. He pretends to clear to the
crease and then cuts to the ball for a shot.
Skeleton Island Dodging Dodge to the top of the
island, pass to x, and then backside man cuts and
gets his feet ready for a shot.
And One Players pass the ball around the outside.
They feet should be facing towards the person
who passed it to them. They look like they are
going to shoot, but they will use their forearms
and wrists to pass it one more.
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Drills Dodging
U Cut One on Ones Player performs a u cut and
receives a pass and dodges one on one. The
player has to be coming out of the U cut as they
receive the ball.
V Cut S cut One on Ones Player performs a V cut
to get the ball. After receiving a pass from the
coach the player performs a S move to get to the
top of the crease.
G
G
D
D
D
D
Split Dodge - Advanced When a player is forcing
you to a side , match up your feet with the
defender and then split dodge pass him.
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Drills Defense
Practice Doubling from behind VAR Lock off next
adjacent pass Have O turn and try and pass back
through double and have D rotate
Practice Inside Game 4 Offensive players on the
outside are moving the ball around while the
three O and 3 D are playing 3 on 3 looking for a
good cut and pick
5 on 4 Work on rotating offensively and
defensively. Offense can cut to the cage, but
cannot stay there. VAR Can do 4 on 3, 3 on 2,
and 6 on 5
Practice doubling and recovering back to the
crease. Rule O man dodging cannot pass right to
the crease, has to use both feeders on the back
side.
Reaction 4 on 3 Drill Coach throws ball out into
the square area and all 7 attack. If O gets it
immediately attack the cage, If D gets it, kick
back to Goalie or have D take it immediately up
field. VAR Time limit for O to get to the cage.
Encourage quick decisions
Reaction 3 on 2 Drill Coach throws ball out into
the square area and both the O and D man behind
go for the ground ball. If O gets it immediately
attack the cage, If D gets it, kick back to
Goalie or have him take it up field.
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Drills Odd-Man Defense
54 HOLD Try and have D-man closes to the ball
cover 2 so no rotation has to happen. Average
D-man can cover 1 man. Great D-man can cover 2 or
more men.
54 Wheel D will rotate opposite of the ball
5 on 4 Work on rotating offensively and
defensively. Offense can cut to the cage, but
cannot stay there. VAR Can do 4 on 3, 3 on 2,
and 6 on 5
54 Lock Off
Reaction 4 on 3 Drill Coach throws ball out into
the square area and all 7 attack. If O gets it
immediately attack the cage, If D gets it, kick
back to Goalie or have D take it immediately up
field. VAR Time limit for O to get to the cage.
Encourage quick decisions
Reaction 3 on 2 Drill Coach throws ball out into
the square area and both the O and D man behind
go for the ground ball. If O gets it immediately
attack the cage, If D gets it, kick back to
Goalie or have him take it up field.
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Drills Defense
2 on 2 Quickness Drill All 4 players touch stick
togethers. On whistle, they run around a cone
and a coach will pass to one of the offense and
they immediately will go into a 2 on 2. VAR
can add cones to make it 3 on 3 and also vary
which cones the D and O go around.
Recognition Drill Coaches send any number of
players out to play. O and D must immediately
recognize whether they are even, up, or down and
react accordingly. Encourage quick decisions and
keep the tempo up. c
Have D count out as D man runs to sideline. Yell
even when done
Look Away Drill One on one from behind. Crease
D-Man slides either top side or low side
depending on initial D Man. O man curls back and
passes to next guy in line and he mimics drills
on the opposite side. Initial D-Man runs back to
the crease when the sliding D calls out LOOK AWAY
Recovery D Drill Players play 6 on 6. When the
coach blows the whistle, the D man on the ball
must run to the closest sideline / endline /
midline and get back into the play. The D have
to adjust temporarily until back to full strength.
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1 on 1s D practice using the hub to get
comfortable with being in position first before
playing D. Offensive must make two passes before
they can dodge one on one. VAR Can add in help
D
1
Number Drill Coach yells out a number. Those
players go to the goal. Lowest Number always
starts with the ball 1 1 on 1 12 2 on
2 123 3 on 3 1234 4 on 4
2
3
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Drills Individual Defense
Sideline Help Drill D man is going to use the
sidelines to push the O man out of it as he tries
to get to midline. D Man can now start in the
crease and then run into the drill.
Steal Drill Tight triangle. Man in the middle
tries to steal the ball while staying in the
middle.
Off My Island Drill D man pushes O man back
behind the cage. No checks are thrown while on
the island (A sections)
A
A
Slap Check Drill Man in middle runs up to one D
man slaps and backsteps to center and then goes
to next D man and repeats. Tip break down as
you reach man and slap and back step
simultaneously.
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Drills Riding/Clearing Drills
Hustle Ride On whistle, the attackman run back to
cover the coaches, if successful, a D man comes
in and they play 2 on 1 VAR Can build to 3 even
4 riders
Pressure Ride On whistle, the attackman try to
get open to start a 3 on 3. The coach will pass
the ball in to one of the three. On the shot or
change of possession, add a 4th attackman in to
ride. If Attackman steal the ball they go into a
4 on 3.
D
G
G
D
D
D
5 Man Break Defensemen run around the crease, on
the whistle, the d-men have to break out to a
designated spot. Because they are spinning, they
have to be ready for any of the 5 positions.
6 vs 3 Riding 3 middies/defense try and cover
four guys at the midline while the opposing d man
practice rotating ball back and forth looking for
a man to pass too.
D
D
Cannot run up field
Cannot run up field
D
D
D
D
D
D
Clear to 4 vs 3 Clear out and then d-men feed an
o man and then play 4 on 3
D
D
D
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Drills Full Field
Long Passes/GBS/Speed Drill Player picks up GB
and immediately passes it cross field
(forearm,back, hip strength) and continues to run
Straight forward. The other two men run to spots
and practice catching and throwing while moving
and also roll dodging. Players rotate Through
the lines in a counterclockwise fashion or to
where they received the pass from.
Start
Finish
Pick up GB
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Drills Full Field
Fast Break/Slow Break Drill Player breaks out
on a fast break. He goes down on a 4 on 3. On
change of possession or shot, he immediately goes
back and plays defense. Man chasing him and one
or two guys at midline join in to form a 5 on 4
or 6 on 4 on the other end. VAR Can add a D-man
at the face-off circle to be added in when they
come back and change it to a 5 on 5 or 6 on 5.
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Drills Full Field
Fast Break/Slow Break Drill Player breaks out
on a fast break. He passes across to the other
breaking player. He goes down on a 4 on 3. On
change of possession or shot, the man who started
the fast break is done while the one who passed
to him stays in and plays defense while two
offensive players come down on a slow break (5 on
4).
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Drills Full Field
Defense Creates Offense Drill Start with 4 D
and 3 O on each side. Top 2 D will break out and
go and play 5 on 4 on the other side. The
starting 2 D are out of drill after their teams
loses possession. They run back to their side of
the field (in this case left). Two D man from
behind step into the drill and the remaining 2 D
man move up to the top spot on the box ready to
play offense.
G
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Drills Full Field
Salisbury Full Field IQ Recognition Drill Coach
rolls out a ball and player goes on a 4 on 3.
One a shot or goal is made, the goalie looks
upfield (to the first cone) and passes the ball
to a red middie. The red middie passes it up to
the other red middie and then goes on a 5 on 4 in
the opposite direction. Once a shot or save is
made the goalie looks to pass to a white middie
standing at the cone. The white middie looks to
the other white middie and they go on a 6 on 5.
Finally after the white middies get a little
lead, send a final red down to make it 6 on 6.
ALL PLAYERS stay in until the drill ends.
RED
R
W
R
R
W
W
R
W
W
R
W
R
W
R
R
W
W
R
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Drills Full Field
Ground Ball Full Field Recognition Drill Coach
rolls out a ball and players on the same side run
out for the GB. If red gets it, then the whites
on the opposite side do not come in 5 on 4
(unless want to practice being Red Man Down).
If white, gets it then the other whites join in
and play 6 on 5. VAR Can declare winner after 2
minutes. Can have all defense and attackman up
above restraining line.
W
W
RED
R
W
R
R
W
W
R
W
W
R
W
R
R
W
R
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Drill Full Field
Full Field Stick Work Drill All players start
in the middle and break out to the wings.
Encourage quick timed breakouts and fast Passes
to remaining players.
G
G
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Drill Full Field
Stick Work to a Shot Drill Defense practice
picking up a GB reversing fields. Midfield
practice coming to the ball and reversing field.
Attack practice coming to the ball and shooting.
Goalie practices shots and outlets, attackman who
shoots on him must break out to midfield and then
once he receive the pass, get the ball back to a
coach
Roll out a GB
G
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Drill Full Field
3 on 2 Conditioning Drill All players need to
be out wide on field. Three offensive men will
come down the field practicing passing. While
they are coming down, the 2 defensive men and
goalie are getting into position. Move the nets
up so that defense doesnt have Much time before
offense is in position to shoot.
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Drill Full Field
Uptown On whistle, goalie feeds one of the two
offensemen and yells out a name. That d-men has
to run to the goal and then get back Into the
hole. Offense has a quick opportunity of 5 on 4.